ICS stages / ages (official)
56-643: Blytt–Sernander stages/ages *Relative to year 2000 ( b2k ). The Subboreal is a climatic period , immediately before the present one, of the Holocene . It lasted from 3710 to 450 BCE . The composite scientific term Subboreal , meaning "below the Boreal," is derived from the Latin sub (below, under) and the Greek Βορέας , from Boreas , the god of the North Wind. The word
112-419: A king's portrayal was about the idea of the office of kingship, which were dependent on the time period. The Old Kingdom was considered a golden age for Egypt, a grandiose height to which all future kingdoms aspired. As such, the king was portrayed as young and vital, with features that agreed with the standards of beauty of the time. The musculature seen in male figures was also applied to kings. A royal rite,
168-733: A monument to his father Khufu. Alternatively, the Sphinx has been proposed to be the work of Khafre and Khufu himself. There were military expeditions into Canaan and Nubia , with Egyptian influence reaching up the Nile into what is today Sudan . The later kings of the Fourth Dynasty were Menkaure (2532–2504 BC), who built the smallest of the three great pyramids in Giza; Shepseskaf (2504–2498 BC); and, perhaps, Djedefptah (2498–2496 BC). The Fifth Dynasty (2494–2345 BC) began with Userkaf (2494–2487 BC) and
224-571: A piece to a particular time frame. Proportions of the human figure are one of the most distinctive, as they vary between kingdoms. Old Kingdom male figures have characteristically broad shoulders and a long torso, with obvious musculature. On the other hand, females are narrower in the shoulders and waist, with longer legs and a shorter torso. However, in the Sixth Dynasty, the male figures lose their muscularity and their shoulders narrow. The eyes also tend to get much larger. In order to help maintain
280-653: A possible cause for the upheavals that led to the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt . The Levant shows a similar climatic evolution. The dry conditions prevailing in Mesopotamia around 4200 years BP probably resulted in the downfall of the Akkadian Empire . Levels of carbon dioxide had reached at the beginning of the Subboreal its Holocene minimal value of 260 ppm. During the Subboreal, it started rising and reached 293 ppm at
336-609: A rate of 0.3 mm per year. At the end of the Subboreal, the sea level was about 1 m below the current value. In the Baltic the Litorina Sea had already established itself before the onset of the Subboreal. During the Older Subboreal the second Litorina transgression raised the sea level to 1 m below the actual value. After an intermediate Post-litorine Regression the third Litorina transgression reached 60 cm below present and during
392-480: A temporal framework for the archaeological cultures of Europe and America . Some have gone so far as to identify stages of technology in north Europe with specific periods; however, this approach is an oversimplification not generally accepted. There is no reason, for example, why the north Europeans should stop using bronze and start using iron abruptly at the lower boundary of the Subatlantic at 600 BC. In
448-617: A variety of methods, intending to further verify, and refine the Blytt–Sernander sequence. They find a general correspondence across Eurasia and North America . The fluctuations of climatic change are more complex than Blytt–Sernander periodizations can identify. For example, recent peat core samples at Roskilde Fjord and Lake Kornerup in Denmark identified 40 to 62 distinguishable layers of pollen , respectively. However, no universally accepted replacement model has been proposed. Today
504-540: Is divided into an Older Subboreal and a Younger Subboreal . Historically, the Subboreal is equivalent to most of the Eneolithic and the entire Bronze Age , which started 4200 to 3800 years ago, as well as the start of the Iron Age . This period was also when humans first began recording history , at 2900 BCE , With civilizations like Sumer , Indus Valley Civilization , Ancient Egypt and various other civilizations in
560-625: 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. During the Sixth Dynasty (2345–2181 BC) the power of the pharaoh gradually weakened in favor of powerful nomarchs (regional governors). These no longer belonged to the royal family and their charge became hereditary, thus creating local dynasties largely independent from
616-579: Is most commonly regarded as the period from the Third Dynasty to the Sixth Dynasty (2686–2181 BC). Information from the Fourth to the Sixth Dynasties of Egypt is scarce, and historians regard the history of the era as literally "written in stone" and largely architectural in that it is through the monuments and their inscriptions that scholars have been able to construct a history. Egyptologists also include
