The Third Intermediate Period: A Complete Overview (1077 BC – 744 BC)

The Empire is gone, but Egypt isn't dead! In this episode, we dive into one of the least understood yet longest phases of Egyptian history: The Third Intermediate Period. After the fall of the New Kingdom, Egypt fractured into priestly regimes, Libyan dynasties, and feuding city-states. But amid the chaos, gold still gleamed, mummies were saved, and temples echoed with the name of Amun. Learn how the High Priests of Amun at Thebes became kingmakers, and sometimes kings, why Libyan warlords with feathered crowns ruled Egypt for over a century, how the Tanite kings created a necropolis to rival Tutankhamun’s tomb, why royal mummies were hidden in secret caches for protection and ultimately how the country splintered into rival dynasties, and opened the door to Nubian conquest From the rise of Herihor and Smendes I to the civil wars between Osorkon, Takelot, and Pedubast, we track Egypt’s struggle to survive without a single strong pharaoh. This era is filled with priest-kings, broken crowns, royal masks of silver, and warlords from Libya. Even as Egypt crumbled politically, it flourished artistically. The tomb of Psusennes I at Tanis revealed treasures rivaling Tutankhamun, and priests of Karnak carefully preserved Egypt’s sacred dead. The gods still ruled, especially Amun, and temples remained central to Egyptian life. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and comment if you enjoy history as much as we do. Become a member to help out the channel and keep the project alive (not to mention early access)! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFn4wt14ytUbngBJp8SsWKQ/join 0:00 Tanis & Thebes: 21st Dynasty 6:19 Libyan Rule: The 22nd & 23rd Dynasties 13:50 Collapse: 24th Dynasty This video is a part of our series on Northern Africa. You can find each individual one here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaWQkkziGGfcsMsf9d-O3AGOHzBxeJ7H3 Welcome to our Subregion Documentaries! These standalone full documentaries are meant to summarize broad topics in history and balances political history and events, with social/daily life, and culture. If you've watched our History of the World and Time Period documentary series, these videos are a perfect next step! ----- Check out the Sections on our Homepage for the series we are working on: https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeInHistory Lvl 1: HISTORY OF THE WORLD https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaWQkkziGGfe7hVpRMyeozS5RHcMVQwcJ Lvl 2: TIME PERIOD MEGA-DOCUMENTARIES https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaWQkkziGGfeaFYBIWUy8l2xmlesX7MFh ----- All images used with CC license. #ancientegypt #egyptianhistory #history