Egypt's 3 Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

of

Ancient Egypt

Old Kingdom

The Old Kingdom was in power from 3100 B.C. until 2200 B.C. Capital city was Memphis.

Pharaohs, or kings, controlled all of Egypt's activities. His word became law and had to be obeyed by all.

Pharaoh means "great house" because pharaohs lived with their families in grand palaces.

Two reasons Egyptians served the pharaoh...

1. Kingdom depended on a strong leader.

2. Pharaoh was considered son of Re (ray), sun god, and this gave the pharaoh great respect.

Egyptians thought the pharaoh was a god on earth.

Rituals are a religious ceremony believed to benefit the kingdom.

Ritual:

Pharaoh walked a sacred bull around Memphis to keep the soil rich and ensure good crops.

Appointed officials carried out pharaohs wishes.

Officials job was to keep track of irrigation canals, grain storage, how crops were planted, controlled trade and collected taxes.

Egyptian's learned much about the human body while embalming the dead.

Started using herbs and drugs to help when people became sick.

Learned how to stitch cuts and set broken bones.

During the Old Kingdom was the time the pyramids were built.

These gigantic structures protected the pharaohs bodies from floods, wild animals and robbers.

Papyrus, ancient form of paper, was invented.

Pharaohs were buried with the supplies they need in the afterlife; clothing, furniture, jewelry, and food.

Middle Kingdom

Middle Kingdom was in power from 2050 B.C. to 1670 B.C. The capital city was Thebes.

Soldiers captured Nubia in the south and what is now Syria.

Conquered areas had to pay a "tribute" which is a forced payment.

With more wealth, pharaohs added more waterways and dams to increase the amount of farm land.

Art, literature and architecture thrived during the Middle Kingdom.

Painters covered walls of the tombs and temples with deities and daily life.

Sculptors created carvings and statues of pharaohs.

Poets wrote love songs and tributes to the pharaohs.

New architecture formed with tombs for pharaohs being cut into cliffs on the west side of the Nile River in the area known as the Valley of the Kings.

New Kingdom

New Kingdom was in power from 1550 B.C. to 1080 B.C.

Many of the pharaohs expanded the empire into western Asia.

Hatshepsut (hat-shehp-soot) didn't want to expand, she wanted to trade.

Egyptians sailed along eastern Africa and traded beads, metal, tools, and weapons.

They traded for gold, ivory, and incense.

The wealth that came from trading allowed Hashepsut to build momuments.

Hatshepsuts great project was a temple and tomb in the cliffs in the Valley of the Kings.

Thutmose III (thoot-moh-suh) became pharaoh when his aunt, Hatshepsut, died.

Thutmose III began aggressively conquering land to the north and south.

With capturing other areas, slaves started working on rebuilding Thebes with palaces, temples and monuments.

Egypt grew rich from trade and tribute with other areas.

Work Cited:

Spielvogel, Jackson J. "World History: Journey Across Time, The Early Ages". Glencoe/McGraw Hill. Columbus, OH.

Rich and Powerful

Growth and Prosperity

Golden Age of Stability