2. Predynastic History of Egypt: Egypt Before the Pharaohs
Evidence suggests that a sophisticated culture existed before the Pharaonic Age
Egyptians cultivated wheat & barley, domesticated goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, and domesticated the donkey & the cow
Egyptians made the first pottery, bricks, cosmetic palettes, and war maces

3. King Narmer (Menes)
This double crown was there for the union of the two lands.
King Menes and his family formed the first ever Egyptian dynasty. A dynasty is when you have a series of rulers who all come the same family. After King Menes died his son became king, when his son died his grandson became king.

4. A mural of Narmer (or Menes) conquering Lower Egypt
(c.a B.C.E.)

5. The Historical Periods of Ancient Egyptian History
Early Dynastic Period
c.a B.C.E.
The Old Kingdom
c.a B.C.E.
First Intermediate Period
c.a B.C.E.
The Middle Kingdom
c.a B.C.E.
Second Intermediate Period
c.a B.C.E.
The New Kingdom
c.a B.C.E.
Third Intermediate Period
c.a B.C.E.
Late Period
c.a B.C.E.

6. Characteristics of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt
MIDDLE KINGDOM
OLD KINGDOM
NEW KINGDOM
Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods.
Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.
Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.
Large drainage project created arable farmland.
Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete.
Corruption and rebellions were
common.
Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.
Powerful pharaohs created a large empire
that reached the Euphrates River.
Hatshepsut
encouraged trade.
Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria.
Egyptian power
declined.

7. The Crook & Flail
The crook (heka) and the flail or flabellum (nekhakha), are two of the most prominent items in the royal regalia of ancient Egypt.

8. The Old Kingdom: (c.a. 2700-2200 B.C.E.)
Golden Age of prosperity
Witnessed the construction of the first funerary monuments
Djoser most well-known pharaoh of 5 pharaohs of the 3rd Dynasty
4th Dynasty—Started with Sneferu and saw the power of the pharaohs reach its climax
Sneferu built 3 pyramids, but his son & successor, Khufu credited with building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Khufu’s son Khafra built another great pyramid & the Great Sphinx
Menkaura—built the last pyramid at Giza and the last pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty

9. Tomb Complex of Djoser:
Second Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom
Built the first step pyramid at Saqqara, the largest necropolis in Memphis
Designed by architect Imhotep as a stone replica of Djoser’s palace
Built entirely from cut cubic stone

10. - Built on the plateau of Giza at the edge of modern Cairo - Built for the pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty: Khufu, Khafra, & Menkaura Architecturally Most impressive of pyramids in Egypt Completely made of cut stone & largely remain intact today

11. Seated Scribe, from Saqqara. c.a. 2400 B.C.E.
For administrative purposes, Egypt was divided up into provinces, or nomes.
A governor, or nomarch, was at the head of each nome and was responsible to the pharaoh.
These governors tended to amass large holding of land and power within their nomes, creating a potential rivalry with the pharaohs.
Of special importance to the administration of the state was a vast bureaucracy of scribes who kept records of everything.
Armed with the knowledge of writing and reading, they were highly regarded and considered themselves a superior class of men.
Their high standard of living reflected their exalted status.
Seated Scribe, from Saqqara. c.a B.C.E.

12. The Vizier Chief advisor of Pharaoh (P.M.)
 Viziers judged most of the cases in their capital courts. 
The Pharaoh appointed two viziers, one for Upper and one for Lower
The vizier was responsible for:
civil law and order
collection of taxes
maintenance of archives
mobilization of troops,
Imhotep: famous Vizier that designed the step pyramid

13. Decline of the Old Kingdom: (c.a. 2700-2200 B.C.E.)
Old Kingdom: the most stable period
the Pharaoh dominated life
forstalled the emergence of provincial power
but gradually lost power to royal officials
gradual drying of the environment
failure of the Nile to flood on time

14. The End of the Old Kingdom
Relief showing men, women, and children suffering from the effects of severe famine
Professor Fekri Hassan examining ancient hieroglyphs which tell of appalling suffering. A third of the population died and the most ordered of empires was brought to chaos. 

15. The Middle Kingdom: (c.a. 2050-1652 B.C.E.)
Pharaonic power reached its peak
Referred to country’s “Golden Age” due to great heights in pictorial art & literature
Capital in Thebes, not Memphis
Deir el-Bahri Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut from above.

16. Reform in the Middle Kingdom: (c.a. 2050-1652 B.C.E.)
Successfully reduced the power of the nomarchs & the power over the nomes
Because the power & wealth of nomarchs rivaled that of the pharaoh, Senusret III abolished the nomes
He established a new form of regional government, thus consolidating power in the hands of the pharaoh
Senusret III

17. The Hyksos Ended the Middle Kingdom in Ancient Egypt by invasion
Semite Peoples
Introduced the wheel and horse to Egypt

18. Ahmose and his army driving out the Hyksos.
Starting in 1567 B.C.E., the pharaoh Ahmose I eventually managed to defeat and expel the Hyksos from Egypt, reuniting Egypt and establishing the New Kingdom (c B.C.E.).
The New Kingdom was characterized by a new militaristic and imperialistic path. A more professional army was developed.
Ahmose and his army driving out the Hyksos.

19. Egypt during The New Kingdom (ca. 1450 B.C.E.)

20. Amenhotep IV (c B.C.E.) introduced the worship of Aton, god of the sun disk, as the chief. For the first time, Egyptians became ‘monotheistic’.
Changing his own name to Akhenaten (“It is well with Aton”), the pharaoh closed the temples of other gods.

21. Invasion of the “Sea Peoples” around 1200 B.C.E.
The days of Egyptian empire were ended, and the New Kingdom expired with the end of the twentieth dynasty in 1085 B.C.E. For the next thousand years, despite periodic revivals of strength, Egypt was dominated by Libyans, Nubians, Persians, and Macedonians.
Egyptian Drawings of Two Different Tribes of Sea People

22. Late Period (c.a. 747-30 B.C.E.) Alexander the Great as Pharaoh
In late 332 B.C.E., Alexander the Great drove the Persians out of the Nile Valley
Egyptians saw Alexander as a “liberator” & recognized him as a pharaoh
Alexander founded the city of Alexandria, which became a prosperous commercial center and seat of culture

23. Late Period (c.a. 747-30 B.C.E.) Cleopatra: Egypt’s Last Queen
The most famous Egyptian of all time
She conceived a child (Ptolemy Caesarian) with Julius Caesar
After Caesar’s death, she returned to rule Egypt where she forged a relationship with Marc Antony
Her suicide in 30 B.C.E. brought to an end the last chapter in the 3,000-year story of Ancient Egypt