Ancient Egypt Kingdoms

Separate Kingdoms When the land around the Nile River was first settled, people lived in small villages. Because the natural barriers protected Egypt from invaders, the villages grew. Eventually two separate kingdoms were formed – Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

King Narmer (sometimes called Menes) wanted to unite the two kingdoms and create one bigger and stronger Egypt. After he united the two kingdoms, Narmer combined the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt to symbolize his leadership over both. Narmer is considered to be Egypt’s first pharaoh and the founder of the first Egyptian dynasty. A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.

Narmer Palette A famous artifact from around 3100 BC depicting the unification of Egypt under King Narmer..

Kingdoms The history of ancient Egypt can be separated into three different time periods: Old Kingdom Age of the pyramids Middle Kingdom Time of cultural diffusion New Kingdom Period of power and glory

Old Kingdom Age of Pyramids 3100 – 2180 BC

Old Kingdom Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was both a king and a god. The pharaoh was the living Horus They began to build pyramids.

Middle Kingdom 2050 – 1750 BC

Egyptian Trade Began to trade with nearby civilizations like Mesopotamia. Learned many new things Wheel, Cart, Plow

Cultural Diffusion The sharing of ideas between different cultures. Two ways: Trade War and conquering

Middle Kingdom Hyksos invaded and took over Egypt for 200 years. They used horses, chariots, and advanced weapons made of bronze to conquer the Egyptians.

New Kingdom 1570 – 1070 BC

The New Kingdom Egyptians did not want to be invaded again, so they increased the size of their army. Egypt took over enormous lands and was the leading military power in the area. Egypt became rich because of trade and the lands it conquered. During the New Kingdom, Egypt reached the height of its power and glory.

Important Pharaohs Flip your page over and take notes on some of the important Egyptian pharaohs! Make a T-Chart Pharaoh Known for Hatshepsut Amenhotep Tutankhamen Ramses II

Hatshepsut helped Egypt recover after the Hyksos invasion Hatshepsut helped Egypt recover after the Hyksos invasion. She increased trade and built many temples.

Amenhotep Tried to change Egypt’s religion to monotheism – the worship of only one god Aten (a version of the sun god, Ra) Changed his name to Ahkenaten

Tutankhamen Ruled from age 9 to his death at 19 Most famous because his tomb was discovered full of artifacts and treasures

Ramses II Called Ramses the Great Considered one of Egypt’s greatest rulers Fought the Hittites for 15 years Expanded the kingdom Built lasting temples

Conquerors of Egypt Assyrians – 681 BC Persians – 525 BC Alexander the Great – 332 BC Romans – 32 BC

SPAWN Problem Solving P- Problem Solving We just learned about how the kingdoms of Egypt were separate; Upper and Lower Egypt. King Narmer (Menes) united them. How would you do this? Would you do it diplomatically? Use force? Or some other way? Be specific with how you unite the kingdoms. Why would you do it this way?

SPAWN Alternative Viewpoints A- Alternative Viewpoints You are part of one of the kingdoms and don’t want to unite with the other. What would you do? Would you fight back? Would you use force? Would you go on a diplomatic mission to convince others not to unite? How else would you try to avoid it? Would you just move? Would you just accept it? Why?