Ancient Egypt

The Egyptian EmpireChapter 2Section 3

The Middle Kingdom

• Golden age of peace, prosperity, & advances in art & architecture.

• A new dynasty moved their capital to Thebes.

• They restored order & stability.

More Land…

• During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt took control of more land.

• Conquered people had to send tribute to the Egyptian pharaoh.

• Pharaoh’s added more waterways & dams in Egypt.

• They increased the amount of land being farmed.

The Arts…

• During the Middle Kingdom, arts and literature thrived.

• A new form of architecture was also created.

• Instead of building pyramids, pharaoh had their tombs cut into cliffs.

The Hyksos

• The Middle Kingdom ended in 1670 B.C.

• Egypt faced a serious threat from outside.

• A group known as the Hyksos, from western Asia, attacked Egypt.

• The Hyksos ruled Egypt for about 150 years.

• In 1550 B.C., an Egyptian prince led a rebellion & drove the Hyksos out of Egypt.

The New Kingdom

• During the New Kingdom, Egypt acquired new territory & reached the height of its power.

• At about 1480 B.C., the first woman came to rule Egypt.

• Hatshepsut became the new ruler of Egypt.

Hatshepsut

• More interested in trade than conquest.

• During her reign, Egyptian sailed along the east coast of Africa.

• These trade journeys brought even greater wealth to Egypt.

• When she died, her nephew came into power.

Hatshepsut

Thutmose III

• Under his authority, Egypt began aggressive wars of conquest.

• Egypt now controlled more territory than ever before.

• His empire grew rich from trade & tribute.

• Slavery became widespread.

Akhenaton

• Born as Amenhotep.

• Tried to change Egypt’s religion to worship only one god.

• He was so devoted to his new religion, he neglected his duties as pharaoh.

• As a result, Egypt lost most of its lands in western Asia.

Aton

The Boy King

• When Akhenaton died, his son-in-law inherited the throne.

• At the time he was only 10 years old.

• After ruling for only 9 years, King Tutankhamen (Tut) died unexpectedly.

• He played only a small role in Egypt’s history, so why is he so popular?

King Tut

• Tomb discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

• This discovery gave great insight into the burial traditions of the Egyptians.

• After much speculation and study scientists have decided Tut died from complications of a broken leg.

King Tut’s reconstructed face.

Ramses II

• Reigned for 66 yrs.

• During this time, Egyptian armies rebuilt the empire & launched new building programs.

• New temples were built.

• Most Egyptians used them to store valuable items.

Peace• Ramses

fought a war against the Hittite king Muwwitallah

• This lead to the first recorded peace treaty.

Egypt’s Decline & Fall

• After Ramses II, Egypt’s power began to fade.

• Groups from the Mediterranean attacked Egypt by sea.

• By 1150 B.C., the Egyptians lost their empire & controlled only the Nile Delta.

Conquerors

• Assyrians (670 B.C.)

• Persians (525 B.C.)

• Alexander the Great (332 B.C.)

– Ptolemy

• Nubia

– Meroë