c.2160-2055 B.C. (but see article on ancient Egyptian dates)
The First Intermediate Period began when the Old Kingdom's centralized monarchy grew weak as provincial rulers (called nomarchs) became powerful. This period ended when a local monarch from Thebes gained control of all Egypt.Many consider the First Intermediate Period to be a dark age. There is some evidence that there were disasters -- like failure of the annual Nile flood, but there were also cultural advances.
- More on the First Intermediate Period
