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Chapter 5 - Lesson 4 "The New Kingdom" p. 172- 177
MAIN IDEAS
• Economics – Queen Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh and expanded trade during the
New Kingdom
• Belief systems - Akhenaton tried to change Egyptian religion by replacing the old gods with
one god called Aton.
• Government – Ramses II ruled Egypt for decades and created a stable empire
WORD
Definition
Picture / other
representation
Learning
Target #
Hatshepsut
obelisk
Ramses II
reign
(172 / 173)
A Woman Pharaoh (p. 173 – 174)
1. The New Kingdom included some of Egypt's most _______________________ rulers.
A Woman
Pharaoh
The capital city had been _______________________, but the pharaohs of the New
Kingdom changed the capital city to _________________________ which was about
450 miles south of Memphis.
2. The first woman to rule as pharaoh was ___________________ . She
became pharaoh because her ________________ died. He died soon
after he took power. For a while Queen Hatshepsut ruled the New Kingdom
with ________________ who was her step son.
3. Once Queen Hatshepsut declared herself the only ruler, she wore a ______
which is saved and only to be worn by pharaohs----all of whom had been
male. Was this a bold move for her? Explain your thoughts.
4. Hatshepsut expanded Egypt through waging war and trade. Describe how
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
A Woman
Pharaoh
(continued)
Hatshepsut expanded trade for Egypt.
5. Items traders brought back from trading expeditions included:
6. What kind of monument did Hatshepsut have built to show her greatness?
7. How long did Hatshepsut rule? Why is Hatshepsut's death a mystery?
A Reforming Pharaoh (p. 174 - 175)
A Reforming
8. The next leader in the New Kingdom is _________________________________.
Pharaoh
9. When Akhenaton became pharaoh he chose a _____________ to be the "top" god
or the god with the "highest" status. He closed _______________ of the other gods
as a way to "promote" the worship of ONE god, Aton. This is the first time in
history that we believe Egyptians worshiped only ONE god. Akhenaton's new
religion did ______________ last long.
10. Describe Akhenaton’s influence in religion. Include what happened to the
religion Akhenaton started.
11. Describe Akhenaton’s influence in the world of art
12. After Akhenaton died, who took over?
A Powerful Pharaoh (p. 175 – 177)
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
A Reforming
Pharaoh
13. Forty-four years after King Tut died, who took over as pharaoh?
14. Ramses II was also called Ramses-the – Great. He wanted to make Egypt
powerful through ________. Under his rule he extended Egypt's territory south
into the African kingdom of ___________________ . It stretched to the ______________
rim of the ____________________________________ Sea. It was at this point that Egypt
now bordered the empire of the _____________________________.
15. Describe the battle Ramses II led the Egyptians in against the Hittites. Who
won? What was a result of this battle?
16. After the battle with the Hittites, what did Ramses negotiate? Why was this a
big deal in history?
17. Ramses II ruled for nearly 66 years. What did he do to honor himself / show
his "greatness?"
18. After Ramses II died, Egypt declined because the central ______________________
weakened and foreign powers entered Egypt. One of the foreign rulers who
conquered Egypt was the King of Macedonia, also known as ___________________ .
19. After Alexander the Great died, Macedonians continued to rule Egypt. The
last Macedonian ruler was the famous queen _______________________________.
Eventually the powerful ______________________ Empire conquered Egypt.
Lesson Summary (p. 177)
• Hatshepsut was the first woman to rule as pharaoh. She expanded Egypt’s trade with other
lands.
• Akhenaton tried to change Egypt’s religion to a belief in one god, but his religion did not last
after his death.
• Ramses II built an extensive empire and ruled for 66 years. His reign was a time of peace and
prosperity.
Why it matters now (p. 177)
The ancient Egyptians rejected Akhenaton’s idea of one supreme god, but that idea later
became widespread. Today many people believe in religions based on a single god.
Hatshepsut: Woman Pharaoh
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Hatshepsut was an Egyptian queen who became a pharaoh—the ruler of Egypt. She ruled during
the 18th dynasty—the first dynasty of the New Kingdom. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh
Thutmose I and his queen Ahmose. When Thutmose I died, his son, Thutmose II, became
pharaoh. Thutmose II then married his father’s oldest daughter, according to the custom in
Egyptian royal families. His bride was Hatshepsut, his half-sister.
