1. The Middle and New Kingdoms
Queen
Hatshepsut
Terms to Tackle:
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
Queen Hatshepsut
Daily
Life

2. The Middle Kingdom Mentuhotep II
Pharaohs began to run out of money by about 2200 B.C., and nobles took over.
Trade and farming declined, and chaos broke out.
In 2050 B.C., however, Mentuhotep II took over Egypt and ruled as a Pharaoh.
The Middle
Kingdom
lasted until
1750 B.C.

3. The Middle Kingdom and the Hyksos
Pharaohs once again had a hard time keeping power.
For about 200 years, the Hyksos, a group from Asia, came and took over Lower Egypt.
Egyptians disliked paying the Hyksos taxes and being ruled by them.
Luckily for the Egyptians, a man named Ahmose built an army and took
power back from the Hyksos.

4. The New Kingdom
The more land Egypt took over, the
more taxes they received.
Ahmose’s reign began the New Kingdom and the time when Egypt was at its peak.
This era lasted from 1550 B.C. to 1050 B.C.
During this era, Egypt created its first army to take over new land and to keep people like the Hyksos from taking over again.
As Egypt’s army
took over distant
lands, Egypt began
to trade.

5. Egypt’s Female Pharaoh
When the Queen died, her son destroyed
most of his mom’s hard work.
Thutmose II passed away but had only one son to take over the throne.
Since his son was just a baby at the time of his death, his wife, Hatshepsut, took over power as the Pharaoh of Egypt.
Many Egyptians were angry at the idea of a woman ruler.
In order to gain respect, she dressed as a man and wore a fake beard.
Much of the
Queen’s money
was spent on art
and temples.

6. Work and Daily Life
Egypt’s complex society and a surplus of crops allowed for Egyptians to take on many different jobs.
These jobs included:
Scribes
Artisans, Artists, Architects
Soldiers
Farmers and Peasants
Slaves

7. Scribes
Other than the Pharaoh, priests, and government officials, scribes were the most honored in society.
They kept records of finances and copied religious documents.
They didn’t have to pay taxes and many became wealthy.
Why do you think Egyptians
believed scribes were so important?

8. Artisans, Artists, and Architects
Below scribes on the social pyramid were artisans, artists, and architects.
These people were builders, carpenters, jewelers, sculptors, leather workers, and metal workers.
The best artisans, artists, and architects worked for the pharaoh and became very wealthy.

9. Soldiers Soldiers received land as payment.
They could also keep treasures they found in war.
Great soldiers could rise to officer positions and lead the army.

10. Farmers, Peasants, and Slaves
Farmers used
tools like this
shaduf to fetch
water from the
Nile.
The majority of Egypt’s people were farmers and peasants.
Farmers paid the Pharaoh taxes with crops.
Peasants could be called upon anytime to do jobs like build pyramids, mine gold, or fight in war.
Slaves were even lower than peasants but would do similar jobs.

11. Family Life Men were expected to marry young.
Women mostly stayed home, but some worked as priestesses and artisans.
Woman had the right to own property and divorce their husbands.
Most children went to school and studied morals, writing, math, and sports.
Egyptians are thought to be the first people
to have cats as pets. Cats were also considered deities.