Egypt's Empires

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Chapter 5.3

Egypt’s Empires

Golden Age

• A new dynasty of pharaohs came to power

• Moved the capital to Thebes

• Started a period of peace and order called

• The Middle Kingdom

• Lasted from 2055 B.C. to 1650 B.C.

• Controlled

Nubia

• Expanded to presentday Syria

Conquests

The Arts Flourish

• Arts and Architecture thrived during the

Middle Kingdom

• Painters decorated the walls of tombs and temples

Sculptors

• Carved hunting, fishing, and battle scenes on large stone walls

Statues of Pharaohs

• Statues of the Pharaohs, showing them as humans rather than gods

Architecture

• Pharaohs no longer had pyramids built

• Tombs were cut into limestone cliffs

The Hyksos

• Hyksos invaded Egypt

• Had horse drawn chariots

• Fought with sturdy weapons made of bronze and iron

Ahmose

• Ahmose formed an army and drove the

Hyksos out of Egypt in 1550 B.C.

Building an Empire

• Ahmose founded a new dynasty.

• Started the New Kingdom

• Lasted from 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.

• No longer isolated

• Benefited from spread of goods, ideas, and cultures

A Woman Pharaoh

• Hatshepsut became pharaoh after husband’s death

• Dressed in male pharaoh’s clothes

Wore a false beard

• Built temples

• Restored monuments

Tomb in Valley of the Kings

Growth of Trade

• Hatshepsut was more interested in promoting trade that starting wars

Items Traded

• Egyptian traders exchanged beads, metal tools, and weapons for gold, ivory, ebony wood, and incense

Phoenicians

• Egyptians valued WOOD products

• Traded with Phoenicians

– Lived in present-day

Lebanon

– Invented alphabet

– Writing system

– Encouraged the spread of goods and ideas – called cultural diffusion

Trade and Politics

• Egyptians traded wheat, paper, gold, copper, tin and tools to the Phoenicians for purple dye, wood and furniture

Political Ties

• Developed ties with Babylonian Empire in

Mesopotamia

• Mittani in Syria

• Hittite Empire in Anatolia

Expanding the Empire

• When Hatshepsut died,

Thutmose III became pharaoh

– Thutmose was a strong leader and general

– Expanded Egypt north to the

Euphrates River

– Conquered Nubia

– Empire was wealthy

– Captured and enslaved many prisoners of war

Two Unusual Pharaohs

• Amenhotep IV tried to make dramatic changes

• Tutankhamen, was very young

A Religious Founder

• Amenhotep IV and wife, Nefertiti tried to change Egypt’s religion

– Feared priests were becoming too powerful

– Felt threatened by their power

– Started a new religion

• Worship one god, Aton, the sun god

• Religion was rejected by most

• Weakened Egypt

• Lost most of land to invaders

Who was “King Tut”?

• King Tutankhamen

– Became pharaoh at 10 years old

– Restored polytheistic religion of many deities

– Died unexpectedly

History Teachers King Tut http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQyFO_fPm

M

King Tut’s Tomb

• Tomb discovered in 1922

• By Howard Carter

• Contained the pharaoh’s mummy and many treasures including a gold mask

Recovery and Decline

• Ramses II

– Most successful of pharaohs

– Also called Ramses the

Great

– Conquered Canaan

– Fought the Hittites

– Ramses and the Hittite King signed a peace treaty

Age of Temples

• Ramses reigned 66 years

• devoted himself to peaceful activities

• Built the temple of Karnak

Why Did Egypt Decline?

• Pharaohs fought costly wars

• Armies from eastern Mediterranean attacked Egypt

• Libyans conquered Egypt

• People of Kush seized power

• In 670 B.C. taken over by the Assyrians

• From Messopotamia

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