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