SECTION 10
#1732851474546672-534: Is most likely due to elm disease, caused by the ascomycete Ceratocystis ulmi , but climatic changes and anthropogenic pressure on the forests certainly must be considered as well. The decline in elm, with a recession from 20 to 4%, as observed in Eifel maar pollen, has been dated in Central and Northern Europe as from 4000 years BC, but it more likely was diachronous over the interval 4350 to 3780 BC. Another important event
728-505: Is usually fixed at 450 BCE. In varve years, the Subboreal corresponds to 5660 to 2750 years BP. The boundary between the older and the younger Subboreal is considered to be 1350 BCE. The climate was generally drier and slightly cooler (by about 0.1 °C) than in the preceding Atlantic but still warmer than during the 20th century. The temperatures were 0.7 °C higher than during the following Subatlantic. Consequently, in Scandinavia
784-527: The Ancient Near East . The Subboreal is usually defined as 5660 to 3710 years BP. The lower limit is flexible, as some authors prefer to use 4400 BCE, or 6350 BP in northwestern Poland , even 4830 BC, or 6780 BP, And others use 5000 calendar years, or 3050 BCE. The upper limit of the Subboreal and, therefore the beginning of the Subatlantic, is also flexible and can be attributed to 1170 to 830 BCE, but it
840-568: The Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700 –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynasty , such as King Sneferu , under whom the art of pyramid -building was perfected, and the kings Khufu , Khafre and Menkaure , who commissioned the construction of
896-451: The lakes of subtropical Africa (such as Lake Chad ) experiencing a rapid fall in their water levels. During the interval 5000 to 4000 years BP, drier conditions in southern Mesopotamia caused great demographic changes and the abandonment of settlings due to extreme aridity. In Germany , a drastic climatic cooling can be observed around 5000 varve years BP in the maars of the Eifel . In
952-645: The pyramids at Giza . Egypt attained its first sustained peak of civilization during the Old Kingdom, the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods (followed by the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom ), which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley . The concept of an "Old Kingdom" as one of three "golden ages" was coined in 1845 by the German Egyptologist Baron von Bunsen , and its definition evolved significantly throughout
1008-570: The 19th and the 20th centuries. Not only was the last king of the Early Dynastic Period related to the first two kings of the Old Kingdom, but the "capital", the royal residence, remained at Ineb-Hedj , the Egyptian name for Memphis . The basic justification for separating the two periods is the revolutionary change in architecture accompanied by the effects on Egyptian society and the economy of large-scale building projects. The Old Kingdom
1064-463: The Blytt–Sernander sequence has been substantiated by a wide variety of scientific dating methods, mainly radiocarbon dates obtained from peat. Earlier radiocarbon dates were often left uncalibrated; that is, they were derived by assuming a constant concentration of atmospheric radiocarbon. The atmospheric radiocarbon concentration has varied over time and thus radiocarbon dates need to be calibrated . The Blytt–Sernander classification has been used as
1120-634: The Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration, centralized at Memphis. While the Old Kingdom was a period of internal security and prosperity, it was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period . During the Old Kingdom, the King of Egypt (not called the Pharaoh until
1176-493: The Middle Kingdom ensured that art was axial, symmetrical, proportional, and most importantly reproducible and therefore recognizable. Composite composition, the second principle, also contributes to the goal of identification. Multiple perspectives were used in order to ensure that the onlooker could determine precisely what they saw. Though Egyptian art almost always includes descriptive text, literacy rates were not high, so
SECTION 20
#17328514745461232-511: The New Kingdom) became a living god who ruled absolutely and could demand the services and wealth of his subjects. Under King Djoser , the first king of the Third Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, the royal capital of Egypt was moved to Memphis, where Djoser established his court. A new era of building was initiated at Saqqara under his reign. King Djoser's architect, Imhotep , is credited with
