1. Egypt

2. Learning Targets
I can describe the relationship between the Nile and the growth of Egypt.
I can describe the reasons for the unification of Egypt.
I can explain the religious beliefs of the Egyptian people, and the importance of the afterlife.
I can locate key physical features of Africa on a map.

3. Middle and the New Kingdoms
At the end of the Old Kingdom, the wealth and power of the pharaohs declined.
Building and maintaining pyramids cost a lot of money.
Pharaohs could not collect enough taxes to keep up with their expenses.
Nobles began to use their government positions to take power from pharaohs.

4. The Middle Kingdom By about 2200 BCE the Old Kingdom had fallen.
For the next 160 years, local nobles ruled much of Egypt. (There was no Central Ruler)
Around 2050 BC, a powerful pharaoh defeated his rivals, and once again all of Egypt was united.
This marked the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, which was a period of order and stability that lasted to about 1750 BCE.

5. Fall of the Middle Kingdom
Around 1750 BCE, a group from Southwest Asia called Hyksos invaded.
The Hyksos used horses, chariots, and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt.
For the next 200 years the Hyksos ruled the region as pharaohs.

6. The New Kingdom
The Egyptians eventually fought back, in the mid-1500’s BCE, Ahmose of Thebes declared himself King.
He then drove the Hyksos out of Egypt, Ahmose then ruled all of Egypt.
The rise of Ahmose to power marked the start of Egypt’s 18th dynasty, and more importantly the start of the New Kingdom.
New Kingdom- the period during which Egypt reached the height of its power and glory.

7. The New Kingdom-Building and Empire
After being ruled by Hyksos, the Egyptian leaders feared future invasions.
To prevent future invasions, they decided to take control of all possible invasion routes around Egypt.
Because they were trying to protect their interests Egypt turned itself into an Empire.

8. Building and Empire
Egypt first invaded and took over the homeland of the Hyksos.
After taking over that area, the Egyptians continued north and conquered Syria.
Egypt continued to try and protect itself and took over the entire eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
These military conquests made the Egyptians both rich and powerful, as the kingdoms that they conquered sent them gifts and treasures.

9. Growth and Effects of Trade
As the empire expanded so did trade.
The Sinai Peninsula is one example of valuable resources that were controlled by the Egyptians.
The Sinai Peninsula had valuable supplies of turquoise and copper.
Profitable trade routes, or paths followed by the traders, developed from Egypt to these lands.

10. Trade
One of Egypt’s rulers who worked to increase trade was Queen Hatshepsut.
She sent Egyptians traders to parts of Greece to trade with the people of Greece.
Hatshepsut and later pharaohs used the money they gained from trade to support the arts and architecture.

11. Invasions of Egypt
Despite its military might, Egypt still faced threats to its power.
In the 1200’s BCE the Pharaoh Ramses II, or Ramses the Great, fought the Hittites, from Asia Minor.
The two powers fought fiercely for years, but neither one could defeat the other.

12. Invasions of Egypt
Egypt faced threats from other parts of its empire as well.
To the West, a people known as the Tehenu invaded the Nile Delta.
Ramses fought them off and built a series of forts to strengthen the Western Frontier.
Soon after Ramses the Great died, invaders called the Sea Peoples sailed into Southwest Asia.
Only after 50 years of fighting were the Egyptians able to turn them back.

13. Fall of Egypt Egypt survived, but its empire in Asia was gone.
Shortly after the invasions of the Hittites and the Sea Peoples, the New Kingdom came to an end.
Ancient Egypt fell into a period of violence and disorder.
Egypt would never regain its power

14. Work and Daily Life Tomorrow we will discuss Work and Daily Life.
And then we will talk about Egyptian Achievements.