Transcript Pharaohs of Egypt

Pharaohs of Egypt
Pharaohs
• Pharaohs were the kings of Egypt.
• 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.
• According to Egyptian legend, the first
kings of Egypt were later some of the
most famous gods.
Responsibility Of Pharaohs
• Pharaohs ruled with absolute power. Few people
challenged them.
• Despite absolute power the Pharaoh was expected to
rule subject to Ma’at.
• Ma’at was the goddess and symbol of the
equilibrium of the universe.
• The Pharaoh was expected to govern according to
the principles of Ma’at.
• Any King that attempted to radically change society
would be seen as destroying the equilibrium that
was so important to Egyptian tradition.
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 usually was quick 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 king’s
generosity.
Major Male Pharaohs
• There were several Pharaohs of Egypt.
However, we will focus on the main
male Pharaohs:
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Menes
Tuthmose III
Akhenaton
Djoser
Ramses II
Khufu
Tutankhamen
Menes
• Founding King of the 1st Dynasty
• Ruled between 3100-2850 B.C.E
• First Pharaoh to unify Upper and Lower
Egypt into one Kingdom
• Ancient Egypt’s form of a civilization began
with King Menes.
• He created the city of Memphis. Because of
its good location, it was a good place to
defend against any attacks.
• During his reign he expanded his kingdom
and developed commercial trade links.
Menes
• His chief wife was Queen Berenib, although
she wasn’t the mother of his heir: Djer.
• The mother of Djer was Neithotepe, Menes’
other wife.
• He died at the age of 63.
• According to legend he was attacked by wild
dogs or Nile crocodiles at Faiyum.
• He died leaving behind the legacy of a
powerful civilization.
• His tomb lays at Saqqara, the farmed area of
Memphis.
Tuthmose III
• The son of Tuthmose II and Isris
• When his father died, his stepmother,
Hatsheput, took charge.
• She was Tuthmose III co-regent and for 20
years he was pushed into the background, as
she ruled Egypt.
• When she died, Tuthmose III came to the
throne.
• As an act of revenge or retribution, he
destroyed many of Hatsheput’s statues,
monuments, and buildings.
Tuthmose III
• He was remembered for his successful military
campaigns.
• He had numerous victories against Syria, Libya, and
Nubia.
• He married several foreign princesses, apparently
for diplomatic reasons.
• His chief queen was Hatsheput-Merytre.
• King Tuthmose III established Egypt as a powerful
military strength.
• King Tuthmose III died after reigning for 55 years
and he was buried in the Valley of the Kings.
Akhenaton
• Original name was Amonhotep IV.
• Reigned 1350-1334 B.C.E
• He wanted to change the Egyptian supreme
god from Amon-Re to Aton.
• Therefore, he changed his name to
Akhenaton which means “he who serves
Aton”.
• This was the first attempt at radically
changing the Egyptian religion.
Akhenaton
• His wife was Nefertiti, who was known for
her beauty.
• Today, Akhenaton is remembered for trying
to introduce monotheism to Egypt.
• Monotheism means the worship of only one
god: Aton.
• It is not sure how Akhenaton died.
• After his reign Egypt returned back to their
old Gods and polytheism.
Djoser
• Djoser reigned for about 19 years.
• His right hand man, Imhotep, was famous for his
genius.
• Imhotep came up with the idea of the step pyramid.
• The pyramids design consisted of six giant steps and
contained many chambers and secret tunnels.
• It is believed that during Djoser’s reign, he extended
the Egypt’s southern border all the way to the Nile’s
first cataract.
• He left behind the legacy of the step pyramid, which
was the basis for all other pyramids to come.
Ramses II
• Went to the throne at the age of 20 and
reigned for 67 years.
• This was the second longest reign for any
Egyptian King.
• Ramses is remembered for constructing many
architectural marvels.
• Constructed more colossal statues than any
other Egyptian King.
• Two of his greatest monuments are the two
huge temples at Abu Simbel.
Ramses II
• Ramses also had many military victories.
• Not long after the reign of Ramses II, Egypt
was invaded and eventually fell to the rule of
foreigners.
• Ramses not only excelled in architecture but
he also had a great number of wives.
• By the end of his life, Ramses had over 100
children!
• After his death, Ramses’ son, Menataph,
became the heir to the throne.
Khufu
• Khufu lived from 2589-2566 B.C.E
• He reigned for around 24 years.
• Khufu is most remembered for building the Great
Pyramid of Giza.
• The pyramid originally stood 482 feet tall.
• Khufu had many sons, but the one chosen to be his
successor was Djedefre.
• Khufu left behind the legacy of the Great Pyramid,
and even today, it’s still a mystery as to how it was
built.
Tutankhamen
• King Tutankhamen came to the throne at a very young
age.
• When his father died, believed to be Akhenaton, he
became King.
• King Tutankhamen helped restore Egypt's old beliefs
from when his father tried to make Egypt a monotheistic
society.
• He died suddenly at the young age of 18.
• 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 his tomb was found by
archaeologist, Howard Carter. Some believe it was the
most important archaeological find in history.
THE END!!!