Is it possible, that by understanding the social evolution of ancient Egypt that we might cast new light on today' issues, problems and opportunities?
Predynastic, Archaic and Old Kingdom
2035 BC to 1668 BC - ethics, morals and literature
Breakdown - failing economy, Hyksos intrusion,
absorption
1550 to 1070 BC - open society - military conquest
Breakdown - failing economy, military losses,
expanding Mediterranean cultures -a loss of confidence in the
Egyptian Psyche
These are taken from work by Carl Jung, who was interested in ancient Egypt, and the way in which a civilization emerged, "pulling itself up by its bootstraps" - since there was no model to follow. This early age of Egypt was the first, and therefore really the only, occasion in history when this happened.
These themes recur in the following diagram. The figure refers to the original flowering of society, the emergence of archetypes, zoomorphs (e.g. the animal-form deities) and dualities.
The figure therefore relates to both the pre-dynastic and the early dynastic periods, and illustrates the curious features of nascent societal development.
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The photographs shows the famous Narmer Palette, which marks the beginning of ancient Egyptian history. The palette shows King Narmer, or Menes, wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt on one side and the White Crown of Upper Egypt on the other, indicating that Narmer either was, or wished to be, king of all Egypt.
In the following section you will see a number of Causal Loop Models (CLMs). Don't be put off by them. they are really quite easy to read and, once you have the idea, they say very simply what it would take pages of writing to explain. The trick is to read each arrow as "allows", "leads to", "enables", or even "causes". So, in the figure, Population (growth) "allows" social development, which "enables" Co-operation, which "leads to" Organized Irrigation, which "causes" Cultivated Land, which "enables" more food, which "enables" Population. This is a "positive feedback" loop which results in increasing population - provided, as the figure shows, the Inundation turns up and the Population does not exceed the Food supply. Read solid black arrowheads as ""opposes" or "diminishes". Try it for yourself - it is well worth the effort.
The figure shows how the truly unprecedented and phenomenal civilization that was the Old Kingdom emerged:-
As the figure above highlights, the conditions were exceptionally suited for man to give rise to an unprecedented intellectual and artistic outpouring. At the same time, the conditions were ideal for the development of an enduring economy, of a rather special kind.
This is a stela of King Djed, showing the most exquisite artistic skill which was evident in the early dynastic period. Note how the serekh bearing the king's name is offset to the left to allow the hawk-tail of Horus to extend to the right. The purity and elegance of line here will contrast with later works shown below.
The left-hand part of the figure is the same as the previous figure. At the right can be seen the basis for a thriving, enduring economy centred around the continuance of the Pharaoh. The feudal system provided a firm tax basis with which the priesthood maintained the spiritual integrity of the Nation, together with the Pharaoh as its central icon and, of course, themselves.
Apart from food, this theocracy vested its efforts in religious and ritual artifacts. By today's standards, these would be widgets, i.e. functionally irrelevant, but to the ancient Egyptians they seem to have fed the soul.
Stone architecture came alive in the Old Kingdom, starting with the Stepped Pyramid built by Imhotep for King Djoser. In addition to the pyramid, below, the complex contained a variety of buildings, mock temples, built in stone but using their experience with wood
The entrance passage is roofed with stone shaped as wooden logs:
Further inside, an avenue of pillars were built, with a pattern reminiscent of Greek Doric columns some 2000 years before their conception. The pillar design may have been based on the stems of plants. Note that the pillars are not free-standing, but attached to the main walls. The architects were not yet confident in their building
Below is one of the few, perhaps the only, figure of the Pharaoh Khufu, instigator of the Great Pyramid. This figure, only some 4 inches high, is in the Cairo Museum. Khufu is shown with an unusual headdress, and he holds what appears to be a frond in one hand, rather than the crosier and flail that would become standard later.
For more on the pyramids of the Old Kingdom, see:
The widget-based economy of the Old Kingdom lasted some 500 years - not bad by today's standards (which are, of course, inapplicable). When the system broke down, as eventually it had to, it came about because the Pharaoh granted special, eternal-life- privileges to his supporting feudal leaders (Nomarchs) who were also given land and the peasants who worked it.
This organization, redolent of King John and the Barons in mediaeval England, gave rise to internecine war between the Nomarchs over resources whenever there was a downturn in the economy caused by a series of failing Inundations. At the same time, each Nomarch now required his own priesthood to provide for his eternity. The Nomarchs thus became virtually autonomous, and the Nation fragmented.
Evidence for the gradual fall-off in the Inundation can be derived from the Palermo Stone. The graph shows the heights of the Inundation during the Old Kingdom, and the exponential regression line shows an inexhorable reduction of nearly 50 per cent over the period shown.
The photograph shows the rock-cut statues of Ramses II at Abu Simbal.
As the figure below shows, by the time the Thutmoses and Ramessides, the nature of society and the economy had both changed radically. The nation was no longer closed - the Pharaoh ruled a vast empire, from which it demanded tribute and beyond which it undertook forays to subdue and expand its boundaries.
Socially, the feudal state, if not the agricultural economy, had been dismantled and replaced with non-hereditary viziers and mayors, loyal to Pharaoh and unable to operate autonomously. When not campaigning abroad, Pharaoh spent much of his year travelling up and down the Nile visiting the various Nomes (regions), maintaining national cohesion. A spirit existed that a later civilization dubbed "noblesse oblige", that the better off had a duty to support the poorer. As the figure above shows, Pharaoh was the hub of 3 social structures:
Note from the figure how these 3 causal loops, united through the Pharaoh, were also connected via two dotted lines:
Only two clouds marred this otherwise perfect vista:
The New Kingdom failed gradually, more with a whimper than a bang. Surrounding cultures were developing, better able to challenge Egyptian supremacy
Egypt was conquered by a succession of nations, each eager to rule as Pharaoh, but each eager to introduce their own culture too. The eventual slide of the once great civilization coincided with the advent of Christianity, which initially faced a vigorous resistance. Christianity overcame, in the end, and reactively eradicated the ancient religious practices, including the worship of Osiris and Isis, and forbad the use of hieroglyphs.
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The architecture of the period was quite distinctive and its decoration in particular was continually evolving, particularly into the Late Period. The picture above left shows the Kiosk of Kertassi, and at right above is a Late Period representation of the Ba, one aspect of the human spirit.
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Art developed distinctively, too. At left is a representation of Sobek, the crocodile god from Kom Ombo, while at right is a view of Horus, from the Louvre
The record of ancient Egypt shows that each of the three phases of civilization broke down for different reasons, although it seems that a downturn in their economy was an associated factor in each case.
Is it possible to learn from their pattern of social evolution? Well, possibly...but it would be easy to overlook important factors such as the change in environment between then and now, the social evolution that has occurred in that time.
On the other hand, we find it virtually impossible to analyse today's complex social dilemmas, if only because there are so many variables and unknowns. If we could learn from other societies' failures - and successes - then it might prove very useful.
Of all the precedents we might choose to examine, ancient Egypt has to be the most interesting. Here was a society, virtually isolated by the desert on either side of the Nile, which emerged from the Stone Age and flowered into perhaps the most impressive, expressive, artistic, theocracy of all time. The first age was, even to later Egyptians, a truly Golden Age.
By extension, this Pristine Society presents archetypal models of societal behaviour at various stages which we may apply to today's societies, companies, businesses...
Last updated:Sep 2005
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