Pharaoh Khufu: the Pyramid Builder Pharaoh Hatshepsut: Promoter of Egyptian trade

The Pharaoh Khufu ruled from about 2551 to 2528 B.C., during the The pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled from about 1473 to 1458 B.C. Old Kingdom period. Today he is best known as the builder of a Hatshepsut was Egypt’s first female pharaoh. Under her rule, famous pyramid. Egyptian art and architecture flourished. She was also known for encouraging trade. Not that much is known about what Khufu was like. Some stories describe him as a cruel, harsh ruler. Others say he was powerful but One of Hatshepsut’s greatest accomplishments was simply gaining kind. power. Never before had Egypt been ruled by a woman. At first she shared power with her male relatives. However, she soon took over as We do know that Khufu helped establish the pharaoh as a central the sole ruler. authority. For example, he kept strict control over Egypt’s food supply. This involved overseeing the harvest and storing extra grain. Hatshepsut strengthened her position in several ways. She filled her He controlled a large network of government officials who carried out government with loyal advisors. She demanded the same respect as a his laws. Khufu emphasized his supreme power by declaring himself a male ruler. Sometimes she whore men’s’ clothing. She even wore the god. fake beards that were worn by male pharaohs. Artists were often instructed to portray her as a man. She also spread stories that her Khufu and other Old Kingdom pharaoh’s had magnificent pyramids father was a god. built as tombs for themselves and their families. Khufu himself was responsible for the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. It is one of As pharaoh, Hatshepsut promoted trade with other countries. Her the wonders of the ancient world. biggest trade expedition was to the African kingdom of Punt, at the southern end of the Red Sea. Five ships sailed to Punt bearing gifts The Great Pyramid sat at the center of a huge complex of temples, and trade goods. In all, over 200 men made the voyage. statues, monuments, and smaller tombs. It was made of more than 2 million stone blocks that fit together perfectly. Inside, tunnels led to Hatshepsut left behind a stunning monument to her reign, a great several burial chambers. The king’s chamber had six roofs to hold up temple at Dayr al-Bahri. The main part of the temple was built into a the weight of the stones above it. cliff above the Nile River. At the entrance were two tall, thin monuments called obelisks. The entrance was also graced by 200 Building the Great Pyramid was an amazing feat. No one knows sphinx statues. The sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a exactly how the Egyptians did it. The pyramid took more than 20 lion and the head of a man. years to complete. Khufu maintained full control of the building project. He organized and fed thousands of workers. The completed Scenes from Hatshepsut’s reign decorated the temple walls. Detailed pyramid was a stunning monument to Egyptian engineering. carvings portrayed the great voyage to Punt. The carvings showed the wondrous things that the pharaoh’s traders had brought back to Egypt.

Pharaoh Senusret I: Patron of the Arts Pharaoh Ramses II: Military Leader and Master Builder

The Pharaoh Senusret I ruled from about 1971 to 1926 B.C., during the The pharaoh Ramses II ruled from about 1290 to 1224 B.C., during the New Middle Kingdom. He was a strong leader who ruled a stable, unified Egypt. Kingdom. Called Ramses the Great, he is one of the most famous pharaohs. Art, literature, and architecture flourished during his reign. He reigned for more than 60 years, longer than almost any other pharaoh. He is best known for his military leadership and for building numerous Craftspeople thrived under Senusret’s rule. The pharaoh controlled mines monuments. loaded with gold, copper, and gems such as purple amethyst. Craftspeople Ramses did everything in a big way. He had over 100 wives and more than fashioned these materials into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Bracelets and 100 children. He wasn’t shy about glorifying himself, either. He had necklaces were often highly detailed. They were then decorated with stones hundreds of statues of himself erected all around Egypt. Some of them were like turquoise. over 60 feet tall. Ramses was a fearless soldier from a young age. He fought alongside his Some of the greatest works in Egyptian literature were written during father in various battles. He was made a captain in the Egyptian army at the Senusret’s reign. “The Story of Sinuhe” tells of a young official named age of 10. Sinuhe who overhears a plot to kill the pharaoh. Fearing for his own life, Ramses tried to defend an Egyptian empire that extended north in Canaan. Sinuhe flees Egypt. He thrives in his new land, but he grows very homesick. His most famous military campaigns were against the Hittite Empire in When a new pharaoh calls him home, Sinuhe returns joyfully. Anatolia (now the country of Turkey). The Hittites constantly threatened Senusret’s greatest accomplishments were in religious architecture. He built Egypt’s northern borders. In his most famous battle, Ramses reached a and improved many temples, shrines, and religious monuments. standoff with the Hittites even though he was badly outnumbered. Ramses was also a peacemaker. He and the Hittites signed the world’s first Perhaps Senusret’s finest architectural achievement was the White Chapel (a peace treaty. This peace lasted until the Hittite Empire collapsed around small temple). It was made of alabaster, a hard white stone. Some historians 1190 B.C. think the chapel was originally covered in a thin layer of gold. One of Ramses’ most impressive projects was the temple complex at Abu Simbel. The main temple was carved into the side of a cliff on a bank of the Beautiful artwork decorated the chapel’s pillars. Carved scenes showed the Nile River. A smaller temple honored his favorite wife, Nefertari. pharaoh with various gods. Birds, animals, and Egyptian symbols were also Four giant seated statues of Ramses framed the entrance to the main temple. depicted. The figures were sculpted right out of the rock face of the cliff. They are Senusret wanted his memory to live on through his monuments but almost among the finest examples of Egyptian art. none of his buildings survived the passage of time. A later pharaoh took the The inside of the temple was also remarkable. Visitors passed through three White Chapel apart and used the pieces in a monument of his own. large rooms, called halls, to reach the temple’s main room. The room’s altar Archeologists later discovered the pieces and reconstructed the White contained statues of Ramses and three Egyptian gods. The temple was built Chapel. so that twice a year the sun lined up with the entrance. Beams of sunlight would shine down the halls and light up the statues. Ramses built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh in history. When he died, he was buried in a tomb that he had had constructed for himself. His is one of the best-preserved mummies ever found.

