Editing Old Kingdom of Egypt (section)

===Decline into the First Intermediate Period===
{{Main|Sixth Dynasty of Egypt|First Intermediate Period}}

The sixth dynasty peaked during the reigns of Pepi I and Merenre I with flourishing trade, several mining and quarrying expeditions and major military campaigns.
Militarily, aggressive expansion into Nubia marked Pepi I's reign.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hayes|first=William|year=1978|title=The Scepter of Egypt: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 1, From the Earliest Times to the End of the Middle Kingdom|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Scepter_of_Egypt_Vol_1_From_the_Earliest_Times_to_the_End_of_the_Middle_Kingdom|publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|location=New York| pages=122|oclc=7427345}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=William Stevenson|year=1971|chapter=The Old Kingdom of Egypt and the Beginning of the First Intermediate Period|editor1-first=I. E. S.|editor1-last=Edwards|editor2-first=C. J.|editor2-last=Gadd|editor3-first=N. G. L.|editor3-last=Hammond|location=London, New york|pages=191–194|title=The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 1, Part 2. Early History of the Middle East|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521077910|edition=3rd|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slR7SFScEnwC&q=Phiops&pg=PA167|oclc=33234410}}</ref> At least five military expeditions were sent into Canaan.<ref name="Grimal 1994">{{Cite book |title= A History of Ancient Egypt |last= Grimal|first= Nicolas|publisher= Wiley-Blackwell |date=19 July 1994 |page=85}}</ref>

There is evidence that Merenre was not only active in Nubia like Pepi I but also sent officials to maintain Egyptian rule over Nubia from the northern border to the area south of the third cataract.<ref name="Grimal 1994"/>

During the [[Sixth Dynasty of Egypt|Sixth Dynasty]] (2345–2181 BC) the power of the pharaoh gradually weakened in favor of powerful [[nomarch]]s (regional governors). These no longer belonged to the royal family and their charge became hereditary, thus creating local dynasties largely independent from the central authority of the Pharaoh. However, Nile flood control was still the subject of very large works, including especially the canal to [[Lake Moeris]] around 2300 BC, which was likely also the source of water to the [[Giza pyramid complex]] centuries earlier.

Internal disorders set in during the incredibly long reign of [[Pepi II]] (2278–2184 BC) towards the end of the dynasty. His death, certainly well past that of his intended heirs, might have created succession struggles.  The country slipped into civil wars mere decades after the close of Pepi II's reign.

The final blow was the [[22nd century BC drought]] in the region that resulted in a drastic drop in precipitation. For at least some years between 2200 and 2150 BC, this prevented the normal flooding of the [[Nile]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Jean-Daniel Stanley|year=2003 |title=Nile flow failure at the end of the Old Kingdom, Egypt: Strontium isotopic and petrologic evidence |journal=[[Geoarchaeology (journal)|Geoarchaeology]] |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=395–402 |doi=10.1002/gea.10065 |s2cid=53571037 |display-authors=etal|url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/24322095/POST-PEER-REVIEW-PUBLISHERS.PDF }}</ref>

Whatever its cause, the collapse of the Old Kingdom was followed by decades of famine and strife. An important inscription on the tomb of [[Ankhtifi]], a [[nomarch]] during the early [[First Intermediate Period]], describes the pitiful state of the country when famine stalked the land.