1288-421: The art gave another method for communicating the same information. One of the best examples of composite composition is the human form. In most two-dimensional relief, the head, legs, and feet are seen in profile, while the torso faces directly front. Another common example is an aerial view of a building or location. The third principle, the hierarchy of scale, illustrates relative importance in society. The larger
1344-634: The beginning Subatlantic, it reached today's value. In the North Sea region, the Flandrian transgression of the Atlantic was followed by a slight regression or standstill at the beginning of the Subboreal. Blytt%E2%80%93Sernander system The Blytt–Sernander classification, or sequence, is a series of North European climatic periods or phases based on the study of Danish peat bogs by Axel Blytt (1876) and Rutger Sernander (1908). The classification
1400-636: 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
1456-462: 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 . 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
1512-463: The consistency of these proportions, the Egyptians used a series of eight guidelines to divide the body. They occurred at the following locations: the top of the head, the hairline, the base of the neck, the underarms, the tip of the elbow or the bottom of the ribcage, the top of the thigh at the bottom of the buttocks, the knee, and the middle of the lower leg. From the soles of the feet to the hairline
1568-578: The development of building with stone and with the conception of the new architectural form , the step pyramid . The Old Kingdom is best known for a large number of pyramids constructed at this time as burial places for Egypt's kings. The first King of the Old Kingdom was Djoser (sometime between 2691 and 2625 BC) of the Third Dynasty , who ordered the construction of a pyramid (the Step Pyramid ) in Memphis' necropolis, Saqqara . An important person during
1624-417: The dynasties. The three primary principles of that style, frontality, composite composition, and hierarchy scale, illustrate this quite well. These characteristics, initiated in the Early Dynastic Period and solidified during the Old Kingdom, persisted with some adaptability throughout the entirety of ancient Egyptian history as the foundation of its art. Frontality, the first principle, indicates that art
1680-487: The dynasty sent expeditions to the stone quarries and gold mines of Nubia and the mines of Sinai. there are references and depictions of military campaigns in Nubia and Asia. 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. At least five military expeditions were sent into Canaan. There
1736-516: The dynasty were Menkauhor Kaiu (2421–2414 BC), Djedkare Isesi (2414–2375 BC), and Unas (2375–2345), the earliest ruler to have the Pyramid Texts inscribed in his pyramid. Egypt's expanding interests in trade goods such as ebony , incense such as myrrh and frankincense , gold, copper, and other useful metals inspired the ancient Egyptians to build suitable ships for navigation of the open sea. They traded with Lebanon for cedar and travelled
Subboreal - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-429: The early First Intermediate Period , describes the pitiful state of the country when famine stalked the land. The most defining feature of ancient Egyptian art is its function, as that was the entire purpose of creation. Art was not made for enjoyment in the strictest sense, but rather served a role of some kind in Egyptian religion and ideology. This fact manifests itself in the artistic style, even as it evolved over
1848-523: The end of the period. As a comparison, today's value is over 400 ppm. In Scandinavia , the Atlantic/Subboreal boundary shows a distinct vegetational change. That is less pronounced in Western Europe , but its typical mixed oak forest shows quite a fast decline in elm and linden . The decline in linden is not fully understood and might be due to cooling or human interference. The decline in elm
1904-478: The figure, the more important the individual. The king is usually the largest, aside from deities. The similarity in size equated to similarity in position. However, this is not to say that physical differences were not shown as well. Women, for example, are usually shown as smaller than men. Children retain adult features and proportions but are substantially smaller in size. Aside from the three primary conventions, there are several characteristics that can help date
1960-400: The jubilee run which was established during the Old Kingdom, involved the king running around a group of markers that symbolized the geographic borders of Egypt. This was meant to be a demonstration of the king's physical vigor, which determined his capacity to continue his reign. This idea of kingly youth and strength were pervasive in the Old Kingdom and thus shown in the art. The sculpture