Much of what is known about Hatshepsut has been learned from official documents and
monuments that tell of her achievements. As a result, history knows more about Hatshepsut the
pharaoh than about Hatshepsut the private woman. It appears, however, that she came from a
close-knit family and was especially fond of her father and daughter. Her appearance is also
somewhat of a mystery. Sculptures and paintings of pharaohs traditionally portrayed them with
“perfect” features, no matter how they really looked. When Hatshepsut’s husband died, his heir
was Thutmose III, his son by another woman. Hatshepsut was his stepmother. Because
Thutmose III was too young to rule at the time of his father’s death, Hatshepsut stepped in as
regent—someone who rules with, or in place of, a child. She and Thutmose III were co-rulers
until 1472 B.C., when Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh.
A Female Pharaoh More than 3,500 years ago, the rulers of the world were almost exclusively
men. Hatshepsut, however, was in a better position than most women to establish a position of
power. First of all, she lived in Egypt, where women enjoyed more rights than in most other
societies. Egyptian women had the right to own and inherit property and to hold public office.
They also were entitled to defend their rights in courts of law. Egyptians were more inclined to
view women as being capable outside the home.
Second, Hatshepsut had served as regent for about six years. This gave her time to establish
herself as a capable and legitimate ruler. Once she was pharaoh, Hatshepsut chose to be
portrayed as a man more often than as a woman. Like the pharaohs who had preceded her,
Hatshepsut wore a false beard.
Role of the Pharaoh The Egyptian pharaoh performed the traditional functions of a head of
state. The pharaoh was responsible for keeping the country running efficiently. He (or she)
maintained law and order, collected taxes, and saw that food was stored in case of famine. The
pharaoh also conducted public building programs, including the digging of canals for irrigation.
A pharaoh, however, was also considered a god. Egyptians believed that the pharaoh
communicated directly with the gods. It was the pharaoh’s responsibility to honor the gods so
that they would provide the people with prosperity. The lack of a pharaoh meant that they were
out of favor with the gods. After six years of regency, the Egyptian were probably ready to
welcome even a woman pharaoh.
Journey to Punt Hatshepsut’s reign lasted 15 years. While in power, she launched an extensive
building program and restored monuments previously destroyed by invaders. She devoted
herself to worshiping the gods. Successful trading missions added to the stability of her reign.
Hatshepsut sent a trading expedition to Punt, a region located at the southeastern region of the
Red Sea. This mission, recorded on the walls of her temple, was a great success. Hatshepsut
described the returning ships as “laden with the costly products of the Land of Punt and with its
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Name____________________________________________ Period ___________ Date _______________
many valuable woods, with very much sweet-smelling resin and frankincense, with quantities of
ebony and ivory. . . . ” The expedition is illustrated in great detail, and shows trees and plants, a
house on stilts, and a very overweight queen of Punt. Some types of fish were so accurately
drawn that their species can be easily identified.
Monument and Disappearance Like pharaohs before her, Hatshepsut had a temple built as a
monument to herself and her achievements in Thebes. Hatshepsut’s temple is considered one of
the world’s most beautiful buildings. Here Hatshepsut had herself portrayed as the child of her
mother and the sun god Amon-Re.
Historians do not know how Hatshepsut died. But around 1457 B.C., she was replaced as pharaoh
by Thutmose III. Late in his 33-year reign, a serious attempt was made to erase Hatshepsut from
history. Many of her statues were destroyed, and her images were chipped away from stone
walls. Some think that Thutmose III was responsible because he hated his stepmother. Another
theory suggests that Thutmose III did not want women of future generations to think that they
could become pharaoh. Fortunately, the attempt to erase Hatshepsut from history was not
successful. The “woman who was king” maintains her place in history.
Questions
1. How was Hatshepsut different from most other Egyptian pharaohs?
2. How did being a regent help Hatshepsut become pharaoh?
3. Why did she have a temple built for herself in Thebes?
4. How did Hatshepsut establish a stable reign as pharaoh?
5. Why did Hatshepsut have herself portrayed as a man and as the child of a god?
6. Why might Thutmose III have hated Hatshepsut?
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