Land of the Pharaohs

1
Land of the Pharaohs

• Rulers of Ancient Egypt

2
Pharaohs

• Pharaohs were the kings of Egypt
• Pharaoh was believed by the Egyptians to be the
  supreme ruler chosen by the gods to lead his
  people
• They believed that when a man became a pharaoh,
  he also became a god
• According to Egyptian legend, the first kings of
  Egypt were later some of the most famous gods

3
Pharaohs

• The word Pharaoh was used by the Greeks and
  Hebrews
• The title Pharaoh originated from the Greek
  language and it is used in the Old Testament
• The title originates in the term
• "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes
  the royal palace

4
Responsibility of Pharaohs

• Pharaohs ruled with absolute power
• Despite absolute power the Pharaohs rule was
  subject to Maat and was expected to govern
  according its principles
• Maat was the goddess and symbol of the
  equilibrium of the universe
• Any King that attempted to radically change
  society would be seen as destroying the
  equilibrium that was so important to Egyptian
  tradition resulting in civil war or a challenge
  in his authority

5
Succession

• To keep the pure line of succession, a Pharaoh
  passed on the throne to the eldest son born of
  the Principal Queen, or Great Royal Wife
• Each king was usually keen to demonstrate to his
  subjects that he was the chosen heir
• The Pharaoh owned all of the land, people, and
  possessions in Egypt
• Any personal wealth enjoyed by Egyptians people
  was considered a result of the generosity of the
  King.

6
Key Pharaohs

• There were several Pharaohs of Egypt. However, we
  will focus on the main male Pharaohs
• Menes
• Khufu
• Hatshepsut
• Tuthmosis III
• Akhenaton
• Tutankhamen
• Ramses II
• Cleopatra
• Nefertiti

7
Menes (c. 3100 3050 B.C.E.)

• First Pharaoh to unify upper and lower Egypt into
  one Kingdom and wear the red crown of lower Egypt
  and the white crown of upper Egypt

8
Menes (Ruled 3100 2850 B.C.E.)

• Ancient Egypts form of a civilization began with
  King Menes
• Founded the city of Memphis because of its good
  location and easy to defend against attacks
• During his reign he expanded his kingdom and
  developed commercial trade links

9
Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.E)

• Ruthless ruler who enslaved people and sold
  daughter into prostitution
• Most remembered for building Great Pyramid of
  Giza
• The pyramid originally stood 481 feet tall and
  even today its still a mystery to how it was
  built

10
Hatshepsut (c. 1470 B.C.E)

• Remembered as historys first great woman ruler
• Hatshepsut became regent when her husband
  Tuthmosis II died and the new pharaoh was very
  young (son of a minor wife)
• Several years later she declared herself king
  and began wearing the false beard and garments of
  a pharaoh
• Egypt prospered while she was in power as she
  established famous trade and economic expedition
  to the land of Punt
• Prolific builder and commissioned many
  architectural projects and the restoration of
  older temples

11
Tuthmosis III (c. 1450 B.C.E.)

• When his father died his stepmother Hatshepsut,
  took charge and he was pushed into the background
  as she ruled Egypt over a 20 year period
• When Hatshepsut died he came to the throne and as
  an act of revenge or retribution, he destroyed as
  many of Hatshepsut's statues, monuments, and
  buildings
• He is remembered as the Napoleon of Egypt a
  great warrior king who expanded the empire to its
  greatest size through his successful military
  campaigns
• Wealth of the New kingdom came from tributes paid
  by people he conquered

12
Akhenaton (c. 1350 B.C.E.)

• Original name was Amonhotep IV but his name to
  Akhenaton which means he who serves Aton
• This was the first attempt at radically changing
  the polytheistic Egyptian religion with a
  monotheistic religion
• He wanted to change the Egyptian supreme god from
  Amon-Re to Aton
• Built a new city called Akhetaton which contained
  new priests and government
• More concerned with building his vision of a new
  society than focusing on war and conquest
• Religious revolution led to tension and revolt in
  Egypt

13
Tutankhamen (c. 1334 B.C.E.)

• Known as the Boy King of Egypt, he came to the
  throne when his father Akhenaton died, he became
  King around age eight
• Helped restore Egypt's old beliefs from when his
  father tried to make Egypt a monotheism society
  and moved the capital back to Thebes
• He died suddenly at the young age of 18 by a blow
  to the back of his head
• Since his tomb had not yet been made, he was laid
  in a tomb of a member of the nobility
• He is famous today because of his tomb being
  found intact by archaeologist Howard Carter in
  1922

14
Rames II (c. 1290 B.C.E.)

• Went to the throne at the age of 20 and reigned
  for 67 years the second longest reign for any
  Egyptian King
• Considered to be the last great Egyptian King
  bringing Egypt peace and stability
• Signed earliest known peace treaty in world
  history after the Battle of Kadesh with the new
  Hittite king
• Ramses is remembered for constructing many
  architectural marvels including the two huge
  temples at Abu Simbel
• Constructed more colossal statues, large statues
  of human or human like figures, than any other
  Egyptian King
• Ruled during the time of Moses and used many
  Jewish slaves to build his monuments and statues

15
Cleopatra (c. 30 B.C.E.)

• Last independent ruler of Egypt
• Not of Egyptian lineage descended from Ptolemy
  who was a general in Alexander the Greats army
  (Greek Ptolemy family ruled Egypt for 300 years)
• She is best known for her beauty who seduced
  Caesar and fell in love with Marc Antony
• Committed suicide with Marc Antony when Octavian
  forces invaded Egypt
• After her death, Egypt was ruled as a Roman
  province.

16
Nefertiti (c. 1370-1330 B.C.E.)

• Queen of Egypt, who was married to Akhenaten
  (Amenhotep IV) and is known as the most beautiful
  woman in history
• In artwork, her status is evident and indicates
  that she had almost as much influence as her
  husband
• For example, she is depicted nearly twice as
  often in reliefs as her husband, at least during
  the first five years of his reign
• It is believed that Nefertiti was active in the
  religious and cultural changes initiated by her
  husband (some even maintain that it was she who
  initiated the new religion)
• She also had the position as a priest, and she
  was a devoted worshipper of the god Aten.

17
Discussion Questions

1. In your opinion, was it right for the Pharaohs to
   rule with absolute power? Explain.
2. Do you think Egypt would be so well known today
   if Pharaohs did not exist?
3. In ancient Egypt all property belonged to the
   Pharaohs, would our society be successful if this
   was true today about the Prime Minister.