Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs

Introduction

• Pharaohs - ancient Egyptians rulers; they believed they were gods

• Old Kingdom - 2700 B.C.E – 2200 B.C.E– Strong central government during this time; age of pyramids

• Middle Kingdom - about 2000 B.C.E. – 1800 B.C.E.– Period of Reunification

• New Kingdom – about 1600 B.C.E. – 1100 B.C.E.– Egypt’s Golden Age; increased trade during this time of peace

and stability

Pyramids

• Built as tombs for pharaohs

• Pharaohs were believed to be gods

• Egyptians also believed in life after death

• The pyramids were built to honor the pharaohs forever

• Great Pyramid at Giza is one of the greatest

Khufu

• Ruled from 2551 to 2528 B.C.E

• Khufu established the pharaoh as central authority

• Had a large network of government officials

• Declared himself a god• Built the Great Pyramid of

Giza

Great Pyramid of Giza

• A center of huge complex

• More than 2 million stone blocks

• Took 20 years to complete

• No one is exactly sure how they built it

The Sphinx by the Great Pyramid

•Head of a man•Body of a lion

Senusret I

• Ruled from 1971 to 1926 B.C.E.

• Patron of the Arts• Craftspeople thrived

under his rule• “The Story of Sinuhe”

written during his rule• Greatest

accomplishment was religious architectureSenusret shown clutching

ankh which is an Egyptian symbol for eternal life

White Chapel

• Chapel is a small temple at Karnak

• Made of alabaster – a hard white stone

• Beautiful artwork decorated the chapel’s pillar

• The white chapel was taken apart by another pharaoh but was later rebuilt by archeologists

Stone carvings of Senusret I

Menes

• Ruled from 3100 to 2850 B.C.E

• Founded the city of Crocodilopulus

• Credited with uniting Upper and Lower Egypt

• Unification is the joining of two parts into one

Unification of Egypt

Red Crown of Lower Egypt White Crown of Upper Egypt

The Red and White Crownwere joined together to symbolize the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

What the new crown looked like

Hatshepsut• Ruled from 1473 – 1458 B.C.E• Egypt’s first female pharaoh• Greatest accomplishment was

gaining power• Sometimes wore male clothing

and a fake beard • promoted trade with other

countries• Biggest trade expedition was to

Punt– Traded jewelry, bronze weapons,

papyrus– Over 200 men made the journey

Other images of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut’sTemple at Dayr al-Bahri

• Built into a cliff above the Nile River

• At the entrance were two tall thin monuments called obelisks

• Entrance also had 200 sphinxes

Obelisk at temple

Ramses II

• Ruled from 1290 to 1224 B.C.E

• Reigned more than 60 years as Ramses the Great

• One of the most famous• Over 100 wives and children• Fearless soldier – he was

made a captain at 10 years old

The Temple at Abu Simbal

Ramses depicted as a warrior

Stone figure of Ramses the Great

King Tutankhaman

• Ruled from 1341 to 1323 B.C.E.

• 9 years old when he became pharaoh

• 19 years old when he died• Tomb was discovered in

1922 in the Valley of the Kings

• It was the greatest discovery of all times

The treasures of King Tut’s Tomb