Egypt’s Powerful Kings and Queens

Sec. #2

Hatshepsut

• Hatshepsut ruled Egypt during the New Kingdom

• She was a female pharaoh most known for creating a time of peace and wealth

• She is shown in statues with a beard to look like a man

From Dynasty to Dynasty

• Egypt had 31 dynasties

• Dynasties were grouped into 3 main periods, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom

• Gaps between the periods were times of trouble and wars

King Menes

• King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt

• He built a city named Memphis

• The Egyptian Empire existed for 2,500 years until it was conquered by Alexander the Great of Greece

All-Powerful Pharaohs

• Pharaohs had absolute power• They decided the laws, when the fields would be

planted, and how to pray to the gods• No one disobeyed the pharaoh

Two Thousand Years of Power

• Egypt grew wealthy during the first 6 dynasties in the old Kingdom

• Pharaohs kept peace with Nubia, and merchants traded for timber to build houses, boats and furniture across the Mediterranean

The Middle Kingdom

• About 2250 B.C. the governors in the provinces began to challenge the power of the pharaoh’s government

• Egypt’s unity started to break down and the dynasties grew weak

Dynasties of the Middle Kingdom

• The early dynasties of the Middle Kingdom restored order

• Irrigation projects were built instead of fighting wars

• A canal was built between the Nile and the Red Sea

• In time the pharaohs lost control of the country to foreign invaders

The New Kingdom

• By 1500 B.C. the New Kingdom began

• Pharaohs created huge armies using bronze swords and body armor

• Egyptians were able to keep invaders out

Thutmose III

• Thutmose III became pharaoh as a child

• Because of his young age, a regent was appointed to watch over him until he is old enough to rule by himself

• Hatshepsut was his stepmother and she ruled for 22 years

Hunt for Power

• Hatshepsut refused to give up her power• Thutmose III took over when she died and had

her statues destroyed• Some historians believe that Thutmose III might

have had her killed

The End of Egyptian Civilization

• The New Kingdom began to decline around 1075 B.C.

• War within its civilization left Egypt weak

• Alexander the Great conquered it in 332 B.C.

• 300 years later, Egypt was conquered again by the Romans