Download File rulers of ancient egypt

The Kings and Queens
of
Ancient Egypt
Royal Legends
Archaic Period
(5000-2685 B.C.E.)
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By 5000 B.C.E. prehistoric
Egyptians had passed into the
Neolithic Age.
Agriculture was well-developed
and copper was used to make
tools.
Sometime prior to 3000 B.C.E.
the Egyptians invented a
system of writing.
Researchers believed that the
Egyptian “hieroglyphs”
(Greek for “priestly carvings”)
were influenced by the
Mesopotamians.
Archaic Period
(5000-2685 B.C.E.)
There were more than 40
large settlements along
the Nile’s course by 3000
B.C.E.
 Traditionally, Narmer or
Menes is credited with
unifying Upper and Lower
Egypt.
 He is considered the first
Pharaoh (“Great
House”).
 The term “Pharaoh” was
not used by the
Egyptians.
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The Old Kingdom
(2685-2180 B.C.E.)
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The Old Kingdom consisted of the
first six dynasties of Egyptian
rulers.
During this period most of the
traditions that were to become
characteristic of Egyptian life for
the next two thousand years
appeased.
The king was considered a living
god and held absolute power.
During the Third Dynasty (Ca.
2650 B.C.E.) the capital was
moved to Memphis, just north of
the beginning of the Delta.
The pyramids were built during
the Fourth Dynasty
(ca. 2613-2494 B.C.E.).
The First Intermediate Period
(2180-2040 B.C.E.)
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There are at least three reasons which account for the
collapse of central government in the Old Kingdom.
First, the expenditures necessary for projects such as the
pyramids exhausted the state’s revenues.
Second, climatic disasters reduced the amount of grain,
weakening the state.
Finally, the nobility grew powerful and autonomous.
During the First Intermediate Period, power reverted to
the nomes (regional authorities).
The Middle Kingdom
(2040-1785 B.C.E.)
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This period of disorder and
anarchy ended when a
powerful noble family from
Thebes subdued their rivals
and established a new dynasty
(ca. 2040 B.C.E.)
The Middle Kingdom was one
of brilliance.
During the Twelfth Dynasty the
Pharaohs undertook a massive
land reclamation project at an
oasis west of the Nile (The
Fayum).
The Middle Kingdom
(2040-1785 B.C.E.)
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Dams and reservoirs were
constructed to insure
adequate water supply
throughout the year.
The Thirteenth Dynasty
(ca. 1785 B.C.E.), already
weakened by a
resurgence of the nobility,
fell victim to external
invaders.
The Second Intermediate
Period
(1785-1560 B.C.E.)
The invasion of Egypt by the Hyksos (“Rulers of
Foreign Lands”) marks a turning point in
Egyptian history.
 Until 1700 B.C.E., Egypt had seemed
impregnable.
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The Second Intermediate
Period
(1785-1560 B.C.E.)
It is uncertain
precisely what the
origin of the Hyksos
was.
 They brought three
innovations: use of
horses, chariots, and
body armor.
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The Second Intermediate
Period
(1785-1560 B.C.E.)
The Hyksos attempted to establish
themselves as the rulers of Egypt.
 By 1560 they had either been driven out
of Egypt or were enslaved.
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The New Kingdom
(1560-1085 B.C.E.)
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Under the New
Kingdom the
Pharaohs followed a
policy of expansion
that saw them
dominate Nubia in
the south and send
their armies into
Palestine and Syria.
The New Kingdom
(1560-1085 B.C.E.)
Two new classes
came into being:
professional soldiers
and slaves.
 It was during this
period that the Jews
fell under the
Pharaoh’s power.
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The New Kingdom
(1560-1085 B.C.E.)
The Egyptian Empire reached its zenith by
1400 B.C.E.
 The Empire endured for four centuries.
 By 1085 B.C.E. the Egyptians had lost
their Asian empire.
 Economic disasters ensued and the New
Kingdom collapsed with the end of the
Twentieth Dynasty.
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Queen Hatshepsut
1490-1469 BCE
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Queen Hatshepsut was the first great
woman in recorded history.
Her rise to power went against all the
conventions of her time.
She was the first wife and Queen of
Thutmose II and on his death
proclaimed herself Pharaoh, denying
the old king's son, her nephew, his
inheritance.
