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The Ancient Egyptian
haraohs
8.1 Introduction
In the last chapter,you learnedhow early Egyptians settled in the Nile
R.ivervalley. In this chapter,you will visit ancient Egypt and meet four of its
leaders,calledpharaohs.
In 1922,archeologistsdiscoveredthe tomb of a pharaohknown as King
liutankhaten,or King Tut. Inside a small burial chamber,they found three
coffins nestedinside each other. The smallestcoffin was made of solid gold.
ft held the king's mummy. (A mummy is a body that has beenptesewed after
deathto keep it from decaying.)On the mummy's head was a magnificent
gnildenmask. Jewelry and good luck charms lay on the mummy and in the
mrappings that protectedit. Other rooms of the tomb were filled with statues,
. furniture. and even a chaiot.
The treasuresin King Tut's fomb provided an amazing glimpse into
hnt Egypt. Other pharaohsalso left behind fabulous riches and artwork.
1-of them built greatmonumentsto celebratetheir accomplishments.
King Tut's tomb, these artifacts have much to teach us about this
ln this chapter,you will
about three important
iods in ancient EgyPtian
1r They ne called
Old Kingdom, the
le Kingdom, and
ilew Kingdom. Then
q'ill meet four of the
who ruled during
periods.You will
about their achievelnents and exPlore some
of the monumentstheY
M behind.
The Ancient Egyptian Phanobs
73
8.2 Ancient Egypt and lts Rulers
pyrfimf;d a huge,triangularmonument
shaped
of ancient
Egyptbuiltarounda tomb
'7
Ancient Egypt enjoyed three long periods of stability and unity
under the rule of pharaohs.Historians call theseperiods the Old
Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
' The
Old Kingdom lastedfrom about 2100 to 2200 s.c.B.
During this time, early pharaohsset up a strong central government.They also built great pyramlds as tombs for themselves.
Somehistorianscall this time the Age of Pyramids.
The Middle Kingdom (about2000 to 1800n.c.B.)is sometimes called the Period of Reunification becauseit followed years
of chaosand disunity. During this era Egyptians made many great
achievementsin literature, art, and architecture.
The New Kingdom (about1600to 1100n.c.n.)is often called
Egypt's GoldenAge. During this time of peaceand stability,
Egypt's power reachedits height.
Pharaohsincreasedtrade and built
gigantic monuments.
As in Mesopotamia,religion
flayed a central role in Egypt's
social and political order. The
pharaohswere believedto be
gods.They owned all the land and
were responsiblefor the people's
well-being.They were kings, generals,and religious leaders,all at
once.
After they died, the pharaohs
were thought to enter an afterlife
that would never end. Their great
fombs were built to last forever.
The pharaohsbuilt other
monuments to glotrty theu powet
and success.The map showsthe
locationsof someof the greatest
monuments.Let's find out more
about thesestructuresand the
pharaohswho built them.
Khufu
began
construction
onthe
Pyramid
Great
assoonashe
phar
aoh.
became
&3 Pharaoh Khufu:
fhe Pyramid Builder
The pharaohKhufu ruled from about 255I to 2528 s.c.n.,
fuing the Old Kingdom period. Today he is best known as the
fuiider of a famous pyramid.
l{ot much is known about what Khufu was like. Some stories
{fusribe him as a cruel, harsh ruler. Others say he was powerful
kind.
ffimn
S'e do know that Khufu helped establishthe pharaoh as a
authority. For example, he kept strict control over Egypt's
u@mtral
ffiud supply. This involved overseeingthe harvest and storing
omra grain. He controlled a large network of governmentofficials
ffio carried out his laws. Khufu emphasizedhis supremepower
@ declaring himself a god.
frufu and other Old Kingdom pharaohshad magnificent
pmamids built as tombs for themselvesand their families. Khufu
lfrdms€lfwas responsiblefor the building of the Great Pyramid at
Giraa-It is one of the wonders of the ancient world.
The Great Pyramid sat at the center of a huge complex of
Mples, statues,monuments,and smaller tombs. It was made
lld more than2 million stoneblocks that fit together perfectly.
tunnels led to severalburial chambers.The king's chamffnmide,
ffimrhad six roofs to hold up the weight of the stonesabove it.
