Chapter 8Introducti

on 8.1

The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs

PharaohAncient Egyptian

leader or king

All Aboard…

Ancient Egyptian Felucca boat

Meet our tour guide

8.2 Ancient Egypt and Its Rulers

Ancient Egypt enjoyed three long periods of stability and unity under the rule of pharaohs. Historians call these periods the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.

Middle Kingdom

New Kingdom

Old Kingdom

The Old KingdomLasted from about 2700 to 2200 B.C.E. During this time, the pharaohs set up a strong central government. They also built great pyramids as tombs for themselves. Some call this time the Age of Pyramids.

PyramidA huge,

triangular-shaped

monument of ancient Egypt built around a

tomb

The Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom lasted from about 2000 to 1800 B.C.E. and is sometimes called the Period of Reunification because it followed years of chaos and disunity. During this era, Egyptians made many great achievements in literature , art, and architecture.

The New Kingdom

The New Kingdom (about 1600 – 100 B.C.E.) is often called Egypt’s Golden Age. During this time of peace and stability, Egypt’s power reached its height. Pharaohs increased trade and built gigantic monuments.

Egypt is strong!

PharaohsAs in Mesopotamia, religion played a central role in Egypt’s social and political order. The pharaohs were believed to be gods. They owned all the land and were responsible for the people’s well-being. They were kings, generals, and religious leaders, all at once.

PharaohsAfter they died, the pharaohs were thought to enter the afterlife that would never end. Their great tombs were built to last forever. The pharaohs built other monuments to glorify their power and success. Let’s find out more about these structures and the pharaohs who built them.

Learning Check• What are the 3 key periods in Egyptian history?

Believed to be gods. Owned land, responsible for people’s well-being, kings, generals, and religious leaders.

Old – strong central government, pyramids. Middle – Unification, achievements in literature, art, and architecture. New – Peace, stability. Power reached its height, gigantic monuments

Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom

• What is each period known for?

• What was the role of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt?

Let’s continue our tour and

visit the Great Pyramid at Giza

8.3

Time to visit the

monument

The Great Pyramid at Giza

Let me tell you

how Khufu built the

Great Pyramid at Giza

All Aboard…

8.4

Time to visit the

monument

Let me tell you about

the reconstructi

on of the White

Chapel at Karnak

All Aboard…

Let’s continue our tour and visit

Hatshepsut’s Temple at

Dayr al-Bahri

8.5

Time to visit the

monument

All Aboard…

Let’s continue our tour and visit the Great Temple of Ramses II

at Abu Simbel

8.6

Time to visit the

monument

Let me tell you more

All Aboard…