Transcript Egyptian Kingdoms - White Plains Public Schools

EGYPT: THE KINGDOMS
Global History Honors: Spiconardi
The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BCE)
 Egyptian Culture
 Unthreatened by outside invaders
 Although Egypt was in contact with lands as far away as
Afghanistan and Mesopotamia
The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BCE)
 Nomes
 Prior to the unification of
Egypt under Narmer,Egypt
was divided into nomes
 Nomes  independent citystates; under unification they
were administrative divisions
The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BCE)
 The Pharaoh
 The rulers of Egypt had
various titles
 Pharaoh originally
referred to the royal
palace
 The ruler was
worshipped by a cult
 The ruler was deemed a
living god during this
period
 Had absolute power
during the Old Kingdom
Djoser, pharaoh of the
third dynasty
The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BCE)
 Pyramids
 Pyramids were only
built during the Old
Kingdom
 First pyramids were
step-like
The pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
designed by vizier and polymath,
Imhotep
The Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BCE)
 Pyramids
 Under Khufu
pyramid
building took
on form you
most associate
with Egyptian
pyramids
 Pyramids were
costly and very
visible
 Easy targets
for robbers
The Middle Kingdom (2050 – 1652 BCE)
 Egypt’s Golden Age
 Trade, arts, literature flourished at this time
 Egypt built up its army to protect itself from invaders
 Pharaoh
 Near the end of the Old Kingdom, the pharaoh Pepi II
gave away pharaonic power
 The pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom wasn’t as
powerful, but was expected to be a wise and good
ruler
The Middle Kingdom (2050 – 1652 BCE)
 Tombs
 The rising cost of
pyramids and increased
robbery led to the
development of a new
resting place for Egypt’s
kings
 The Valley of the Kings
 Series of hidden tombs
to avoid robbery located
in Thebes
The Valley of the Kings (discovered tombs)
The Middle Kingdom (2050 – 1652 BCE)
 Hyksos Invasion
 Marks the end of the Middle
Kingdom
 Benefits
 Improved Egyptian bronze casting
 Future pharaohs borrow Hyksos
chariot fighting technique
 Hyksos preserved papyri of
Egyptian medical texts
The New Kingdom (1567 – 1085 BCE)
 Reunification
 Under Ahmose, the Hyksos were defeated and Upper
and Lower Egypt were reunified
The New Kingdom (1567 – 1085 BCE)
 Period of Chaos
 The Reign of Akhenaten (King Tut’s father)
 Changed the Egyptian religion to worship one god, Aten
The New Kingdom (1567 – 1085 BCE)
 Invasion of the Hittites, Assyrians and “Sea Peoples”
 Constant state of war led to the depletion of the treasury
 For the next thousand years Egypt was dominated by
 Libyans
 Nubians
 Persians
 Macedonians