Building the Great Pyramid was an arnazingfeat. No one knows
umactlyhow the Egyptians did it. The pyramid took more than
Sffi1.earsto complete. Khufu maintained full control of the building
gm$rt. He organized and fed thousandsof workers. The completed Thisthree-inch-high
ivorystatue
portrait
pyramid was a stunning monument to Egyptian engineering.
is a
of Khufu.
TheAncientEgyptianPharaohs 75
8.4 Pharaoh $enusret l:
Patron of the Arts
The pharaohSenusretI ruled from about I97I to 1926s.c.E.,
during the Middle Kingdom. He was a strong leader who ruled a
stable,unified Egypt.Art, literature, and architectureflourished ...
during his reign.
craftspeople thrived under Senusret'srule. The pharaohcontrolled mines loaded with gold, copper,and gems such as purple
amethyst.Craftspeoplefashionedthesematerials into beautiful
showshim pieces of jewelry. Bracelets and necklaceswere often highly
Thisstatueof Senusret
with stoneslike turquoise.
c l u t c h i nagna n k hi n e a c hh a n d . detailed.They were then decorated
Some of the greatestworks in Egyptian literature were written
sYmbol
TheankhwastheEgYPtian
oI lmmortality,
or elernal liTe.
during senusret's
reign. "Ttre Story of Sinuhd'
tells of a )oung
official named Sinuhe who overhearsa
plot to kill the pharaoh.Fearing for his
own life, Sinuhe flees Egypt. He thrives
in his new land, but he grows very
homesick. When a new pharaohcalls
him home, Sinuhe returnsjoyfully.
Senusret'sgreatestaccomplishments
were in religious architecture.He built
and improved many temples, shrineso
and religious monuments.
PerhapsSenusret'sfinest architectural
achievementwas the White Chapel. (A
chapel is a small temple.) It was made of
alabaster,a hard white stone.Some historians think the chapel was originally
covered in a thin layer of gold.
Beautiful artwork decoratedthe
chapel'spillars. Carvedscenesshowed
the pharaohwith various gods. Birds,
animals, and Egyptian symbols were
also depicted.
Senusretwanted his memory to live
on through his monuments.But almost
none of his buildings survived the passageof time. A later pharaohtook the
White Chapel apart and usdd the pieces
in a monument of his own. Archeologists
later discoveredthe pieces and reconstructedthe White Chapel.
B.5 Phaterqh
ttatstrepe.rrtr
Promoter of Egyptian Trade
The pharaohHatshepsutruled from about l4l3 to 1458e.c'n.
was Egypt's first female pharaoh.Under her rule,
--{atshepsut
:-r1'ptian art and architectureflourished. She was also known for
:lcouraging trade.
's
One of Hatshepsuf greatestaccomplishmenfswas simply
r.:ning power.Never befo6hadEgypt beenruled by a woman.
l,: tLrstshesharedpower with her male relatives.However,she
il,rn took over as soleruler.
her positionin severalways.She
strengthened
Hatshepsut
her governmentwith loyal advisors.Shedemandedthe
ilfr;-e.i
respectas a male ruler.Sometimesshewore men'sclothing.
i;,13ie
iie evenwore the fake beardthat
\\'orn by male pharaohs.Artists
m{r'-:'r!
often instructedto portray her
m,,':re
,,tsi rnan.She also spreadstoriesthat
Ltmrfather was a god.
As pharaoh,HatshePsutPromoted
u'ith other countries.Her
mr,m:e
tradeexpeditionwas to the
brus-:est
&;i--an kingdom of Punt, at the
end of the Red Sea'Five
snnu-hern
96rs sailedto Punt bearing gifts and
goods.In all, over 200 men
rm,mie
:ade the voyage.
Hatshepsutleft behind a stunning
tO het teign, a great temrlrrrt,flurrl€flt
pnr et Dayr al-Bahri.The main part
,lf':e temPlewas built into a cliff
Itrni',e the Nile River. At the entrance
,wffi n\-o tall, thin monumentscalled
The entrancewas also
'rr*[p"i-*s.
raced by 200 sphinx statues.The
i:iainx is a mythical creaturewith the
:n-.d1of a lion and the headof a man.
