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Ancient Egypt History and Government

Unification • Early Egypt was divided into two kingdoms – Upper Egypt – Lower Egypt • Egypt was united in 3100 BCE by Menes – Made Memphis the capital – Established the first dynasty

Ancient Egyptian History Periods Time Frame Nile Culture Begins Archaic Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom 3900 B. C. E. 3100 – 2650 B. C. E. 2650 – 2134 B. C. E. 2040 – 1640 B. C. E. 1550 – 1070 B. C. E. Late Period Greek Ptolemaic Era Roman Period 750 – 332 B. C. E. 332 – 30 B. C. E. – 395 C. E.

Old Kingdom • The Old Kingdom – Begins 2650 BCE – Time of Growth and Prosperity – Pyramids constructed – Pharaohs with absolute power establish strong governments

Middle Kingdom • Difficult and turbulent time • Pharaohs began to lose power to local nobles • Invasions, famines, civil wars • Built fortress up and down the Nile • Traded with Greeks, Phoenicians, and others around the Mediterranean • Conquered by the Hyksos in 1650 BCE

The New Kingdom • Hyksos defeated • Egyptians realized they needed a strong army • Took lands around them to serve as a buffer from invasion

• • GOVERNMENT and RELIGION were inseparable in ancient Egypt. The PHARAOH was the head of State and the divine representative of the gods on earth. Religion and government brought order to society through: – The construction of TEMPLES – The creation of LAWS – TAXATION – The ORGANIZATION OF LABOR – TRADE with neighbors – The DEFENCE of the country’s interests.

Egyptian Class Structure

Egyptian Social Classes

Ancient Egypt achieved stability through the co-operation of all levels of the population. • The PHAROAH was at the top of the social hierarchy. • Next to him, the most powerful officers were the VIZIERS, the executive heads of the bureaucracy. • Under them were the HIGH PRIESTS, followed by ROYAL OVERSEERS (administrators) who ensured that the 42 DISTRICT GOVERNORS carried out the pharaoh's orders. • At the bottom of the hierarchy were the SCRIBES, ARTISANS, FARMERS, and LABORERS.

Egyptian Social Classes • Class system was hierarchal – People with most power at the top – Least power on the bottom Flashback: Was the social structure in Mesopotamian civilizations such as Sumer organized in a similar manner ? Yes

Pharaohs, Government Officials, and Soldiers • The Pharaoh was the supreme ruler of Egypt. He held possession of • • all the land, and was considered a god embodied on the earth. No laws had to be written because all the commands that he spoke were followed by the Egyptians. Government officials were the Pharaoh’s advisers. They enforced laws, oversaw construction of pyramids and tombs, pleased the gods, found trade opportunities and collected taxes. Soldiers took part in warfare and trade missions. Egypt’s soldiers helped by expanding and gaining more territory.

Scribes, Merchants, and Artisans Scribes: • Recorded the deeds of the Pharaoh. This educated class kept record of supplies, had power to fulfill duties of viziers and could write laws in order to enforce them. Merchants: • Referred to as Crafts people, merchants gained money depending on the amounts of objects they would create and sell. They looked no different than commoners in Egypt. Artisans: • This class was part of the Egyptian working class. Though they were not self supporting in terms of agriculture, they did have to work for their food.

Farmers Cont. • Farmers were a part of the lower classes, aka: The Working Class. • Farmers were one of the classes that, when they fell on hard times, sold themselves into slavery.

Farmers Cont. • Self supporting, the farmers of ancient Egypt relied on the receding floodwaters of the Nile. The departure of the water created fresh fertile soil that was ideal for agriculture. They harvested their crops (which were mainly grains) with primitive wooden ploughs. Farmers were the ultimate support of ancient Egyptian society and are arguably the most crucial class.

