  6 main historical eras ruled almost continuously for 3,000 years by a group of hereditary kings divided into 31 dynasties with approximately 400 Pharaohs  Complete the gaps in your timeline Timeline Breakdown

  Kings known as “pharaohs”  Biblical Hebrew rendering of the Egyptian “per-aa”  Means “Great House” – royal palace (master of the world)  Pharaohs considered divine  They were gods, thus their rule was autocratic and religious  A theocracy Egyptian Hierarchy

  Within the royal family, it was possible for a brother to marry a sister, since only marriage to another divine person could produce a dynasty Egyptian Royalty

  Population is 3200  2 kings: one in Upper Egypt and one in Lower Egypt  In 3100, Narmer (aka Menes), king of Upper Egypt defeats king of Lower Egypt and unifies civilization  Capital is Memphis  Major developments: irrigation, rise of urbanism, hieroglyphic writing Archaic or Thinite Period BCE

  Characterized by central government = stability and order  Landed nobility shared power with Pharaoh  Bureaucracy formed with positions created  Vizier (chief of staff)  Chief Architect  Chief Judge or High Priest Old Kingdom or Age of Pyramids BCE

  Land divided into political units known as “Nomes” and were ruled by “Nomarchs” (i.e. monarch)  Pyramids began as flat tombs called “Mastabas”  First pyramid was the “step” pyramid of Saqqara built by King Djoser in 2650 BCE Old Kingdom, continued

  In 4 th Dynasty, true pyramid construction was begun, reaching its zenith with pyramids in Giza, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, smaller one to his son, Khafra, and the third, about half the size of the larger two, to Menkaura, whose reign was short Pyramid Construction – 4 th Dynasty

  Characterized by a period of decline in the power of the Pharaohs  Egypt once again split into two kingdoms First Intermediate Period BCE

  Egypt again unified under Mentuhotep II (2040 BCE); capital moved to Thebes  Rising middle class (i.e. lesser gov’t officials, merchants/traders, small indep. farmers) challenged landed nobility for power The Middle Kingdom BCE

  Semetic people, known as Hyksos (i.e. highland rulers) from Syria/Palestine/Canaan invaded Lower Egypt in 1785 BCE Second Intermediate Period BCE

  Iron weapons  Horse-drawn chariots  Compound bow, and cimitar (curved sword)  Spinning and weaving (on upright looms)  New musical instruments (lyres, lutes) Hyksos’ Contributions

  Hyksos invasion achieved opposite of intended effect:  revitalized Egyptian cultural spirit and led to eventual recapturing of Egyptian throne from invaders Impact of Hyksos Invasion

  Pharaoh Ahmose (18 th Dynasty) drove out Hyksos invaders in 1550 BCE and reunited Egypt The New Kingdom: The Age of Empire BCE

  More militaristic  sought power/security by building organized army  Imperialistic  sought empire through military expansion  Autocratic  leaders ruled with iron fist Reaction to Hyksos’ Invasion

  BCE, several important dynasties ruled Egypt continuously until conquest by Alexander the Great  Crowned Pharaoh of Egypt when he was 24  Alexandria made new capital Alexander’s Conquest

  Egypt ruled by Ptolemy family from Alexander’s death in 323 until Queen Cleopatra VII committed suicide in 30 BCE  Ptolemy I was one of Alexander’s generals Greek Period

  A province of Rome from 30 BCE to 641 CE Roman Period

  642 CE, Muslims from Arabia conquered Egypt  Introduced Islam and Arabic language  Local military caste seized control from Muslims in 1250 and ruled until conquest of Ottoman Turks in 1517 Muslim Period