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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. ls,uu", t, i|:rlvl:li*rle hr:iicl,*d lirarpr:**ivrngi"i:**irl!rr:l*i tli* C*rd '*las fifi*o$$rrll'*r{h* nft*ri:i*, '7q