Pharaohs of Egypt
Pharaohs were the kings of Egypt.
The word “Pharaoh” was used by the Greeks and
Hebrews.
The word means “great house/palace”
Carried the crook (hook) and flail (three stranded rod) –
symbols of kingship
Crook – represented care, shepherding
Flail – represented justice, punishment
Responsibility Of Pharaohs
• The Pharaoh ruled with absolute power.
• He was seen as being Horus here on
earth (in death he became Osiris)
• Everything belonged to him – land,
people, possessions
• Despite absolute power the Pharaoh
was expected to rule according to the
principles of Ma’at.
• Ma’at was the goddess and symbol of
the equilibrium of the universe.
• Any King that attempted to radically
change society would be seen as
destroying the equilibrium that was so
important to Egyptian tradition.
Pyramid of Power
Vizier
• The vizier was the Pharaoh’s most trusted advisor –
second most powerful
• Did the “day to day” running of Egypt
• This was Joseph’s position!!!
Genesis 41:41-43, "So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I hereby put you in charge of
the whole land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger
and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a
gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-incommand, and men shouted before him, 'Make way!' Thus he put him in
charge of the whole land of Egypt
Succession
• To keep the pure line of succession, a Pharaoh
passed on the throne to the eldest son born of
the Principal Queen, or Great Royal Wife.
• The king's chief wife was also a relative of the
king, which meant that the successor was of
pure, royal blood and more fit to succeed than
those sons of the king's lesser wives.
• Pharaoh’s were able to have more than one wife
– due to high number of miscarriages, stillbirths,
etc (of course, this was due to incest……)
Khufu
• Khufu lived from 2589-2566 B.C.E
• He reigned for around 24 years.
• Khufu is most remembered for building Great
Pyramid of Giza.
• The pyramid originally stood 481 feet tall.
• Khufu left behind the legacy of the Great Pyramid
and even today it’s still a mystery to how it was built.
Hatshepsut: A King….or a Queen?
• There were female Pharaohs, though it
wasn’t common
• Egypt allowed women a certain amount
of independence
• Hatshepsut was a well-known one –
ruled when her husband/half-brother
died
– Often portrayed with a “chin wig”- not sure if http://www.yo
utube.com/wa
she wore one or if the drawings or just
tch?v=9sE9E9
symbolic
• Tutmohsis attempted to “eradicate” her jATRM
from history
– Destroyed her monuments, statues
– Scratched out her name
– Was thought he was destroying her from
both history and the afterlife
Tutankhamen
• King Tutankhamen came to the
throne at a very young age.
• When his father died, he became
King at age 9 or10.
• King Tutankhamen helped restore
Egypt's old beliefs from when his
father tried to make Egypt a
monotheism society.
• He died suddenly at the young age of
19
• Since his tomb had not yet been
made, he was laid in a tomb of a
member of the nobility in the Valley
of the Kings (NOT a pyramid).
Tutankhamen continued…
• Tutankhamun – like most pharaohs- was born
of incest (His father marrying a half-sister)
• As a result, he had many physical defects like a
partial cleft palate and a degenerative bone
condition.
• He also had malaria and had a broken leg which
required that he walk with a cane.
• He married his half-sister and together they had
two still-born daughters.
• He died at age 19, likely from a combination of
malaria, his broken leg and his overall sickly
condition.
Tut’s Burial
- He was buried in a 4chambered tomb with his
possessions, amusements,
food and his two still-born
daughters. The tomb
construction (like a noble’s
tomb rather than a pharoah’s)
and the wall painting (just
where the mummy lay rather
than all the rooms like most
pharoahs) suggests that the
tomb was hurriedly prepared
for Tutankhamun.
The Antechamber
The antechamber contained 700 objects including 4 chariots, 3
funeral beds, statues and animals.
The Burial Chamber 3
The innermost coffin used 110.4 kg of pure gold, valued today at
5.9 million just as scrap gold not even considering its artistic
value.
The Annex
The annex contained 2000 items like oils, ointments, scents,
food and wine for life in the hereafter.
The Treasury
The treasury contained 5,000 objects which amount to 50
billion dollars in today’s prices. The Canopic chest held the
jars with Tutankhamun’s preserved internal organs.
The Treasury (Continued)
Many of the objects found in the treasury were used in
Tutankhamun’s funeral. Found here were two chariots, a
statue of anubis, model boats, Tutankhamun’s canopic chest
and the mummies of Tutankhamun’s children who died
prematurely.
Discovery of Tutankamun’s Tomb
Englishmen Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon were avid
enthusiasts of ancient Egypt. In 1922, they uncovered a
staircase leading down to a passage. Careful search of the
passage revealed a secret door into the tomb of
Tutankhamun.
Tomb Mostly Undisturbed
Tomb robbers had broken into Tutankhamun’s tomb at least
twice, looting mostly jewelry which left many treasures to be
discovered. To get into the burial chamber, Carter broke
through the south wall of the chamber. Over a period of 8
years, Carter carefully photographed and recorded each item
and sent them to the Antiquities Museum in Cairo, Egypt.
End of the Pharaohs
• The last kings of Egypt were actually Greek
• Egypt had been conquered by Alexander the
Great
• The Greek Ptolemy family ruled – Cleopatra
was the last of the Ptolemy rules and the last
of the Pharaohs