Egypt

***Pay careful attention to the history of Ancient Egypt, Agent. Ophelia Chill could do some serious historical damage here!***

The ancient *Egyptians* were ahead of their time in many ways. They had a great interest in science and medicine, and kept careful records. These records have helped to give us a clear picture of what life was like for these ancient people.

## The Land of Ancient Egypt

As you know, *Egypt* is a country located on the northeastern edge of Africa. The history of Egypt begins with the Nile River. The *Nile* is actually made up of two *African* rivers, the *White Nile* and the *Blue Nile*.

The White Nile flows roughly north across the country of Sudan to join with the Blue Nile at *Khartoum* in Sudan. The Blue Nile flows roughly northwest across the country of Ethiopia to join with the White Nile at Khartoum. The Blue Nile contributes most of the water to the Nile River. Around 5000 BC, civilization began along the banks of the Nile River. For about two months each year, the banks of the river would flood, spreading water over the dry fields nearby. When the flood waters went away, a rich, dark soil was left behind. The settlers used this soil to grow crops such as wheat and barley.

***The history of the ancient Egyptian people is a history of dynasties. As you know, Agent, a dynasty is a family that rules for generations.***

## The First Pharaoh

Until about 3100 BC, Egypt was divided into two kingdoms: *Lower Egypt* and *Upper Egypt*. Each king wore a different type of crown. The ruler of Upper Egypt was named *Menes*. He fought a war against the Lower Egypt kingdom and won.

After the war, Menes built a city he called *Memphis*, and ruled all of Egypt as its first *pharaoh*. He combined the crowns of the two kingdoms into one. Menes started the first *dynasty* in Egypt, and ruled for sixty-two years.

## The Old Kingdom

The period between the third and sixth dynasties in *Egyptian* history is known as the *Old Kingdom*. During this time, the pharaohs began to use pyramids as royal tombs.

### Khufu

During the 4th Dynasty there was a *pharaoh* named *Khufu*. He was also known as *Cheops*. He had an enormous *pyramid* built for himself at the town of *Giza*.

When it was finished, it stood almost 500 feet tall. It was known later as the *Great Pyramid*, and was one of the *Seven Wonders of the Ancient World*.

The *Old Kingdom* ended around 2100 BC, when the capital of *Egypt* was moved to Thebes in 2060 BC, and civil war broke out across the country.

## The Middle Kingdom

The period of The *Middle Kingdom* included the 11th and 12th dynasties. During the rule of the 13th dynasty, the *Hyksos* gained power and Egypt came under their rule.

## The New Kingdom

The *New Kingdom* was between the 18th and 21st dynasties. The Hyksos ruled Egypt until 1570 BC, when the king of *Thebes* led a successful revolt, restoring power to the dynasties.

The *New Kingdom* pharaohs built tombs for themselves on the west bank of the *Nile River* in what they called the *Valley of Kings*. After the pharaohs had gone, the tombs lay hidden beneath the sand until 1817, when an *Italian* explorer named *G. B. Belzoni* uncovered the tomb of *Seti I*. The discovery of Seti's tomb was the start of a massive effort to discover all of the secrets of the Valley of Kings.

### Hatshepsut

From about 1503 to 1482 BC, *Egypt* was ruled by a woman *pharaoh* named *Hatshepsut*.

Until Hatshepsut, there had never been a woman pharaoh. Women who ruled Egypt had always been queens, and were not thought of as equals of the pharaohs.

Hatshepsut made herself a pharaoh instead of a queen, and was the only woman ruler to have a tomb in the *Valley of Kings*. She also had a great temple built there for herself.

During her rule, Hatshepsut sent out explorers to travel across the world. They went to the land of *Punt*, which is now called *Somalia*, and brought back trees, spices, and *gold*.

### Tutankhamen, The Boy King

In the year 1370 BC, a boy named *Tutankhamen* was born. At age nine, Tutankhamen became *pharaoh*, and he ruled *Egypt* for nine years, until his death at the age of 18.

Tutankhamen's rule was not particularly important, but the discovery of his tomb was.

His tomb was found in the *Valley of Kings* in 1922 by the *British* archaeologist *Howard Carter* and *Lord Carnarvon*.

The entire world was astonished at the incredible treasures which were found in the tomb. There were thousands of artifacts in the tomb, including the solid gold coffin in which Tutankhamen's mummy lay.

### Ramses II

A *pharaoh* named *Ramses II* ruled *Egypt* for sixty-seven years, beginning in 1304 BC. He became known as *Ramses the Great* because of his leadership during years of war against the *Hittite* armies. He ended the war with the Hittites in 1283 BC.

He was also famous for the many temples and monuments he had built during his reign, which included the *Temple of Amon* in *Karnak*.

It is speculated that Ramses II was the pharaoh described in the Old Testament when Moses led the enslaved Jews out of Egypt.

## The Late Period

The period in Egyptian history from the 21st dynasty until 641 AD is known as The Late Period.

### Cleopatra

The last ruler of the 32nd (and final) Egyptian dynasty was *Cleopatra*. She met and fell in love with the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who declared her queen of *Egypt*. She became queen in 51 BC at the age of seventeen, and ruled Egypt for twenty-one years.

After Caesar was killed, she married the *Roman* general *Marc Antony*.

Marc Antony's brother-in-law, *Octavion*, was furious with him for marrying Cleopatra, and declared war on Egypt. The combined forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony were defeated by Octavian's fleet in the *Battle of Actium* in the sea off the west coast of Greece.

Marc Antony heard a false rumor about Cleopatra's death while he was in Rome, and killed himself.

Cleopatra killed herself soon after in 30 BC, and Egypt became a Roman province.

## Science and Inventions

The ancient *Egyptian* people discovered how to make a type of paper from the *papyrus* plant around 2800 BC. They created a written language based on little pictures known as *hieroglyphs*.

The language was a complete mystery to archaeologists and scholars. Then, in 1799, French troops discovered a slab of stone near the Egyptian town of *Rosetta*.

The *Rosetta Stone*, as it is now called, had a message carved into it in three languages: *Greek*, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and a later form of hieroglyphs known as demotic.

By using the Greek version, scholars were able to decipher the other two languages and unlock the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian language.

The Egyptian rulers had *scribes*, whose job was to keep written records of each harvest and other information, such as progress reports on the construction of the *pyramids*. They also wrote down the laws set by the pharaoh.

## Mummies

The people of ancient *Egypt* believed that a *pharaoh* could bring his wealth into the afterlife when he died, and so they buried each pharaoh in a tomb containing his treasures.

To prepare the pharaoh's body for the journey to the afterlife, it would first be made into a *mummy*. Egyptian priests would remove all of the organs from the body and place them in jars to be buried with the pharaoh. Then they would wrap the body in strips of *linen*, and place it in a wooden or metal coffin. The coffin was then placed into a carved and painted wooden case known as a *sarcophagus*.