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First Age of Empires
Section 1
The Egyptian and Nubian Empires
Setting the Stage

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Egypt had a united
kingdom around 3100
b.c.e.
During the Middle
kingdom periods…
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
Trade with Mesopotamia
and Indus Valley enriched
Egypt
600 miles South, in Thebes
 A major kingdom
developed, Nubia
 Nubian Kingdom of Kush
traded with Egypt
Nomadic Invaders Rule Egypt

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Middle Kingdom
prosperous
Weak pharaohs led
country to fall to
invaders.
Hyksos invade and
rule Egypt from 16401570 B.C.
Hebrews Migrate To Egypt
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During Hyksos rule, Hebrews settled in Egypt
Two groups racially similar; Egyptians resented
them being there
Expulsion and Slavery
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Around 1600 B.C.,
Egypt's power gets
restored
Queen Ahhotep and
Pharaoh Kamose
helped drive out the
Hyksos

Hebrews forced into
slavery until the
Exodus
The New Kingdom of Egypt
1570-1075 B.C.
 New pharaohs set
to build an
empire…what is an
empire?

Hatshepsut’s
Prosperous Rule
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Declared self
pharaoh because
stepson was too
young
Spent focus on trade
rather than war
Thutmose the Empire Builder
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Stepson to Hatshepsut
Warlike ruler
Went into Palestine,
Syria and Nubia
Egypt once again
became a powerful
empire
The Egyptians
and the Hittites

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Taking over Syria and
Palestine brought conflict
with the Hittites
Large battle at Kadesh
Pharaoh, Ramses II, and
Hittite king agreed to a
treaty
 (read pg 91)
An Age of Builders
• Huge buildings
erected
• Ramses II built
elaborate temples
An Age of Builders Continued
• Treasures buried at the
Valley of the Kings near
Thebes
The Empire Declines

1200 B.C.
 Ramses
died
 All of the
Mediterranean
invaded
Merenptah was probably the last great king of the 19th
Dynasty. His reign was followed by dynastic upheaval that led
to the decline of the dynasty.
Invasions by Land and Sea


Egyptian and Hittite
kingdoms were
attacked
“Sea Peoples” caused
destruction
 They
were possibly
the Philistines

Egyptians also
attacked by Palestines
and Libyans
Egypt's’ Empire Fades

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Egypt never
recovered
Egypt broke into
small kingdoms
Libyan’s pharaohs
ruled Egypt but
adopted their way of
life
 Nubians
same
will do the
The Kushites Conquer the Nile
Region


Egypt had controlled
Nubia, and its
kingdom Kush.
During Hyksos rule,
Kush became more
powerful.
The People of Nubia


Kush, a Nubian kingdom,
was a trading spot
1st Nubian kingdom,
Kerma
Nubian Facts
You do not need to write this!
Nubian Transportation

To get boats past the cataracts,
Nubians constructed slipways
along the river bankstroughlike roads filled with
mud. Logs embedded every 18
inches or so in the slippery
substance rotated easily,
allowing the Nubians to drag
their boats around the cataracts
Royal Women in Nubia

In Nubia, kings inherited their
royal status through their
mothers. One king listed seven
generations of female
ancestors to prove he was royal
enough to rule. At Meroe,
women sometimes ruled
independently.
Egyptian Influence on Nubian
Culture You do not need to write this!
Temples and Pyramids
Statues
You do not need to write this!

Nubia was also
called - Upper &
Lower Nubia,
Kush, Land of
Kush, Te-Nehesy,
Nubadae, Napata,
or the Kingdom of
Meroei.
The Interaction of Egypt and Nubia
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
When Egypt
controlled Kush, they
had great cultural
influence
Kush regained
independence and
they felt they should
be in control of
Egypt, not the Libyans
Piankhi Captures the Egyptian throne

Kushite king, Piankhi,
overthrew the Libyan
dynasty
 United

Nile Valley
Short dynasty, taken
over by the Assyrians
The Golden Age of Meroe
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After being defeated,
the Kushite royal
family moved to
Meroe
Meroe became a
major trading center
The Wealth of Kush

Differences between
Egypt and Meroe
 Meroe
had rainfall
 Meroe had abundant
supplies of iron ore
The Decline of Meroe
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Meroe declined
Kingdom of Aksum
dominated trade and
defeated the Meroe
Assyria will come to
dominate Egypt
Who was in Control?
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Egypt (2x’s)
Libya
Assyrians (2x’s)
Kush
Aksum
Hyksos
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Egypt
Hyksos
Egypt (broken into parts)
Libya
Kush (Piankhi)
Assyrians
Aksum takes over Meroi
where the Kush went to
Assyrians