2016-520: The length of the Red Sea to the Kingdom of Punt - modern-day Eritrea —for ebony, ivory, and aromatic resins. Shipbuilders of that era did not use pegs ( treenails ) or metal fasteners, but relied on the rope to keep their ships assembled. Planks and the superstructure were tightly tied and bound together. This period also witnessed direct trade between Egypt and its Aegean neighbors and Anatolia. The rulers of
2072-517: The lower limit of glaciers was 100 to 200 m higher than during the Subatlantic. On the whole, the oscillating temperatures slightly receded in the course of the Subboreal by about 0.3 °C. In the Aegean , the beginning of the Subboreal was marked by a pronounced drought , centered around 5600 years BP. Of far greater importance was the coming to an end of the African Humid Period , reflected in
2128-402: The nature of time during this period held that the universe worked in cycles, and the Pharaoh on earth worked to ensure the stability of those cycles. They also perceived themselves as specially selected people. The Old Kingdom and its royal power reached a zenith under the Fourth Dynasty (2613–2494 BC). King Sneferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, held territory from ancient Libya in
2184-634: The preceding interval lasting from 8200 till 5000 varve years ( Holocene Climatic Optimum ), the July temperatures were on average still 1 °C higher. At the same time, the January temperatures were rising and the yearly precipitation increased. In Northern Africa and in the Near East , the interval from 4700 to 4100 years BP had renewed and lasting dry conditions, as is indicated by lake level minima. Between 4500 and 4100 years BP, monsoonal precipitations weakened,
2240-639: The pyramid. The Meidum pyramid was the first to have an above-ground burial chamber. Using more stones than any other Pharaoh, he built the three pyramids: a now collapsed pyramid in Meidum , the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur , and the Red Pyramid , at North Dahshur. However, the full development of the pyramid style of building was reached not at Saqqara, but during the building of the Great Pyramids at Giza. Sneferu
2296-405: The reign of Djoser was his vizier , Imhotep . It was in this era that formerly independent ancient Egyptian states became known as nomes , under the rule of the king. The former rulers were forced to assume the role of governors or otherwise work in tax collection. Egyptians in this era believed the king to be the incarnation of Horus , linking the human and spiritual worlds. Egyptian views on
Subboreal - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-548: The sharp boundary horizons, or Grenzhorizonte , in German peat, which matched Blytt's classification. Sernander defined the subboreal and subatlantic periods, as well as the late glacial periods. Other scientists have since added other information. The classification was devised before the development of more accurate dating methods, such as C-14 dating and oxygen isotope ratio cycles . Geologists working in different regions are studying sea levels, peat bogs, and ice core samples by
2408-453: The solar aspect of their religion and the inundations of the Nile. Though the above concepts apply to most, if not all, figures in Egyptian art, there are additional characteristics that applied to the representations of the king. Their appearance was not an exact rendering of the king's visage, though kings are somewhat identifiable through looks alone. Identification could be supplied by inscriptions or context. A huge, more important part of
2464-526: The warm Atlantic period, Denmark was occupied by Mesolithic cultures, rather than Neolithic , notwithstanding the climatic evidence. Moreover, the technology stages vary widely globally. The Pleistocene phases and approximate calibrated dates (see above) are: The Holocene phases are: Some marker plant genera or species studied in peat are More sphagnum appears in wet periods. Dry periods feature more tree stumps, of birch and pine. Old Kingdom of Egypt In ancient Egyptian history,
2520-570: The west to the Sinai Peninsula in the east, to Nubia in the south. An Egyptian settlement was founded at Buhen in Nubia which endured for 200 years. After Djoser, Sneferu was the next great pyramid builder. He commissioned the building of not one, but three pyramids. The first is called the Meidum Pyramid , named for its location in Egypt . Sneferu abandoned it after the outside casing fell off of
