I scribbled down these tidbits on the 1st Intermediate Period some time ago and thought I could post them in here to share during the festivities. I do apologize for any loss of continuity in the post.

The general assumption regarding the Intermediate Periods of Kemet's history is that they were times of chaos. Invasions, the country divided by politics, etc. Some of this may be true, but not all - I have to admit to finding it surprising myself.

While there was a distinct decrease of monumental building in the country, the culture among the poorer towns of Upper Kemet thrived and increased. This was probably due to the fact that the provincial nobles (aka Nomarchs) now had direct access to the products of the country (ie, grain) versus the earlier system which concentrated the collection, storing and distributing of the goods via the royal residence. Basically, instead of collecting the products and then shipping them off to the royal residence for allocation and storing, the Nomarchs could now do it themselves.

Something that I found quite interesting is during the 1st Intermediate Period it wasn't unusual to find a Nomarch that was a Nomarch of more than one Nome. I'm assuming one would have done so to gain more independent power considering the Nomes now had a more substantial say in their provincial matters than they did previously. Another item that changed were two offices in specific, the Overseer of Priests and the Great Overlord of the Nome (aka Nomarch) - during the Old Kingdom these offices were kept seperate, but during the 1st Intermediate Period these two offices were combined. Another sign of gathering independent power?

Perhaps as a true sign of internal strife within the country, the trade that had been established through Syria-Palestine with Byblos and the Eastern Mediterranean seems to have stopped and the exploitation of mines in the Sinai Peninsula also seems to have been abandoned. This was later resumed, but during the political upheaval of the 1st Intermediate Period (or a good portion of it) outside trade activities seem to have decreased enormously.

Some interesting things to take note of that aren't necessarly bad things are developments in the funerary arrangements. Cartonnage masks first make their appearance during this period as well as objects being made specifically for funerary use (previously the grave goods were strictly items that had been used daily). The Coffin Texts first make their appearance during the 1st Intermediate Period as well, though the coffins inscribed with the text were restricted to the coffins of the nobility and uppermost levels of provincial society.