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The Old Kingdom
Chapter 4 section 2
Old Kingdom
• Menses also known as Narmer (king of upper
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Egypt) led his armies into lower Egypt and
married one of the princesses, uniting Egypt into
1 kingdomMenses was called Lord of Upper and Lower
Egypt, Wearer of 2 Crowns, and Lord of the 2
Lands
His capital was Memphis which bordered both
upper and lower Egypt
Old Kingdom
• Menses wore a red and white crown to
symbolize both united kingdoms
• Was the first pharaoh of Egypt
• Pharaoh means “The Great House”
Old Kingdom
• 2600 B.C. Old Kingdom established
• Kingdom lasted 500 years
• During old kingdom- cities became centers
of religion and government
• Kings, priests, government officials, and
artisans lived there
Old Kingdom
• Some Egyptians lived along the Nile River
on large estates.
• A household was made up of the owner’s
family, servants, and artisans
• Artisans were hired to make things for the
family like boats and weave linen cloth
• Most were farmers who lived in villages
within the estates
Old Kingdom
• Used sun-baked, mud bricks as building
materials
• Farmers worked in fields and tended cattle
• Made repairs to roads, built monuments,
and dug ditches
The Pharaohs
• Pharaoh means Great House
The Pharaohs
• At first Egyptian rulers were called kings
• Later they were called Pharaoh
• The pharaoh was a ruler, a priest, and a
god
• He was at the center of Egyptian liferuling on earth as gods ruled in heaven
The Pharaohs
• The pharaoh owned all the land but he
gave gifts of land to rich Egyptians and
priests
• He ordered dams, irrigation canals, and
granaries (storage for grain for times of
poor harvests or drought) be built
The Pharaohs
• He chose all government officials
• He collected taxes from the people of
Egypt
• He was in charge of developing trade with
other nations and his word was the law
• Pharaohs were respected
The Pharaohs
• Egyptians believed that everything that
happened in Egypt depended on Pharaoh's
actions
• He carried out certain rituals- breaking the
irrigation levees to let in the water to the
land, drove a sacred bull around the
capital city to bring the water level up, cut
the first ripe grain
Pyramids
Pyramids
• Great tombs of the Pharaohs
• Constructed from 2650 – 1637 B.C.
• The sun set in west, so they were built on
the west bank of the Nile
• Called “Houses of Eternity”
• Designed to protect the pharaoh's body
from floods, animals, and robbers
Pyramids
• Egyptians believed the pharaoh should be
happy in the afterlife.
• Most were buried with their personal
belongings of jewelry, food, clothing,
weapons, and furniture
• Walls inside the tombs were covered with
picture writing that told the story of the
pharaoh that was buried inside
Pyramids
Pyramids
• Pyramids were built during the 3 months
of year when Nile flooded
• Made of granite and limestone blocks cut
with copper tools
• Stones were floated down the river and
moved into place with ramps and human
muscle power
Pyramids
• The Great Pyramid• Larger than an areas of 10 football fields
• Made with 2 million stones weighing more
than 2 ½ tons
• Stones were placed so the laid closely
together to appear to made of 1 single
stone
Old Kingdom
• During Old KingdomPharaoh was very powerful
Egypt grew in prosperity and power
Able to keep invaders out of Egypt
Expanded trade
Royal family starts to lose power after 4th
dynasty and nobles and officials rise in
power- political instability