Changes

When Egypt’s New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1075 BC) collapsed, it ushered in a period of political instability and decline known as the Third Intermediate Period. The Third Intermediate Period was marked by the rule of various Libyan tribes, who divided Egypt into several contemporary dynasties. The Late Period came after the Third Intermediate Period and although it was a period when Egypt was usually united one single dynasty at a time, the rulers were often foreign. The exact point where the Third Intermediate Period ended and the Late Period began is open for debate among many scholars. Some believe that the Third Intermediate Period ended with the Nubian King, Piye’s, conquest of Egypt in 728 because that date also marked the beginning of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty and a return to Egyptian unification under one dynasty. Other scholars see the date 664 BC as the inception date of the Late Period when Psamtek I came to power, establishing the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty and many of the political, military, and cultural attributes commonly associated with the period.