Worksheet 1: History of the Pharoahs - A quick overview of Egyptian history

King Tutankamen (death mask)

Egypt A Very Long Time Ago

Civilisation began in Egypt about 5000 years ago ( about 3300BC). This is around about the same time as civilisation began in Sumer.

The Egyptians were ruled by kings called 'pharoahs' who were believed to be 'gods on Earth.' The Pharaohs ruled for about 3000 years until Egypt was conquered by by Romans, around 30 BC.

Some of the Pharoahs were great and wise, others were cruel and harsh, and yet others were weak and foolish. Even so, during all the time these Pharoahs ruled, the way ordinary people lived changed very little.

The Nile

The Nile is the longest river in the world and that without it the ancient Egyptians would never have built a civilisation. Much of the area through which the Nile River flows is a desert. This desert is very hot and dry, with a rainfall of less than 200 millimeteres a year. Very few plants grow in the sand, or sandy desert soils, because of the lack of water.

The Nile River flooded every year. The flooding of the Nile happened at the same time each year, between June and September.

The Egyptians blessed the yearly flood which they called the inundation, Every June they prayed to Hapi, the god of the Nile, just to make sure the floodwaters arrived. so reliable was the timing of the inundation that the Egyptians were able to set a calendar by it. The calendar had 12 months, each of 30 days, with an extra five and quarter days at the end of the year.

The Egyptian farmers relied on the innundation in ancient times. The floodwater had been known to be up to six metres deep in places, and sometimes stretched for many kilolmetres on either side of the river.

The floodwater drained away very slowly over three or four months. As soon as the flood waters had gone, the farmers planted new crops in the highly fertile silt.

The Nile carried material like sand, gravel, silt and clay in its flowing waters. At the mouth of the river (where the river meets the sea) there is a large, flat area of land called a delta. The delta is made from sand, gravel, silt and clay. The Nile Delta is about 200 kilometres wide (at its widest point) and about 150 kilometres long.

Crops grew well along the backs of the Nile River. Farmers were able to produce a 'food surplus'. As with Sumer, no longer did everyone have to worry about growing food. Therefore many people took on jobs such as builders, priests and scribes. Cities developed and civilisation grew poweful and prosperous. The Egyptians owed it all to the Nile - their life blood.

By about 3300 BC there were two kingdoms along the Nile.
Lower Egypt around the delta
Upper Egypt from the delta to the first cataract

King Narmer ( also known as Menes) of Upper Egypt led his army to conquer the forces of the Kingdom of Lower Egypt in about 3200 BC. He joined the two kingdoms into one, ruled by a single king. To show that he was the ruler of one nation, King Narmer work the Double Crown of the Two Lands.

The Kings of Egypt were known as Pharoahs. Pharoah means 'he who lives in the great palace'. From about 3200 BC ( when Narmer joined Upper and Lower Egypt) to 30 BC ( when the Romans took control ), 237 Pharoahs ruled Egypt. They came from 31 different families. The Pharoahs belonging to one family formed a dynasty. However, if a Pharoah had no children, the power would be passed on to another family, thereby starting a new dynasty. A new dynasty could also be established by over-throwing the Pharoah by force. This sometimes happened when the Pharoah was weak or when outsiders attacked the country.

Egyptian history is usually divided up into the following periods:

The Old Kingdom from 3200 BC - 2300 BC. The Pharoah of the first to the sixth dynasties rules. It was during this period that the pyramids were built.

The First Intermediate Period from 2300 - 2050 BC. The Pharoahs of the seventh to the tenth dynasties ruled during this time.

The Middle Kingdom From 2050BC to 1780 BC. The Middle Kingdom was rule by the Pharoahs of the 11th and 12th dynasties.

The Second Intermediate Period From 1780 BC to 1570 BC. The Pharoah of the 13th to the 17th dynasties ruled during this time.

Akenaton: Head rising from a Lotus flower (reincarnation)

Akenaton: New Kingdom. He believed in one god - sun God - Amon-Re. After his dynasty Egypt returned to worshipping many gods.

The New Kingdom From 1570BC to 1085BC. The New Kingdom was ruled by the Pharoahs of the 18th to the 20th dynasties. This was a time of great building. Many temples were built, and the Pharoahs were buried in tombs dub into the solid rock of the 'Valley of the Kings'. The horse was introduced to Egypt during this period.

The Late Dynastic Period From 1085 to 332BC. Teh Pharoahs of the 21st to the 30th dynasties ruled during this time. Towards the end of this period Egypt was attacked by the Persians, who set up their own Pharoah to rule the country.

The Late Period From 330BC to 30BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia, north of Greece, defeated the Persians and ruled Egypt for a time. When he died, Ptolemy, an army general grabbed power and set up the 31st dynasty. Thereafter his descendants ruled in Egypt and this is called the Ptolemaic period. Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers, and when she died Egypt became the province of the Roman Empire.