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Egypt
Overview
Geography
 Nile River
 Lower
Egypt
 Upper
Egypt
 Sinai
Peninsula
Old Kingdom
c. 3100-2200 BCE
First Intermediate Period
Rise of the Nomarchs
c. 2200-2100
Middle Kingdom
c. 2100 – 1650 BCE
Second Intermediate
Period
Rule of Hyksos
c. 1650-1570 BCE
Ceremonial Axe shows
Ahmose I smiting Hyksos
Hyksos King
Nefertiti,
Wife of
Akhnaton
King Tut
New Kingdom
& Empire
c. 1550-700 BCE
Pharaoh’s of the
New Kingdom
Ahmose r. c. 1550-1525 BCE
Modesty
box
 Born when Hyksos controlled N. Egypt (declaring
themselves Pharaoh) and S. Egypt threatened
by Nubians
 Hyksos tried to get Nubians on their side to finish
the conquest.
 Brother Kamose 1st tried to fight, but died fighting
 Age 10, Ahmose became pharaoh.
 Age 20, he defeated the Hyksos and took his
rightful place a Pharaoh of all Egypt.
 Next step: Strengthen Egypt.
 By death: reunited Egypt, expanded into Sinai
Peninsula and Nubia.
 Increased wealth with Nubian gold.
Hatshepsut r. c. 1479-1458
 Extremely unusual to have a female pharaoh
 Father Tuthmosis I
 May have seen ruling ability in her at a young age
 Brother/husband Tuthmosis II
 Weak Pharaoh, she may have been the power behind the throne
 Stepson Tuthmosis III
 She started as his regent, but kept power
 Promoted her mythology through propaganda – Father WANTED
her to rule, daughter of chief god, portrayed in pictures as a man
 Could not lose battles and be blamed, so used army for
successful expedition to Punt (Somalia) to seek riches.
 This also kept her stepson’s army busy
 After death, her stepson erased almost all memory of
her.
Hatshepsut http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/hatshepsutman-and-woman.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/hatshepsut-more-powerfulthan-cleopatra.html
Tuthmosis III r. c. 14581425
 Forced to wait 20 years for his rightful throne.
 Step one: Prove power
 King of Kaddesh allied with others to defeat the Egyptians as hegemons.
 Threatened trade and influence over the sea.
 Tuthmosis brought 20,000 soldiers to Megiddo (also scribes – 1st war
correspondents)
 Surprise attack, enemy army fled into Megiddo. 7 month siege of Megiddo
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- Starvation led to surrender.
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- Wealth of the city enriched Egypt.
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- Forced children of his enemies to grow up in Egypt before
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returning home.
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- Also placed an overseer in Nubia (South of Egypt) to ensure
gold flowed into Egypt.
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- By his death Egypt controlled more land then ever before.
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biggest empire ever ruled by a king.
Amenhotep III r. c. 13901352
 Took power at Egypt’s height
 Still had to protect Egypt from jealous
rivals (Babylonians, Assyrians, Mitani –
all Mesopotamian)
 Decided to use diplomacy. Letters not
swords.
 Exchanges of gifts (including Egyptian
gold), but never Egyptian princesses.
No foreigners should have claim to the
throne.
 Ignored tradition & married a commoner
 Name means “Amen is satisfied”
 Built up temples to Amen, but enriched
& empowered priests who tired to
control him.
 Switched interest to Aten – big impact
on the future!
Akenhaten r. c. 1352-1336
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Original name: Amenhotep IV
Inherited a peaceful, wealthy kingdom
Encouraged new art – rejected tradition
Reined in power of priests by becoming monotheistic! Aten
only! http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/into-the-unknown-tuts-dad.html
 Pre-dates Judaism
 Originally tolerant to polytheism
 Built a new capital away from power of priests
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Amarna – out in the desert
Entire gov’t of Thebes (20,000) forced to move 200 miles.
Life there was good???
After death of wife Nefertiti, polytheism not tolerated
Lost touch with outside world & threats to Egypt
Egypt's enemies gained strength
His death may have saved Egypt – all moved back to Thebes
 Son, King Tutankhamen (King Tut) died at 19 years old.
Ramses II (r. c. 1279 – 1212)
 Father, Seti I, was born a commoner. Took
the throne due to military skill (built Avaris in
North)
 Ramses became Pharaoh at age 15
 Immediately faced challenge from Hittites
(Anatolia)
 1267 Captured Kadesh, important trading
town in Palestine
 Fought many battles over this town, but
negotiated a truce in the end. Ramses
married a Hittite Princess to seal the deal.
 Built many great temples & Statues
 1220 BCE battled the sea people!
 Destroyed the Hittites & others, not Egypt
 Lived to be 93 years old (avg. 40 yrs)
 150 years later, the New Kingdom would be
gone.
What followed?
 c. 950 BCE – c. 730 BCE: Libyan
Pharaohs
 c. 730 – 671 BCE: Kushite Pharaohs
(Nubian)
 c. 671 BCE: Assyrian conquest
 c. 525 BCE: Persian conquest
 c. 332 BCE: Greek conquest of Egypt
(Alexander the Great)
 c. 30 BCE: Roman conquest of Egypt
Persian conquest of Egypt
525 BCE
Greek/Macedonian conquest of
Egypt 332 BCE
Roman Conquest of Egypt 30 BCE