Ending of the Old Kingdom

End of the Old Kingdom is one of the most important events in Ancient Egypt. This pivotal period in ancient Egypt's history saw the fall of a whole empire due to politics and corruption.

The term "Old Kingdom" refers to the time from the third to the sixth dynasty. Memphis served as the nation's capital at the period, and Pharaoh Unas presided over the state. The nomarchs, or officials, secured sovereignty over the core provinces, however, and gradually destroyed Unas in a startling rise of government.

Scholars generally agree that the last ruler of the 8th Dynasty, who reigned in Egypt between the middle of the 22nd century BCE or a few decades later, marked the end of the Old Kingdom. The causes of the fall can be attributed to prior internal and/or meteorological circumstances, as well as a possible invasion from the northeast—explanations that do not conflict with one another. These circumstances led to the dissolution of the Egyptian state's territorial entity, which was followed by a period of economic and cultural collapse. One of the most contentious issues in Egyptian history is the end of the Old Kingdom. Furthermore, the conclusion that the ancient Egyptians reported may not be the same as what current researchers have determined to be the conclusion.