Ancient Egypt The Egyptian Empire Chapter 2 Section 3
Jan 13, 2016
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