History of Ancient Egypt until the End of the Second Intermediate Period.

History of Ancient Egypt until the End of the Second Intermediate Period.

Course Overview:
This training course serves as a comprehensive scientific guide for anyone wishing to study the history of ancient Egypt from the beginning of the Egyptian dynasties up to the end of the Second Intermediate Period. The course starts with an introduction to the science of history and the advantages of Egypt's geographical location, then discusses the sources for studying ancient Egyptian history. It then enters the historical periods, where the invention of writing and the formation of political unity between northern and southern Egypt were among the most important features of this stage, beginning with the first Egyptian dynasties up to the end of the Second Dynasty, known as the Early Dynastic Period ("Age of the Beginning of the Dynasties"). The course then covers one of the strongest periods in ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom ("Age of the Pyramid Builders"), spanning the Third to Eighth Dynasties. It addresses the fall of the Old Kingdom and its causes, leading into the First Intermediate Period (known as the Herakleopolitan Period), which included the Ninth to the first half of the Eleventh Dynasties, characterized by chaos and the disintegration of Egypt's political unity. This period ends with the reunification of Egypt by King Mentuhotep II, ushering in the prosperous and powerful Middle Kingdom from the second half of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Thirteenth Dynasty. This era concludes with the Hyksos occupation of large parts of Egypt, entering the Second Intermediate Period from the Fourteenth to Seventeenth Dynasties, ending with Ahmose, the last king of the Seventeenth Dynasty, expelling the Hyksos and starting a new political unity with the Eighteenth Dynasty, the first of the New Kingdom.

Importance of the Course:
This course aims to reread ancient Egyptian history primarily based on ancient Egyptian sources and the latest modern scientific studies, addressing challenges faced by ancient Egyptian history, which spans about three thousand years (ca. 3100–332 BCE) from the first dynasties to the end of the Thirty-First Dynasty. It counters incorrect readings by non-specialists influenced by personal opinions or Western views that negatively impact the perception and evaluation of ancient Egyptian history. It also tackles research biases and movements seeking to distort or attribute it to non-Egyptians, such as Afrocentrism and other funded Western movements. Thus, the course fills a real gap in specialized Arabic content from a neutral scientific perspective, enhancing national identity, drawing lessons from the past to understand the present and shape the future, developing critical thinking through historical analysis, increasing cultural awareness of human civilization's roots, and promoting Egypt's cultural tourism.

Course Content:

Module 1: Introduction to Ancient Egyptian History and Its Sources
1. Introduction to Ancient Egyptian History.
2. Sources for Studying Ancient Egyptian History (Part 1): Internal Sources.
3. Sources for Studying Ancient Egyptian History (Part 2): Internal and External Sources.

Module 2: Early Dynastic Period (Dynasties 0–2)
4. Early Dynastic Period (Dynasty 0).
5. Early Dynastic Period (First Dynasty).
6. Early Dynastic Period (Second Dynasty).
7. Civilizational Features of the Early Dynastic Period.

Module 3: Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3–8)
8. Third Dynasty (Part 1).
9. Third Dynasty (Part 2).
10. Fourth Dynasty (Part 1).
11. Fourth Dynasty (Part 2).
12. Fifth Dynasty (Part 1).
13. Fifth Dynasty (Part 2).
14. Sixth Dynasty.
15. Seventh and Eighth Dynasties and the Fall of the Old Kingdom.

Module 4: First Intermediate Period (Dynasties 9–First Half of 11)
16. Ninth and Tenth Dynasties.
17. First Half of Eleventh Dynasty (Kings of Herakleopolis).

Module 5: Middle Kingdom (Second Half of Dynasty 11 to End of 13)
18. Beginning of the Middle Kingdom (Eleventh Dynasty – King Mentuhotep II).
19. Second Half of Eleventh Dynasty.
20. Twelfth Dynasty (Part 1 – King Amenemhat I).
21. Twelfth Dynasty (Part 2 – King Senusret I).
22. Twelfth Dynasty (Part 3 – Kings Amenemhat II and Senusret II).
23. Twelfth Dynasty (Part 4 – King Senusret III).
24. Twelfth Dynasty (Part 5 – King Amenemhat III).
25. End of Twelfth Dynasty and Introduction to Thirteenth Dynasty.
26. Thirteenth Dynasty and End of the Middle Kingdom.

Module 6: Second Intermediate Period (Dynasties 14–17)
27. Fourteenth Dynasty and Fifteenth Dynasty (Hyksos Dynasty).
28. Abydos Dynasty and Sixteenth–Seventeenth Dynasties.
29. End of Second Intermediate Period, Seventeenth Dynasty, and Expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt.

Target Audience:
- Students and academic researchers in history, archaeology, Egyptology, anthropology, and humanities.
- Professionals in tourism and antiquities sectors, such as tourist guides, museum workers, or site inspectors across Egypt.
- Those interested in ancient Egyptian culture and NGO workers in heritage and cultural development.
- Undergraduate and graduate students in faculties of arts (history/archaeology), education (history department), and archaeology departments.
- Content creators and writers inspired by ancient Egyptian history for literary and creative works.
- General enthusiasts of ancient Egyptian history.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, trainees will be able to:
1. Define ancient Egyptian history and the importance of Egypt's geographical location.
2. List internal and external sources used by specialists.
3. Explain Manetho's history and its basis for dividing Egyptian dynasties.
4. Distinguish between ancient Egyptian periods from pre-dynastic to end of Second Intermediate Period.
5. Identify the Early Dynastic Period's role in forming civilizational and political foundations.
6. Understand the Old Kingdom, scholarly debates on its duration, and causes of its fall.
7. Evaluate the First Intermediate Period ("Herakleopolitan Period") positives and negatives.
8. Recognize the Intef kings (first half of Eleventh Dynasty) and their role in reunification before Mentuhotep II.
9. Define the Middle Kingdom and new evaluations of the Thirteenth Dynasty.
10. Explain the first foreign invasion ("Hyksos," Second Intermediate Period).
11. Identify the Abydos Dynasty, a new dynasty outside standard numbering.

Instructor:
Dr. Elshaimaa Mohamed Hassan Abdelgawad holds a PhD in Ancient Egyptian History, specializing in the Third Intermediate Period. She has extensive teaching experience at Cairo University's Faculty of Archaeology for bachelor's and postgraduate diploma in ancient Egyptian archaeology students, and taught tourist guiding at Cairo University's Faculty of Mass Communication. She has published specialized research and participated in excavations at Tuna el-Gebel in Minya and Saqqara.