Pharaohs of Egypt

Pharaohs Pharaohs were the kings of Egypt. The word “Pharaoh” was used by the Greeks and Hebrews. The title “Pharaoh” originated from the Greek language and it is used in the Old Testament. According to Egyptian legend, the first kings of Egypt were later some of the most famous gods.

Responsibility Of Pharaohs Pharaohs ruled with absolute power. There were few if any challenged against the King. Despite absolute power the Pharaoh was expected to rule subject to Ma’at. Ma’at was the goddess and symbol of the equilibrium of the universe.

Succession To keep the pure line of succession, a Pharaoh passed on the throne to the eldest son born of the Principal Queen, or Great Royal Wife. Each king was usually keen to demonstrate to his subjects that he was the “chosen” heir. The Pharaoh owned all of the land, people, and possessions in Egypt. Any personal wealth enjoyed by Egyptians people was considered a result of the generosity of the King.

Major Pharaohs Menes Akenaton Ramses II Khufu Tutankhamen Cleopatra

Menes Founding King of the 1st Dynasty Ruled between 3100-2850 B.C.E First Pharaoh to unify upper and lower Egypt into one Kingdom Ancient Egypt’s form of a civilization began with King Menes. He created the city of Memphis because of its good location. It would be easy top defend against any attacks. During his reign he expanded his kingdom and developed commercial trade links.

Menes According to legend he was attacked by wild dogs or Nile crocodiles at Faiyum. He died leaving behind the legacy of a powerful civilization. His tomb lays at Saqqara, the farmed area of Memphis.

Akenaton Original name was Amonhotep IV. Reigned 1350-1334 B.C.E He wanted to change the Egyptian supreme god from Amon-Re to Aton. Therefore he changed his name to Akenaton which means “he who serves Aton” He also built a new city called Akhetaton. This was the first attempt at radically changing the Egyptian religion.

Akenaton His wife was Nefertiti who was known for her beauty. Today, Akenaton is remembered for trying to introduce monotheism to Egypt. Monotheism means only one god:Aton. It is not sure how Akenaton died but the text two kings, Smenkhkara and Tutankhamun were apparently son’s-in-law to Akenaton. After his reign Egypt returned back to their old Gods.

Tutankhamen King Tutankhamen came to the throne at a very young age. When his father died, believed to be Akhenaton, he became King at age 10. King Tutankhamen helped restore Egypt's old beliefs from when his father tried to make Egypt a monotheism society. He died suddenly at the young age of 18 Possibly by a blow to the back of his head, an infection of his leg, or due to poor genes because of many generations of incest

Rames II Went to the throne at the age of 20 and reigned for 67 years. This was the second longest reign for any Egyptian King. Ramses is remembered for constructing many architectural marvels. Constructed more colossal statues than any other Egyptian King. Two of his greatest monuments are the two huge temples at Abu Simbel.

Ramses II Ramses also had many military victories. Not long after the reign of Ramses II, Egypt was invaded and eventually fell to the rule of foreigners. Ramses not only excelled in architecture but he also had a great number of wives. By the end of his life Ramses had over 100 children! After his death Ramses son, Menataph, became the heir to the throne.

Khufu Khufu lived from 2589-2566 B.C.E He reigned for around 24 years. Khufu is most remembered for building Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid originally stood 481 feet tall. Khufu had many sons but the one chosen to be his successor was Khafre. Khufu left behind the legacy of the Great Pyramid and even today it’s still a mystery to how it was built.

Cleopatra Last Pharaoh of Egypt (51-30 BCE) Portrayed herself as the reincarnation of Isis Allied herself with Julius Caesar, disputably had a child together, Caesarean. After Caesar died, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar Agustus Had 3 children with Antony, lost Battle of Actium, committed suicide by Asp

Discussion Questions In your opinion, was it right for the Pharaohs to rule with absolute power? Explain. Do you think Egypt would be so well known today if Pharaohs did not exist? In ancient Egypt all property belonged to the Pharaohs, would our society be successful if this was true today about the Prime Minister.

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