2576-466: Was Sahure's son. Neferirkare introduced the prenomen in the royal titulary. He was followed by two short-lived kings, his son Neferefre (2455–2453 BC) and Shepseskare , the latter of uncertain parentage. Shepseskare may have been deposed by Neferefre's brother Nyuserre Ini (2445–2421 BC), a long-lived pharaoh who built extensively in Abusir and restarted royal activity in Giza. The last pharaohs of
2632-447: Was a major product of the Old Kingdom. The position of the figures in this period was mostly limited to sitting or standing, either with feet together or in the striding pose. Group statues of the king with either gods or family members, typically his wife and children, were also common. It was not just the subject of sculpture that was important, but also the material: The use of hard stone, such as gneiss, graywacke, schist, and granite,
2688-433: Was accompanied by indicator plants for human settlements and agriculture like cereals and plantain ( Plantago lanceolata ), and hazel was receding. The relatively-dry climate during the subboreal furthered the spreading of heath plants ( Ericaceae ). Like in the Atlantic period, the global sea level kept on rising during the Subboreal but at a much slower rate. The increase amounted to about 1 m, which corresponds to
2744-498: Was also divided into thirds, one-third between the soles and the knee, another third between the knee and the elbow, and the final third from the elbow to the hairline. The broad shoulders that appeared in the Fifth Dynasty constituted roughly that one-third length as well. These proportions not only help with the identification of representations and the reproduction of art but also tie into the Egyptian ideal of order, which tied into
2800-474: Was first introduced in 1889 by Rutger Sernander to distinguish it from Axel Blytt 's Boreal , which had been established in 1876. The Subboreal followed the Atlantic and was followed by the Subatlantic . The Subboreal is equivalent to W. H. Zagwijn's pollen zones IVa and IVb and T. Litt's pollen zone VIII. In the pollen scheme of Fritz Theodor Overbeck , it occupies pollen zone X. In paleoclimatology , it
2856-563: Was incorporated into a sequence of pollen zones later defined by Lennart von Post , one of the founders of palynology . Layers of peat were first noticed by Heinrich Dau in 1829. A prize was offered by the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters to anyone who could explain them. Blytt hypothesized that the darker layers were deposited in drier times and lighter in moister times, applying his terms Atlantic (warm, moist) and Boreal (cool, dry). In 1926 C. A. Weber noticed
SECTION 50
#17328514745462912-454: Was marked by the growing importance of the cult of sun god Ra . Consequently, fewer efforts were devoted to the construction of pyramid complexes than during the Fourth Dynasty and more to the construction of sun temples in Abusir . Userkaf was succeeded by his son Sahure (2487–2475 BC), who commanded an expedition to Punt . Sahure was in turn succeeded by Neferirkare Kakai (2475–2455 BC), who
2968-460: Was relatively common in the Old Kingdom. The color of the stone had a great deal of symbolism and was chosen deliberately. Four colors were distinguished in the ancient Egyptian language: black, green, red, and white. Black was associated with Egypt due to the color of the soil after the Nile flood, green with vegetation and rebirth, red with the sun and its regenerative cycle, and white with purity. The statue of Menkaure with Hathor and Anput
3024-519: Was succeeded by his son, Khufu (2589–2566 BC), who built the Great Pyramid of Giza . After Khufu's death, his sons Djedefre (2566–2558 BC) and Khafre (2558–2532 BC) may have quarrelled. The latter built the second pyramid and (in traditional thinking) the Great Sphinx of Giza . Recent re-examination of evidence has led Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev to propose that the Sphinx was built by Djedefre as
3080-601: Was the immigration of European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus ) from their retreats on the Balkan and south of the Apennines . That happened also diachronously: beech pollen are found for the first time in the interval 4340 to 3540 BC, hornbeam pollen somewhat later between 3400 and 2900 BC. With the start of the Younger Subboreal is the massive spreading of beech. The establishment of beech and hornbeam
3136-409: Was viewed directly from the front. One was meant to approach a piece as they would a living individual, for it was meant to be a place of manifestation. The act of interaction would bring forth the divine entity represented in the art. It was therefore imperative that whoever was represented be as identifiable as possible. The guidelines developed in the Old Kingdom and the later grid system developed in
#545454