NEW KINGDOM EGYPT By: Lilly Caudill, Megan Jones, and Katie Shircliff

LOCATION

TIMEFRAME o BCE

SOCIETY  Social Order:  Pharaoh  God-like figure who stayed aloof from people  Elite/Nobles  Governed Egypt for the Pharaoh  Educated Professional Classes  Scribes, accountants, doctors.  Workers and craftsmen  Slaves, Servants, and Farmers  Rigid class structures  Patrilineal  Movement between these classes was almost impossible  As the empire grew, so did classes  Jobs in conquered areas  Money coming in to build temples gave priests more power  Growing education allowed people to move up  Women were highly respected, but mostly worked in the home

POLITICS  The 18 th and 19 th dynasties helped Egypt to become a great imperial power in near East  Power in near east created an influx of money  Large army  During the New Kingdom, Egypt become more aggressive towards Nubia and other conquered territories  Pharaohs left native rulers in power if they promised to stay loyal to Egypt  Hatshepsut:  Peaceful reign  Traded with Punt  Myrrh, incense, ivory, monkeys, and a panther  Akhenaton  Tried to unite Egypt under one monotheistic religion- failed  Caused internal turmoil and caused Egypt to be weakened

POLITICS CONTINUED  THE DECLINE OF EGYPT Causes:  Palestine possessions lost to Philistines and Israelites  Revolts in Nubia  Low floods  damaged economy  Priests were becoming more powerful over Pharaoh  Increased reliance on foreign mercenaries  Egypt did not have money for this  Libyan general married into ruling family  Nubians come up from south to form dynasties Effects:  Assyrian King conquered lower and upper Egypt  Egypt falls

RELIGION  Polytheistic  Religion was a reply to the obscurities of the universe and reflected the worries of everyday life  If the right God was honored at the right time, all would be well  Ma’at  The rightful order of the universe established by the gods at the beginning of time  Without this, country would face turmoil  Pharaoh was responsible for this  Importance of Burial Rituals  Burials were meant to reflect the dead’s status in life and to carry it onto afterlife  Embalming

INTELLECTUAL ENDEAVORS o Improved inventions such as the loom for weaving and pottery wheels o Education: for the wealthy and the elites; not for the peasants or the rest of the citizens

TECHNOLOGY o Began to use horse-drawn chariots more in war battles o Commerce in metals energized the long-distance trade of the time

ECONOMICS o Valued exotic fruits and vegetables, musical instruments, myrrh, ebony, and monkeys, but especially bronze o Traded with regions such as western Asia, empires along the Mediterranean, and sub-Saharan Africa o Taxed Nubian timber, gold, and copper when they took over

IMPORTANT PEOPLE o Hyksos: “Princes of Foreign Lands”  most likely were people who emigrated from the Levant and surrounding areas into Egypt o Hatshepsut: a queen who served in lieu of her stepson and claimed the royal title for herself; emphasized trade rather than combat o Amenhotep IV (known as Akhenaten): name means “beneficial to the Aten”, the sun god o Closed temples of other gods and emphasized Aten o Some scholars believed he invented the idea of monotheism (worshipping one god) o Built a new capital in between Memphis and modern day Amarna o Tutankhamun (King Tut): immediate successor to Akhenaten o Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great): ruled for 66 years o Undertook major building projects all over Egypt o Had many wives and concubines; may have fathered over 100 children

SIGNIFICANT TERMS o Hatshepsut o Akhenaten o Ramsees II o Ma’at o Polytheistic o Bronze o Hyksos

BIG PICTURE o Egypt was a very influential civilization during its existence o Religion played a big part in growth and development o Continuities: o Constantly taking over other areas o Always had some pharaoh in reign o Became especially aggressive towards Nubia during the New Kingdom as opposed to Middle and Old Kingdoms o Egyptian influence o Changes: o Grew exponentially until its decline in 1070 BCE, when it was taken over by the Assyrians o Egyptian reliance on foreign mercenaries led to decline in economy; they did not have enough money to pay them