To support her cause she claimed the
God Amun-Ra spoke, saying "welcome
my sweet daughter, my favorite, the
king of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Maatkare, Hatshepsut. Thou art the
King, taking possession of the Two
Lands."
She dressed as a king, even wearing a
false beard and the Egyptian people
seem to have accepted this
unprecedented behavior.
Queen Hatshepsut
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She remained in power for
twenty years and during
this time the Egyptian
economy flourished, she
expanded trading relations
and built magnificent
temples as well as
restoring many others.
Eventually her nephew
grew into a man and took
his rightful place as
pharaoh.
The circumstances of this
event are unknown and
what became of
Hatshepsut is a mystery.
Queen Hatshepsut
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Hatshepsut's successor
became the greatest of all
Pharaohs, Thutmose III,
"the Napoleon of ancient
Egypt."
He had her name cut away
from the temple walls
which suggests he was not
overly fond of his auntie.
But the fact that she was
able to contain the
ambitions of this
charismatic and wily fellow
for so many years, hints at
the qualities of her
character.
Amenhotep
(1363-1347 B.C.E.)
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Amenhotep IV changed his name
to Akhenaton, meaning "the
Servant of Aten" early in his reign.
Whereas his father, Amenhotep
III, had sought to reduce the
increasing power of the
priesthood, Akhenaton practically
dismantled it.
Akhenaton early in his reign
introduced a monotheistic worship
of Aten, the Sun God.
At first he attempted to place
temples for next to temples for
other gods.
Eventually he closed all the other
temples and took their revenues.
Amenhotep
In the process of this religious revolution,
Akhenaton placed him self as the intermediary
between Aten and the people.
 This helped eliminate the need for the
priesthood.
 As the only one with access to the god,
Akhenaten established himself as a god-king and
became the first king to be called Pharoah.
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Amenhotep
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New Capital at el-Armana
He created a new capital at Akhenaton
now known as el-Armana.
This sacred city had never been
occupied prior to Akhenaton's moving
his capital nor did it outlast
Akhenaton's reign.
After Akhenaton's death the backlash
forced his son, Tutankhamen to
reverse the move to monotheism and
return to the worship of many gods.
During his reign it appears likely that
only the nobles embraced the Aten
cult but even much of that may have
been just to stay in favor with the
king.
Even without their temples the
common people apparently maintained
their old worship practices.
Ramses II
1298 – 1232 BCE
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Rameses II (right 19th
dynasty), son of Seti I, was
around thirty years old
when he became king of
Egypt - and then reigned
for 67 years.
He had many wives, among
them some of his own near
relatives, and was the
father of about 111 sons
and 51 daughters.
Ramses II
1298 – 1232 BCE
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As was usual in those days, the threat
of foreign aggression against Egypt
was always at its greatest on the
ascension of a new Pharaoh.
Subject kings no doubt saw it as their
duty to test the resolve of a new king
in Egypt.
Likewise, it was incumbent on the new
Pharaoh it make a display of force if he
was to keep the peace during his
reign.
Therefore, in his fourth year as
pharaoh, Rameses was fighting in
Syria in a series of campaigns against
the Hittites and their allies.
The Hittites, however, were a very
strong foe and the war lasted for
twenty years.
Ramses II
1298 – 1232 BCE
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Rameses was obliged to
make a treaty with the
prince of the Hittites.
It was agreed that Egypt
was not to invade Hittite
territory, and likewise the
Hittites were not to invade
Egyptian territory.
They also agreed on a
defence alliance to deter
common enemies, mutual
help in suppressing
rebellions in Syria, and an
extradition treaty
Ramses II
1298 – 1232 BCE
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Thirteen years after
the conclusion of this
treaty in the thirtyfourth year of his
reign, Ramses married
the daughter of the
Hittite prince.
Although brave in
battle, Ramses was an
inept general
Ramses spent the rest
of his life bolstering
his image with huge
building projects
Queen Neferteti
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Nefertiti, which means "a beautiful
woman has come" was queen of
Egypt and wife of the pharaoh
Akhenaton.
Nefertiti's origins are unknown.
She might have been a Mitanni
princess or the daughter of Ay,
brother of Akhenaton's mother,
Tiy.
Nefertiti had 6 daughters.
Nefertiti played religious roles in
Akhenaten's new religion, as part
of the triad that consisted of
Akhenaten's god Aton,
Akehenaten, and Nefertiti.
As shown in the picture, the
beautiful Queen Nefertiti wore a
special blue crown.