Land of the Pharaohs

Choose a side Which side would you as King like to rule over? Upper or lower Egypt and why?

Land Divided: Although Egypt’s villages were thriving 5,000 years ago, they often fought each other. Towns in Upper Egypt supported a king who wore a white crown, while towns in Lower Egypt supported one who wore a red crown. In 3100 BC forces led by Menes, king of Upper Egypt, swept north into the Nile Delta and conquered it.

Menes, the First Pharaoh To show his victory, Menes wore a double crown of red and white. This change marked Egypt’s unification. The joining of separate parts into one. Menes became Egypt’s first pharaoh or leader of Egypt.

Governing Egypt: How do you think one man could control all of Egypt? After unification, the most powerful local leaders became governors who reported to the Pharaoh at his headquarters in Memphis. Governors collected taxes, served as local judges, and made sure that Nile flood waters were shared fairly among farmers..

Pharaoh Supreme Ruler: All things in ancient Egypt belonged to the Pharaoh who took what he needed from the surplus to sustain himself, his family, and his lifestyle. Pharaoh was considered to be the son of the sun god rah.

New Era: Huge building projects like pyramids were extremely expensive in terms of time and resources. Anger against the pharaohs began to grow and Egypt’s unity began to break down. Around 2000 BC, Upper Egypt revolted, set up a new pharaoh, and established a new capital in Thebes a southern city. This change marked the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom.

How would you lead as Pharaoh ? Would you extend your territory by trade or by invading and taking what is not yours?

New Rulers In Egypt: Egypt’s Middle Kingdom lasted from 2100 BC until about 1700 BC. During this time Egypt’s contact with other parts of the world increased. Egypt conquered the gold-rich region to the south called Nubia. Trade increased with western Asia and many of these Asians, called Hyksos, began moving to Egypt’s Delta region. Is this a smart idea to let outsiders live in your most profitable regions?

Hyksos By 1650 BC, the Hyksos were powerful enough to challenge the Pharaoh. For the next 100 years the Hyksos (“rulers of the hill-lands”) ruled Lower Egypt. They used horses, chariots, strong bronze weapons, and bows and arrows to defeat Egyptian armies. Egypt maintained control over Upper Egypt.

Ahmose to the Rescue: Egyptians in Lower Egypt copied the weapons of their conquerors, the Hyksos. In 1550 BC, they rallied behind Pharaoh Ahmose and succeeded in taking back the delta. The defeat of the Hyksos began the New Kingdom. Ahmose vowed that outsiders would never again control any part of Egypt.

Expansion and Empire: Gold-rich Nubia, which had regained its independence, was conquered once more by Egypt. Egyptian armies also marched north into the Middle East. Egypt became an empire; a group of lands and peoples ruled by one government.

Egyptian Trade Egyptian New Kingdom traders spread far and wide. Ships loaded with golden jewelry, linen cloth, and papyrus returned with silver, timber, wine, and other products not produced in Egypt. Egypt’s most important trading partner was Kush (near Nubia). Kush controlled rich trade routes to other African kingdoms and supplied Egypt with ebony, leopard skins, and elephant ivory.

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut was one of Egypt’s few female pharaohs. She expanded Egypt’s trade well beyond the boundaries of the Egyptian empire. She organized huge trading expeditions; groups of people who go on trips for a set reason.

Create a timeline of Egyptian events: Divided Egypt White King Vs Red King Hatshepsut first female Pharaoh and extends boarder by trade. Menes unifies Egypt and becomes 1st Pharaoh. Hyksos invade and take over Egypt Upper Egypt Revolts and sets up new Capital Egypt takes over Nubia Ahmose defeats Hyksos. Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom