Overall, there were 30 total dynasties in ancient Egypt. Prior to the Old Kingdom, Egypt was not unified and this is referred to as the Archaic Period (3100 BC to 2700 BC). Most people believe that Egyptian civilization occurred only in the Old Kingdom. Many parts of Egyptian lifestyle happened before the Old Kingdom.
The term pharaoh is used for the first time to describe the absolute ruler of Egypt. The pharaoh then divided Egypt into provinces. A province is just another way of saying a state. The reason why the pharaoh did this was for tax purposes. Each province had official tax collectors.
During the Old Kingdom, engineering improved. This was the time of pyramids. This is the only time in the history of Egypt that pyramids were built.
Pile on the Nile Bonus Worksheet
Another engineering marvel was in the area of irrigation. The only good land was the land close to the Nile. After awhile all the good land was taken and the population was growing. Building trenches away from the Nile made more land. To water the crops, the Egyptians made a counterweight called the Shadoof. The Shadoof used the weight of the water vs. the weight of rocks to swing the water in mass quantities.
In the end the pharaohs were too greedy. Taxes kept rising and tolerance was lowering. The Egyptians revolted and started a time period called the First Intermediate Period. This period lasted for 150 years. No strong ruler emerged.
Once the government of Egypt was solidified, the Middle Kingdom could emerge. The Pharaohs of this time realized that the people could rule the country without the permission of the pharaoh.
One of the first things the pharaohs did was permit the lower classes to become mummified. This was very significant because according to the Egyptians, your soul only lasted as long as the body existed. People take religion very seriously. Even today people will go to the extremes in the name their God or gods.
The process of mummification was a very elaborate and sacred practice. Mummification
was done to preserve a body. Egyptians believed that the body followed the soul
to the other side.
When a pharaoh
died, there was a time of official mourning. Government was not allowed to operate
for 90 days. Of course, emergencies were taken care of. People mourned too, men
were not allowed to shave for 90 days, and women were not allowed to work with
their hair or wear make-up in that time period too.
The first incision on the dead was sacred. The first thing that the Egyptians did was take out all the internal organs. This was done because of all the water our organs retain. The brain was then taken out too. The brain was picked out through the nose in little pieces.
After the body was emptied of all it's organs and blood, the process of drying out continued. The body is filled with paper and linen. Then, the body is submerged in natron for a number of days. Natron is another name for salt. This dried out the skin.
Once the skin and body is died out, layers upon layers of wrappings are applied. While the wrappings are being applied, another crew of people are creating the sarcophagus is being built and decorated.
This again was a time of land improvement. The Egyptians found new ways of making land productive. They learned how to drain swampland. They also made a canal to the Red Sea. This also helped expand their borders.
This kingdom did not end because of internal problems. Rather, Egypt entered the Second Intermediate Period because of foreign invaders. A Mesopotamian tribe called the Hyksos invaded Egypt. This smaller culture was able to conquer the Egyptians because they had the ability to use war chariots and calvary. The Second Intermediate Period lasted for 300 years. Once the Egyptians learned their secrets, they were able to overthrow the Hyksos.
The last great era of Egypt. This is also the Empire Age. It is also the Age of Pharaohs. It is called the Empire Age because the Egyptians did not want a foreign country to invade them again. They took an active role believing that the best defense was an aggressive offense. Borders expanded through active invasion. Conquered people were treated a bit more harshly than before. They were required to pay more taxes and tribute.
It is also known as the Age of Pharaohs because the most famous pharaohs. came from this time period.
The first pharaoh was a unique leader. The name of the pharaoh was Hatshepsut. This is significant because this is the first female pharaoh. Hatshepsut had a brother named Thutmosis III. When their father died early in his reign, Thutmosis was not ready to rule, so they royal court made the decision to have Hatshepsut rule until her brother was ready to rule.
When Thutmosis was able to rule, Hatshepsut was not ready to relinquish her power. To divert her brother, she made him the general of all of Egypt's army. She also gave her permission to march and fight when he felt necessary. Queen Hatshepsut eventually died and the hatred of felt by her brother was fully released. Thutmosis ordered all hieroglyphs with her name to be erased.
Another interesting pharaoh was Amenhotep. Amenhotep wanted to change the religion of Egypt. Him and a small cult of followers believed that Egypt was not polytheistic, but monotheistic. The only god of Egypt was Re, the sun god. All the other gods were just manifestations of him. This conversion in Egypt was a small blip on a huge screen. (Don't say Egypt was polytheistic for Compare and Contrast, I'll mark it wrong.)
Amenhotep for the next 20 years drained Egypt of its resources and ignored many important parts of government. Amenhotep spent most of his time in temples praying and worshiping Re. It also didn't help that he suffered from a disease that gave him female breasts, and elongated fingers and face.
This was also the time when King Tut ruled. King Tut was the next ruler after Amenhotep. The only significant thing King Tut did was restore the official religion back to polytheism.
The greatest pharaoh of them all was Ramesis II. He is also known as Ramesis the Great. Here are some numbers of Ramesis. He ruled for nearly 70 years; lived into his 90's; he had over 120 children; he made more monuments and shrines than any other pharaoh
Ramesis was the pharaoh during the time of Exodus of the Jews. Ramesis was also the pharaoh/ general during the Battle of Kadesh. The Battle of Kadesh is what historians call a turing point battle. Namely, world history would be totally different if the winners lost and the loser win. If the Hittites (From Mesopotamia) won, middle eastern culture would have flowed deep into Africa because of the Nile.
Here are the key dates and points of the reign of Ramesis II:
1279 BC: First year of his
reign
1274 BC: Battle of Kadesh
1262 BC: Time of the Exodus
1254 BC:
Death of primary wife Nefertari
After the death of Ramesis, the Egyptian empire slowly declined in the history of the world.
After Ramesis II, Egypt had some average Pharaohs. People in the Mediterranean World started to catch up. The Third Intermediate Period occurred between 1100 BC-653 BC. Egypt become the prize of all the great civilizations like Greece, Rome, and the Muslims
After the New Kingdom, the
land of Egypt and their history and advancements are credited to other cultures.