Akhenaten: Religious Leader Nefertiti: The Sun Queen

Historians are unsure when the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV ruled, but Queen Nefertiti ruled from about 1372-1350b.c. alongside her husband know his reign came to an end in 1354b.c. He changed his name to Akhenaten. It is thought she may have been an Asian princess from Akhenaten and defied tradition by establishing a new religion that Mitanni. She encouraged and supported her husband (Akhenaten) in believed that there is but one god; the sun god Aten. By the time his revolutionary ideas about religion and together they took on the Akhenaten took the throne, his family had been ruling Egypt for nearly religious establishment. two hundred years and had established a huge empire dominating Palestine, Phoenicia, and Nubia. Her reign with Akhenaten was unlike the traditional ways Egypt had seen. She was more than just a typical queen and helped to promote At the beginning of his reign, the young pharaoh Amenhotep IV, still Akhenaten’s views of a single god worthy of worship. Her reign was worshiped the old gods, especially Amun of Thebes and the sun god, Re-Harakhte. However, within a few years there were changes. He only 12 years, but she was perhaps one of the most powerful queens to abandoned work on a temple dedicated to Re-Harakhte and began to ever rule. build a new temple to worship the sun god Aten. As queen, she took on powerful roles and showed herself in ways only He moved his capital from Thebes to a place now called Tell el- Egyptian kings did. For example, she was often shown with the crown Amarna or Amarna, more than 200 miles (300 km) north, on a desert of a pharaoh or was depicted in scenes of battle smiting (beating) her bay on the east side of the Nile River. Here he began to build a new enemies. Akhenaten valued her so much, that he also allowed her to city, which he called Akhetaten, “Horizon of Aten.” practice the art of priesthood and she too was allowed to make offerings to Aten. Akhenaten’s rule is significant because it marks the first instance of the worship of a single deity. When Akhenaten declared Aten as the Little is known about what happened to Nefertiti at the end of her only god, he created what is considered to be the first monotheistic twelve year reign. Many theories abound, but nothing is known for religion in history. certain, not even the location of her tomb.

After eighteen long years as pharaoh, Akhenaten died. He was so hated as pharaoh that almost everything bearing his name or likeness was destroyed and his temples were demolished. Neither his tomb, nor his mummy, have been found.

Menes: The First King

Menes (c. 3150BCE) is the legendary first king of Egypt who is thought to have united Upper and Lower Egypt through conquest and founded both the First Dynasty and the great city of Memphis. In the early days of Egyptology, Menes was accepted as the first historical king based upon the written records. As time went by, however, and archaeological excavations failed to turn up any evidence of such a king, scholars began to question whether he had actually existed or was, perhaps, a composite figure drawn from the memory of the reigns of other kings.

Prior to Menes, there was conflict between the city states of Upper and Lower Egypt resulting in chaos. Legend says there came the great king who brought order and prosperity. It was understood that chaos could come again, however, and so the king needed to be vigilant and a mighty warrior who could subdue the forces of chaos when the need arose.

Menes came from the city of Hierkanpolis and conquered neighboring cities Thinis and Naqada, before embarking on the campaign to subdue Lower Egypt. Once Egypt was unified and at peace, he instituted religious practices and formalized beliefs. His reign was so prosperous (lasting 62 years) that the Egyptians did not have to work as hard as they used to and developed hobbies such as carving, sculpting, sports, brewing beer, cultivating private gardens and living in luxury.

Legend claims that Menes rode on the back of a crocodile to escape rabid hunting dogs (founding the city of Crocodilopolis), founded the great city of Memphis, and established his capital there. According to Herodotus, Menes built Memphis after constructing a dam on the Nile to divert water away from the chosen site of his city and created his great palace and administrative buildings on land which had been under water (which accounted for the fertility of the surrounding plains). He instituted the practice of sacrificing to the gods and ensured that harmony was observed throughout the land. After a long and prosperous reign, he was carried off (likely killed) by a hippopotamus. It is not surprising that a hippopotamus should feature in Menes’ end. The hippo in Egyptian culture was a fearsome creature who was regularly hunted and killed. Death by hippo was considered among the worst ways to die.