The Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt

1. The Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt

2. Royal Legends

3. Archaic Period (5000-2685 B.C.E.) • 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.

4. 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.

5. The Old Kingdom (2685-2180 B.C.E.) • 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.).

6. The First Intermediate Period (2180-2040 B.C.E.) • 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).

7. The Middle Kingdom (2040-1785 B.C.E.) • 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).

8. The Middle Kingdom (2040-1785 B.C.E.) • 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. The New Kingdom (1560-1085 B.C.E.) • 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Queen Hatshepsut1490-1469 BCE • 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.

16. Queen Hatshepsut • 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.

17. Queen Hatshepsut • 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.

18. Amenhotep(1363-1347 B.C.E.) • 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.

19. 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.

20. Amenhotep • 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.

21. Ramses II1298 – 1232 BCE • 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.

22. Ramses II1298 – 1232 BCE • 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.

23. Ramses II1298 – 1232 BCE • 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

24. Ramses II1298 – 1232 BCE • Thirteen years after the conclusion of this treaty in the thirty-fourth 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

25. Queen Neferteti • 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.