An ARCE-New England Online Lecture

"Game of Nomes in the First Intermediate Period:

Intef is Coming!"

Registration is required for this online event.
Event site (includes registration info):
https://mailchi.mp/9d999d6b8a05/arce-ne-lecture-game-of-nomes

Direct registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsf-2oqT8qH9wD2qcpTQRWDgN8bLdNZUnX

Abstract:
At the end of the Old Kingdom, centralized political power disintegrated, and local rulers came to the fore in the political game. The lack of a central administration and the increasing rivalry between regions for the control of wealth flow transformed the Egyptian society, which now experienced economic regeneration. Contrary to traditional interpretations of the period, recent archaeological research shows no traces of climatic crisis but internal struggles between competing parties. Ultimately, political power coalesced around Herakleopolis in the north and Thebes in the south. In a situation in which political authority and prestige ebbed and flowed between regional lineages, the nomarchs of Thebes took control of major circuits, remote resources, and neighboring territories.  In this talk, I will examine some of the primary sources for the study of the conflicts of the First Intermediate Period, focusing on the aspirations of the House of Intef to establish a reunified kingdom and the reactions of the other local powers in Egypt.

Speaker:
Antonio J. Morales is Associate Professor in Egyptology, University of Alcala (Madrid). He is currently Real Colegio Complutense Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Morales also is the Director of The Middle Kingdom Theban Project (https://thebanproject.com/en/).