Pharaohs of Egypt

1. Pharaohs of Egypt By: Josh Chee, Brandon Lopez, and Brendan Gosse

3. 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. • All of the Pharaohs we know today existed at the end of the Predynastic period.

4. Responsibility Of Pharaohs • Pharaohs ruled with absolute power. There were few if any challenged against the King. • 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.

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. Major Male Pharaohs • There were several Pharaohs of Egypt. However, we will focus on the main male Pharaohs: • Menes • Tuthmosis III • Akenaton • Djoser • Ramses II • Khufu • Tutankhamen

7. 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 would be easy top defend against any attacks. • During his reign he expanded his kingdom and developed commercial trade links.

8. 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.

9. Tuthmosis III • The son of Tuthmosis II and Isris • When is father died his stepmother, Hatsheput, took charge. • She was Tuthmosis III co-regent and for 20 years he was pushed into the background as she ruled Egypt. • When she died Tuthmosis III came to the throne. • As an act of revenge or retribution, he destroyed as many of Hatsheput’s statues, monuements and buildings.

10. Tuthmosis III • He was remembered for is successful military capaigns. • He had numerous victories against Syria, Libya and Nubia. • In his lifetime he married several foreign princesses, apparently for diplomatic reasons. • His chief queen was Hatsheput-Merytre. • King Tuthmosis III established Egypt as a powerful military strength. • King Tuthmosis III died in his 55th year of reigning and was buried in the Valley of the Kings.

11. Akenaton • 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 Akenaton which means “he who serves Aton” • He also built a new city called Akhetaton. • This was the first attempt at radically changing the Egyptian religion.

12. Akenaton • His wife was Nefertiti who was known for her beauty. • Today, Akenaton is remembered for trying to introduce monotheism to Egypt. • Monotheism means only one god:Aton. • It is not sure how Akenaton died but the text two kings, Smenkhkara and Tutankhamun were apparently son’s-in-law to Akenaton. • After his reign Egypt returned back to their old Gods.

13. 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 Egyptian Southern Border all the way to the Nile’s First Cataract. • He left behind the legacy of the step pyramid, which was the basis of all other pyramids to come.

14. Rames 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.

15. 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.

16. Khufu • Khufu lived from 2589-2566 B.C.E • He reigned for around 24 years. • Khufu is most remembered for building Great Pyramid of Giza. • The pyramid originally stood 481 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 to how it was built.

17. Tutankhamen • King Tutankhamen came to the throne at a very young age. • When his father died, believed to be Akhenaton, he became King at age 10. • King Tutankhamen helped restore Egypt's old beliefs from when his father tried to make Egypt a monotheism society. • 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 found by archaeologists. Some say it was the most important archaeological find.

18. Bibliography • Brier, Bob. PhD. History of ancient Egypt. The First Nation in History. The Learning Company. 2001. • Dowling, Mike. The Pharaoh. West Palm Beach Florida, 23 Oct. 2004. 18 Oct. 2006 http://www.mrdowling.com/604-pharaoh.html. • Dunn, Jimmy. Egypt Feature Story The Kings (Pharaohs) of Ancient Egypt. 1996. 18 Oct. 2006 http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pharaohs.htm. • Newman, Garfield. Echoes from the Past. Whitby, Ontario: McGraw - Hill Ryerson Limited, 2001. • “Pharaoh." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 18 t. 2006 . <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059581>. • THE ASTRA CORPORATION LIMITED . Egyptology Online: Discovering Ancient Egypt. 2001. 18 Oct. 2006 http://www.egyptologyonline.com/pharaohs.htm. 

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

20. THE END!!!