Scenesfrom HatshePsut'sreign
jsorated the temple walls. Detailed
:r-r-ings porffayed the great voyage
Punt. The carvings showed the
iLr,,
m,-.ndrousthings thatthe pharaoh's
r:Jers had brought back to EgYPt.
activelyencouraged
Hatshepsut
During
herreign,trade
trade^
influence
helpedspreadEgyptian
alongthe Nileandin nearbylands
Asia)'
in the MiddleEast(western
8,6 Plraraoh Rarnsesll:
fflilitargrLeader and Master Builder
il
\
T h i sp a i n t i nsgh o w sR a m s el sl
a Hittitefort,
attacking
iffi,ffi"
78 Chapter8
The pharaohRamsesII ruled from about 1290to 1224s.c.B.,
during the New Kingdom. Called Ramsesthe Great,he is one of
the most famous pharaohs.He reigned for more than 60 years,
longer than almost any other pharaoh.He is best known for his
military leadershipand for building numerousmonuments.
Ramsesdid everythingin a big way. He had over 100 wives
and more than 100 children.He wasn't shy aboutglorifying himself, either. He had hundredsof statuesof himself erectedall
aroundEgypt. Someof them were over 60 feet high.
Ramseswas a fearlesssoldierfrom a young age.He fought
alongsidehis father in variousbattles.He was made a captainin
the Egyptian army at the age of 10.
Ramsestried to defend an Egyptian empire that extendednorth
into Canaan.His most famousmilitary campaignswere against
the Hittite Empire in Anatolia (now the country of Turkey). The
Hittites constantlythreatenedEgypt's northernborders.In his
most famousbattle,Ramsesreacheda standoffwith the Hittites
even though he was badly outnumbered.
Ramseswas also a peacemaker.
He and the Hittites signedthe
world's first peacetreaty.This peacelasteduntil the Hittite
Empirecollapsedaround1190n.c.B.
One of Ramses'most impressiveprojectswas the temple complex at Abu Simbel.The main temple was carvedinto the side of
a cliff on a bank of the Nile River. A smallertemple honoredhis
favorite wife, Nefertari.
llllllilll|l
lll :l:llll
-,,ur giant seatedstatuesof
i' --r,!3sframed the entranceto
"; m&ifltemple.The figures
-:: sculptedright out of the
:,. face of the cliff. They are
.-- :rs the finestexamplesof
- - :itan art.
,:,e insideof the templewas
Visitors
" . -.markable.
I ".-:d throughthreelarge
::s. calledhalls,to reach
t'1, :ilple's main room. The
, ".. s altarcontainedstatues
. :rrSeSand threeEgyptian
- -. The templewas built so
t.r.". ,',lr-e& )/eofthe sun lined
- t ,.: ihe entrance.Beamsof
iri, .:t rvouldshinedown the
',i,,1-:d light up the statues.
i :-.,:eSbuilt more temples
- ---,lumentsthan any other
,iir.r1'lr- : in history.When he
-.;r- -3 n'asburiedin a tomb
:-,- - : rad had constructed
," " :...elf.His is one of the
- 1: , ' : ef v ed m u m m i e s
,::,,:.,:,
. 'l!,.,::"
'
iiiiu,,:',r,,
l:" . . Llnd.
Til1:r
i* ii:* llumrny*i'ft;,:,;ri;*t
ll.
8,7 Chap*er Saxrwmmrg
-- ::lis chapter,you learnedaboutthree long periodsof
in ancient Egypt: the Old Kingdom, the Middle
iit0r:jl,r:L-:ir
j,ur.
iKurrr: and the New Kingdom. You exploredthe accomof four pharaohswho ruled during thesetimes.
illtnLnr-:ents
built the GreatPyramid. SenusretencouragedEgyptian
ffi,ltru:*
miltfi
"n-Jliterature.Hatshepsut,Egypt's first femalepharaoh,
plrlr:red Egyptian trade.And Ramsesthe Greatwas a superior
leaderand builder of monuments.
muilLri:::",
li.:rohs wereat the top of Egyptiansociety.In the next
jlrr:::. r'ou'll learnaboutthe restof Egypt'speopleand what
,rie was like in the New Kingdom.
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t,
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fifi*o$$rrll'*r{h* nft*ri:i*,
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