The Pharaoh And Others

THE PHARAOH in ancient egypt

LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT Society in Egypt was based on a hierarchy. Life for people at the bottom of the hierarchy was hard because they had to work for and obey people higher up. People at the top were powerful and stayed powerful because they could exploit those below for profit. The wealth of Egypt allowed them to keep armies.

At the top were the kings (pharaohs) and their families. They were the wealthiest and most powerful group in Egyptian society. Below the king was an upper class. This included military leaders, priests, scribes, tax collectors, artists and scientists. This class ran the army, collected taxes, ran the government, wrote out the laws and recorded the history of Egypt. Their writings survived in wall paintings, stone carvings and a few pieces of papyrus (paper made from reeds).

The farmers were at the bottom of the society. They grew the food, but any surplus was taken by the upper class. This wealth was used to pay for the army. It was also used in trade,

The rulers of Egypt • The civilisation of Ancient Egypt lasted very long –well over 3000 years. Egyptian historians measured their history in terms of various dynasties (families) who had ruled Egypt. • There were 31 dynasties and over 330 rulers. Usually, Egyptian rulers were able to build on the achievements of earlier rulers • The pharaoh was the name the ruler of Egypt received and it meant ‘he who lives in the great palace’.

The religious power of the Pharaoh (I)

• Government and religion were inseparable in ancient Egypt. The pharaoh was the head of state and the divine representative of the gods on earth. • The Egyptians considered the authority of the pharaoh as given by the gods. This is the reason why we use the word theocracy (theo = god, cracy = power) to make reference to their political system in those times: the pharaoh was considered a god and his power was a gift from the gods. • As a god-king, the pharaoh was almighty: the land and everything in it belonged to him. People had to obey his orders with no exception, and in exchange, the pharaoh would gain the blessing of the gods for the enrichment of Egypt.

The power of the pharaoh (II) • Religion and government brought order to society through the construction of temples, the creation of laws, taxation, the organization of labor, trade with neighbors and the defense of the country’s interests. • The pharaoh was assisted by a hierarchy of advisors, priests, officials and administrators, who were responsible for the affairs of the state and the welfare of the people.

Chronology of Ancient Egypt • Looking at all this history, archaeologists noticed something very interesting. They realised that much Egypt's ancient history could be divided into three blocks of time. In each block, all of the pharaohs behaved in a certain way. • Scientists have named these blocks "The Old Kingdom", "The Middle Kingdom", and "The New Kingdom". 

The Old Kingdom (2700 BC-2200 BC) • Pharaohs had absolute power and were considered gods on earth. But that's not why this kingdom is nicknamed "The Pyramid Age".  Pharaohs were buried in pyramids only during this time period in history. After building a few pyramids, at great expense to the state, it occurred to pharaohs that pyramids were rather easy to spot, and thus, much easier to rob than a hidden tomb.  Things changed during the middle kingdom.

The first pharaoh • Menes (pronounced MEE-nes) is the first pharaoh we know about. Menes united two kingdoms, called Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt and established what we now call the “Old Kingdom” about 3100BC. • The Pharaoh´s crown was 2 crowns in one due to this unification: the tall white head-dress was the crown of Upper Egypt; the short red head-dress was the crown of Lower Egypt

The Middle Kingdom (2100 BC-1800 BC) • The middle kingdom was Egypt's Golden Age. Trade flourished, arts and literature flourished. Egypt built strong armies to defend herself against her neighbors. During the time period of the middle kingdom, pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise rulers. And pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs, all over the place. Most probably, there are tombs yet to be discovered because they were hidden so well.

The New Kingdom (1500 BC-1000 BC) • The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period. Egypt expanded her borders through military conquest and became a world power. During the time period of the new kingdom, pharaohs were all powerful, and pharaohs were all buried in the same geographic area called the Valley of the Kings.

Thutmose II, Hatshepsut & Thutmose III • Thutmose II was an Egyptian pharaoh who lived around 1500BC. Thutmose married his half-sister Hatshepsut. Thutmose II had a son, Thutmose III, by a minor wife. When Thutmose II died his son, Thutmose III became phaorah. However, Hatshepsut was appointed regent because of the boy's young age. A regent is someone who rules for a monarch if they are too young to rule. Hatshepsut and Thutmose III ruled jointly until Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh. Dressed in men’s attire, Hatshepsut administered the affairs of the nation. Hatshepsut disappeared shortly after Thutmose III led a revolt to reclaim the throne. Thutmose then destroyed Hatshepsut’s shrines and statues.

Akhenaton • Akhenaton was a monotheistic pharaoh who ruled with his queen, Nefertiti from 1352BC to 1336BC. They worshipped Aton, a god of the sun. Akhenaton and Nefertiti forbade their subjects to worship of any other gods. They built great statues to Aton and ordered that statues honoring any other god be destroyed. Most Egyptians did not take the faith of their leaders, and after their death, statues of Aton were destroyed.

Tutankhamen • Tutankhamen became pharaoh shortly after Akhenaton’s death. He was only nine years old, but was married to the daughter of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. The “boy king” never became a “man king” because he died of a head injury only nine years into his rule. Most of the treasures of the pyramids were plundered, but by accident Tutankhamen’s tomb remained intact because it was buried by rock chips dumped from the cutting of a tomb of a later pharaoh. The tomb lay hidden for more than three thousand years until British archaeo-logist Howard Carter discovered it in 1922.