Slavery in Egypt There were two types of slaves: Foreign and Domestic. DOMESTIC slaves were Egyptian. They were generally treated better, and could also be freed by their owners. FOREIGN slaves were people who were captured in war and sold by Merchants

Slavery in Egypt Cont. The Hebrew (Israelite) Slaves The traditional biblical story states that the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. The Torah book of Exodus tells us that the Hebrews left Egypt at the time of a pharaoh identified as Rameses II. The Hebrews originally moved to Egypt due to a famine in their native Canaan, and eventually permanently settled there. The Pharaoh came to see their presence as a threat to his Kingdom, so he enslaved them. The departure from Egypt (led by Moses) is called the Exodus and remains an important event in Jewish history. The Hebrews then found themselves at Mount Sinai where Moses received the Torah from G-d.

Impact of Classes on Egypt and the World The Egyptian classes, like all class structures, acted as the foundation of their society. Every facet in the hierarchy performed a specific task in their society that assisted its ultimate success. Although we do not have Pharaohs and we don’t keep slaves, we can look to ancient Egypt for comparison to our own society and learn from their advantages and disadvantages.

To reinforce their image as powerful divine rulers, the PHARAOHS represented themselves in writings and sculptured reliefs on temple walls. They often DEPICTED THEMSELVES AS WARRIORS who single -handedly killed scores of enemies and slaughtered a whole pride of lions.

Not all the pharaohs were men. Before the Graeco. Roman period, at least three WOMEN ascended the throne, the most important being Queen HATSHEPSUT.

ROYAL WOMEN: Royal mothers, wives, and daughters derived their status from their relationship with the king. Kings had MANY WIVES and royal families were large. The most prolific was Rameses II, who had eight wives and over a hundred children. To keep the royal bloodline pure, kings often MARRIED within their family, a SISTER or half sister, for example. In a few cases, they married their DAUGHTERS, although it is not clear whether or not these marriages were true conjugal unions.

Next to pharaoh, the most powerful officer in the hierarchy was the VIZIER, the EXECUTIVE HEAD of the bureaucracy. The position of vizier was filled by a prince or a person of exceptional ability. His title is translated as "superintendent of all works of the king. “ As the SUPREME JUDGE of the state, the vizier ruled on all petitions and grievances brought to the court. All ROYAL COMMANDS passed through his hands before being transmitted to the scribes in his office. They in turn dispatched orders to the heads of distant towns and villages, and dictated the rules and regulations related to the collection of taxes.

Symbols of Power Symbol Type of Power

Les insignes du pouvoir Symbol Function : type of power Shepard`s Scepter Political Goddess of Protection of South PoliticaléTerritorial Cobra Goddesss of North MILITARY Whip to punish the enemies MILITARY, of Egypt POLITICAL Fake Beard ETERNITY Nemes , the rays of the SUN Political

Khepresh ou Double Blue Crown Bleue : Carried by pharaons during battles

Sarcophagus of Pharao. H Toutankhamon: massive gold and stones XIV° century BCE

Whip Pharaoh etsablishes order and power

Guiding Scepter of the Pharaoh

Fake beard for Immortality

Nekhbet : Goddess of Protection of Egypt

Nemes : Royal Wig

The ancient Egyptians remained very conscious of SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, and barriers between the classes were quite rigid. Climbing the social ladder was difficult, but it could be achieved through outstanding accomplishments in professions such as that of the scribes and the MILITARY. The military took part in WARFARE and TRADE missions, helping to maintain Egypt's sovereignty and

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.

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.

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.

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

Menes • Founding King of the 1 st 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.

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.

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, monuments and buildings.

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 55 th year of reigning and was buried in the Valley of the Kings.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Bibliography • Brier, Bob. Ph. D. 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: Mc. Graw - 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.

Discussion Questions 1) In your opinion, was it right for the Pharaohs to rule with absolute power? Explain. 2) Do you think Egypt would be so well known today if Pharaohs did not exist? 3) In ancient Egypt all property belonged to the Pharaohs, would our society be successful if this was true today about the Prime Minister.

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