Download The Middle and New Kingdom

The fall of the Old Kingdom
 The wealth and power of the pharaohs began to decline at
the end of the Old Kingdom.
 At the same time ambitious nobles used their positions to
take power from the pharaohs.
 Over time they took all of the power from the pharaohs
and for 160 years the kingdom did not have a central ruler.
The Middle Kingdom
 In 2050 BC the Egyptians took control of Egypt and
established a new dynasty of pharaohs.
 This period only lasted around 300 years.
 In 1750 BC the Hyksos invaded Egypt and took it over for
nearly 200 years.
 In the mid-1500s the Egyptians fought back and took
control of Egypt once again and this would lead to the
establishment of the New Kingdom.
The New Kingdom
 This is the period in which Egypt reached the height of its
power and glory.
 It lasted from about 1550 to 1050 BC
Building an Empire
 After years of fighting the Egyptians feared future
invasions.
 To stop this they decided to take control of all possible
invasion routes.
 During this time they turned Egypt into an empire.
 Their empire stretched from the Euphrates River in the
North to the Nubian Desert in the South.
 Through these conquests Egypt became wealthy.
Who was Hatshepsut?
 Was married to Thutmose II who dies at a very young age.
 When he died his son was to young to take control, so she
served as his regent.
 Eventually she would take control of Egypt and became
the only woman pharaoh in Egypt’s history.
 During her reign she would take on many building projects
and expand trade in Egypt.
 After her death Thutmose III took over and tried to erase
her from history, because many thought a woman should
not be Pharaoh.
Who was Ramses II?
 Thought of as the greatest pharaoh in Egypt’s history.
 During his reign he greatly increased the size of the
Egyptian Empire.
 Was also responsible for building temples at Karnak,
Luxor, and Abu Simbel
 Was seen as the last great pharaoh and after his death the
empire began to shrink due to the fact that future leaders
could not maintain it.