• In 1922, archaeologists discovered the tomb of a pharaoh named King
Tutankhaten, or King Tut
• Inside his burial chamber they found three coffins
• The smallest coffin was made of solid gold and contained King Tut’s mummy
• He was wearing a gold mask, jewelry and good luck charms
• Other rooms in the tomb contained statues, weapons and even a chariot
• The treasures in his tomb taught historians many things about Egyptian life
• Other pharaohs have also left behind many artifacts such as fabulous riches and artwork
• Many pharaohs built great monuments to celebrate their accomplishments
• We will take a tour of some of these monuments from the different time periods of Egyptian history
• There are three periods of Egyptian history
– Old Kingdom
– Middle Kingdom
– New Kingdom

• The Old Kingdom lasted from about 2700 to 2200 B.C.E.
• During this time pharaohs set up a strong central government
• They also built great pyramids as tombs for themselves
• Some historians call it the Age of the
Pyramids

• The Middle Kingdom lasted from about
2000 B.C.E to 1800 B.C.E.
• It is often referred to as the Period of
Reunification
• The Middle Kingdom followed a period of chaos and disunity in Egypt
• During this era Egyptians had many achievements in literature, art and architecture

• The New Kingdom is called Egypt’s
Golden Age
• It existed from about 1600 to 1100 B.C.E.
• During this time Pharaohs expanded trade and built gigantic monuments

• Khufu ruled from about 2551 to 2528 B.C.E. during the Old Kingdom
• He is best known as a pyramid builder
• Although not much is known some story tellers say he was a cruel, harsh ruler
• He kept strict control over the food supply and controlled governors who carried out his work
• Khufu wanted the Pharaoh to be Egypt’s supreme ruler and so he declared himself a god

• The Old Kingdom Pharaohs had huge pyramids built for themselves and their families
• Khufu was responsible for building the Great Pyramid of
Giza
• It is one of the wonders of the ancient world
• It was made of more than 2 million stone blocks that fit together perfectly
• Inside, tunnels led to several burial sites
• The king’s chamber had 6 roofs to hold the weight of the stone blocks above it
• The pyramid took more than 20 years to build
• Khufu organized and fed thousands of workers to complete the project

• Pharaoh Senusret ruled from 1971 to 1926
B.C.E.
• He was a strong leader who ruled a unified
Egypt
• Art, literature and architecture flourished during his reign
• Craftsmen thrived under his rule
• The pharaoh controlled mines loaded with gold, copper, and gems such as purple amethyst
• Craftsmen made beautiful pieces of jewelry from these materials

• Some of the greatest works of literature were also created during Senusret’s rule
• “The Story of Sinuhe” was one of the most famous

This story tells of a young official named
Sinuhe who overhears a plot to kill the
Pharaoh. Fearing for his own life Sinuhe flees Egypt. He thrives in his new land but gets homesick. When a new Pharaoh calls him home, he returns joyfully.

• Another great accomplishment of Senusret’s reign was religious architecture
• He built and improved many temples shrines and religious monuments
• His finest achievements was the White Chapel
• It was made of a white hard stone. Some historians believed it was once covered in a thin layer of gold.
• Beautiful artwork decorated the chapel’s pillars
• A later Pharaoh took the chapel a part to use pieces in his own monument.

• She ruled from 1473 to 1458 B.C.E.
• She was the first female Pharaoh
• One of her greatest accomplishments was gaining power of Egypt. At first she had to share it with her male relatives but later was given full control
• During her reign trade along the Nile and in the Middle East grew

• Hatshepsut strengthened her powers by assigning loyal advisors
• She demanded the same treatment as male rulers and sometimes even dressed as a male
• Sometimes she even wore a fake beard like the previous male Pharoahs

• Her biggest trade expedition was to the
African kingdom of Punt, at the southern end of the Red Sea.
• Five ships with over 200 men sailed there to take gifts and to trade goods in the kingdom

• Hatshepsut left behind a great temple at
Dayr-al-Bahri
• The main part was built into a cliff above the Nile
• At the entrance there were 2 tall monuments called obelisks
• The entrance had 200 sphinx statues
• The sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human

• Ramses II ruled from 1290 to 1224 B.C.E.
• He ruled during the New Kingdom
• He was called Ramses the Great and is one of the best known Pharaohs
• He is best known for his military leadership and the monuments he built

• Ramses II had over 100 wives and more than
100 children
• He had hundreds of statues of himself in Egypt.
Some of the statues were over 60 feet high
• He was a fearless soldier from a young age
• He fought along side his father in numerous battles and became a captain in the army by age
10

• Ramses fought the Hittites who were trying to capture territory in Northern Egypt
• Ramses was also a peace keeper
• He eventually convinced the Hittites to sign the first known peace-treaty that lasted until 1190 B.C.E.

• One of Ramses most impressive projects was the temple complex at Abu Simbel
• The main temple was carved into a cliff on the banks of Nile
• The smaller temple honored his favorite wife,
Nefertari
• Four giant seated statues of Ramses framed the entrance to the main temple
• The figures were sculpted right out of the cliff wall and are the finest example of Egyptian art

• Inside the temple was also remarkable
• Visitors passes through 3 large rooms called halls, to reach the main room
• The room’s alters contained more statues of Ramses and other gods
• The temple was built so that twice a year the sun lined up perfectly with the entrance
• At those times the sun shines in and lights up the statues
• Ramses built more statues and temples than any other
Pharaoh in history
• When he died he was buried in the tomb he constructed for himself
• He is one of the best preserved mummies ever found