Download Chapter 2, Section 3

Chapter 2, Section 3
The Egyptian Empire
The Middle Kingdom
• About 2300 B.C. the pharaohs lost control of
Egypt as nobles battled one another.
• A new dynasty came to power & moved the
capital to Thebes.
• There they restored order and stability
beginning the Middle Kingdom.
The Middle Kingdom
• The Middle Kingdom
lasted from 2050 B.C.
to 1670 B.C.
• During this time,
Egyptians took control
of more land.
– Captured Nubia
– Attacked present day
Syria
The Middle Kingdom
• The conquered people
had to send tributes to
the pharaohs.
• The money was used to
add more waterways &
dams.
• They also built a canal
between the Nile River &
the Red Sea.
The Middle Kingdom
• During the Middle Kingdom, they would
paint the wall of the tombs.
• Sculptors would create carvings & statues of
the pharaohs as everyday people.
• Instead of pyramids, pharaohs tombs were
built into cliffs west of the Nile River – Valley
of the Kings
Who Were the Hyksos?
• The Middle Kingdom ended with an invasion
by the Hyksos.
• They were from western Asia & invaded on
chariots through the desert.
• They used weapons made of bronze and iron.
Who Were the Hyksos?
• The footed Egyptian
soldiers were no match.
• The Hyksos ruled Egypt
for 150 years.
• Around 1550 B.C.,
Ahmose, and Egyptian
prince led a rebellion &
drove the Hyksos out of
Egypt.
The New Kingdom
• Ahmose’s reign began
a period called the
New Kingdom.
• The New Kingdom
lasted from 1550 B.C.
to 1080 B.C.
• During this Kingdom,
Egypt reached the
height of its glory.
The New Kingdom
• By 1473 B.C. a queen
came into power called
Hatshepsut.
• She eventually became
pharaoh, one of the only
few female ones.
• She was more interested
in trade than conquest.
The New Kingdom
• She had Egyptian traders sail along the coast
of East Africa.
• These trade journeys made Egypt extremely
wealthy.
• Hatshepsut used some of the wealth to build
monuments in the Valley of the Kings.
The New Kingdom
• When Hatshepsut died,
her nephew, Thutmose III
became pharaoh.
• His armies began
aggressive wars of
conquest.
• Egypt controlled from
north of the Euphrates to
Nubia south of Egypt.
The New Kingdom
• Thutmose’s empire grew rich from trade &
conquests.
• He took the conquered people’s money and
enslaved their people.
• These captives rebuilt the capital city of Thebes.
• Slavery was now common in Egypt.
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
• 1370 B.C. Amenhotep IV
came came to the throne
with his wife, Nefertiti.
• He realized Egypt’s priests
were gaining power at the
expense of the pharaohs.
• He did away with Egypt’s
old gods & goddesses.
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
• He introduced a new religion that worshipped
only one god, Aton.
• When the priests protested, he took away
their titles, lands & temples.
• Amenhotep then changed his name to
Akhenaton.
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
• To the Egyptians Akhenaton’s attacks on the
gods was an attack on Egypt itself.
• He became so devoted to his new religion that
he neglected his duties as pharaoh.
• He did not respond to an attack by the
Hittites, resulting losing in a lot of land.
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
• When Akhenton died, his
son in law, Tutankhamen,
became pharaoh.
• He was only 10 years old,
but relied on help from
palace officials.
• He restored the old
religion, but died suddenly
after ruling for only 9 years.
The End of the New Kingdom
• The most effective
pharaoh after King Tut
was Ramses II.
• He reigned for 66
years and rebuilt the
empire.
• He launched a temple
building program.
The End of the New Kingdom
• The most magnificent temple built under Ramses was
Karnak at Thebes.
• The temples were considered houses for their gods &
goddesses.
• The temples also served as banks.
The End of the New Kingdom
• After Ramses, Egypt’s power to begin to fade.
• Neighboring territories began to rebel.
• They were attacked by people from across the
sea that had strong iron weapons.
The End of the New Kingdom
• By 1150 B.C., Egypt had lost their empire and
only controlled the Nile Delta.
• One group after another took control of Egypt.
– Libyans
– People of Kush
– Assyrians