Egyptian Kingdoms

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Egyptian Kingdoms
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Upper and Lower Egypt

• Upper lies to the South of the Mediterranean Sea
  along the upper Nile River
• Lower Egypt is in the North in the Delta of the
  Nile River
• 3200 B.C. Menes, King of Upper Egypt united Egypt
  into one kingdom.
• Brought increase in prosperity to Egypt
• Encouraged trade, regulated irrigation, crushed
  rebellions and gained new territory

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Egyptian Rulers

• Pharaoh - Great House
• Led Egyptian Government
• Served as judges, High Priests, and generals in
  the army
• Considered a god/goddess and could not marry an
  ordinary human being
• Usually married a brother or sister or half
  brother or half sister
• Had absolute power
• Dynasty Family of rulers
• From 2500 B.C. to 300 B.C. approximately 30
  Egyptian family Dynasties existed.
• Divided into 3 periods Old Kingdom, Middle
  Kingdom and New Kingdom

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The Old Kingdom

• Existed from 2650 B.C. to 2180 B.C.
• Began with unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
• Largest pyramids built at Giza by 3 Pharaohs
  Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura
• Egyptian society
• Upper Class
• Pharaoh ? Royal Family ? Priests and Government
  Officials
• Government officials eventually became hereditary
  group of nobles
• Lower Class
• Consisted of most of the population
• mainly peasants and/or farmers
• Owed Pharaoh certain services
• Duty in the army
• Work on the irrigation system
• Work on pyramids or public buildings
• End of Old Kingdom Nobles grow stronger and the
  Pharaoh grows weaker
• For 100 years after end of Old Kingdom, Civil war
  divided Egypt again into Upper and Lower.

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The Middle Kingdom

• 2040 B.C. to approximately 1650 B.C.
• Characterized by a rise in a hereditary class of
  nobles and priests weakened the power of the
  pharaoh.
• 1780 B.C. fell into disorder
• 1650 B.C. invasion of Lower Egypt by Hyksos
  people
• Rule lower Egypt for more than 100 years after
  fall of the Middle Kingdom.

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New Kingdom

• 1570 B.C. to 1100 B.C.
• Leaders of Upper Egypt rebelled against Hyksos
  and drove them from Egypt.
• Pharaohs ruled from the city of Thebes
• Had absolute power
• Kept strict control over the government
• Adopted chariots from the Hyksos
• Created an empire
• A form of government in which an individual or a
  single people rules over many other peoples and
  their territories
• Extended territory to include land along eastern
  end of Mediterranean Sea and Nubia
• Allowed local princes of conquered regions to act
  as governor of the territory
• When the government showed signs of weakness,
  parts of the empire would revolt and try to break
  away

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Pharaohs

• Hatshepsut
• One of first women rulers
• Reigned as Pharaoh from 1503 B.C to 1482 B.C.
• Constructed temples to the gods
• First ruled with her husband, Tutmose II
• Tutmose III (husbands son) tried to have her
  name removed from all public monuments after she
  died
• Amenhotep IV
• Ruled 1380 B.C. to 1362 B.C.
• attempted to bring about social and religious
  revolution
• Believed in only one God (monotheism) Aton
• Changed his name to Akhenaton,
• Moved capital city to Akhenaton
• Neglected the empire, devoted his time to
  Religion
• Struggle between pharaoh and priests in later
  years of rule
• Tutankhamen
• Ruled 1333 B.C. to 1323 B.C.
• Married to his half sister
• Treasure filled tomb discovered in 1922
• Died at age 19 mystery surrounding his death

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Egypts Decline

• Ramses II successors were weak
• Could not maintain the empire
• Corruption in the government