Ancient Egypt

A Resource for 4th Class C
Carrigaline Educate Together NS

Contents

Ancient Egypt

Background

Kingdoms

Ancient Egypt was one of the oldest and longest lasting world civilisations. It was located along the Nile River in the northeast part of Africa and lasted for over three thousand years. Historians generally use two ways to outline the history of Ancient Egypt:

There are also three primary kingdoms that historians use to define periods of Ancient Egypt. After each kingdom there is an "intermediate" period. The three kingdoms were the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Dynasties

The first is by using the different dynasties that ruled Egypt. These are the families that had power and passed the leadership of Pharaoh down from one family member to another. Counting the Ptolemaic Dynasty set up by the Greeks, there were over 30 dynasties that ruled Ancient Egypt. This sounds like a lot at first, but remember this was over the course of 3000 years.

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Here is a brief outline of the timeline of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation showing the Kingdoms, periods, and dynasties:

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Early Dynastic Period (2950 -2575 BC) - Dynasties I-III

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The Ancient Egyptian civilisation begins. The first Pharaoh of Egypt, Menes, united the Upper and Lower parts of Egypt into a single civilisation. He put the capitol at the midpoint of the two lands in a city called Memphis. During this time the Egyptians developed hieroglyphic writing which would be important for making records and running the government.

Near the end of the Dynastic Period and the start of the Old Kingdom, the first pyramid is built by the Pharoah Djoser and the famous Egyptian Architect Imhotep. The began the building of the Pyramids for which Egypt is famous. However the pyramids the built were step pyramids.

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Old Kingdom (2575-2150 BC) - Dynasties IV-VIII

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First Intermediate Period (2150-1975 BC) Dynasties IX-XI

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Middle Kingdom (1975-1640 BC) Dynasties XI-XIV

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The fourth dynasty begins and the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are built. This is often called the Age of the Pyramids. The fourth dynasty is a time of peace and also a time when the sun god Re became prominent in the Egyptian religion.
The Old Kingdom nears its end as the 7th and 8th dynasties are weak and the government begins to collapse. The end of the Old Kingdom is a time of poverty and famine.

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Egypt splits back into two countries. The Old Kingdom ends and the first Intermediate period begins.

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The Pharaoh Mentuhotep II reunites the two parts of Egypt under one rule signalling the start of the Middle Kingdom. The royal tombs are moved to the north near the city of Memphis. The Egyptians start to use irrigation to carry water from the Nile to their crops.

Second Intermediate Period (1640-1520 BC) Dynasties XV-XVII

New Kingdom (1520-1075 BC) Dynasties XVIII-XX

The Middle Kingdom ends and the Second Intermediate Period begins. Some of the dynasties at the end of the middle kingdom and during this period only last for a short time. The horse and chariot are introduced during this period.

The New Kingdom is the time of greatest prosperity for the Ancient Egyptian civilisation. During this time the Pharaohs conquer the most lands and the Egyptian Empire reaches its peak.

1520 B.C. - Amhose I reunites the kingdom and the New Kingdom begins.

1506 B.C. - Tuthmosis I becomes Pharaoh. He is the first to be buried in the Valley of the Kings.

1479 B.C. - Hatshepsut becomes Pharaoh. She is one of the most successful woman pharaohs.

1386 B.C. - Amenhotep III becomes Pharaoh. Under his reign the Egyptian civilisation would reach its peak in prosperity, power, and art.

1352 B.C. - Akhenaten changed the Egyptian religion to worship a single god. This was a major change of life.

1279 B.C. - Rameses II becomes Pharaoh. He would rule for 67 years and build many monuments.

Third Intermediate Period (1075 - 653 BC) Dynasties XXI-XXIV

Late Period (653 - 332 BC) Dynasties XXV-XXX

Ptolemaic Dynasty

The New Kingdom comes to end when Egypt becomes divided. Third Intermediate Period begins. Egypt grows weaker and is eventually conquered by the Assyrian Empire near the end of this period.

The late period begins as the Assyrians leave Egypt and the locals regain control from vassals left by the Assyrians.

525 B.C. - The Persians conquer Egypt and rule for over 100 years.

332 B.C. - Alexander the Great and the Greeks conquer Egypt. He founds the great city of Alexandria.

305 B.C. - Ptolemy I becomes Pharaoh and the Ptolemic period begins. Alexandria becomes the new capital.

30 B.C. - The last Pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, dies.

Pharaohs

Pharaohs were the Kings or Queens of Egypt. Most pharaohs were men.

A Pharaoh was the most important and powerful person in the kingdom. He was the head of the government and high priest of every temple.The people of Egypt considered the pharaoh to be a half-man, half-god.

The Pharaoh owned all of Egypt.

Hatshepsut

Born: 1508 BC
Died: 1458 BC

Hatshepsut was born an Egyptian princess. Her father was the Pharaoh Thutmose I. She grew up in the great royal courts of Egypt with her sister and two brothers. Unfortunately, Hatshepsut's brothers and sister died while they were still young.

Without a son to inherit the throne, Thutmose I was worried who would be pharaoh after he died. He decided to name one of Hatshepsut's step-brothers as heir. This is where things get weird. Hatshepsut was married to her step-brother in order to keep the royal line pure. This sounds really strange today, but it was common for Egyptian royalty.

Hatshepsut's dad died a short time after she was married and her husband became the pharaoh Thutmose II. Hatshepsut was now queen of Egypt. Thutmose II, however, was a sickly man. He ruled for only a few years before he died. During this time Hatshepsut had begun to take an active role in running the country. Egypt now faced a problem. Hatshepsut had not had a son with Thutmose II.

The only male heir to the throne was a young boy that was Hatshepsut's nephew Thutmose III. He was crowned the new pharaoh of Egypt at a young age, but Hatshepsut was named regent (like an assistant). She would run the country for him until he was old enough to rule himself.

Hatshepsut was a powerful and intelligent leader. There were people in the government who were very loyal to her. After a few years of being regent, she decided to name herself Pharaoh. She took charge of the country.