The Pharaohs

Name Ancient Egypt

A Pharaoh was the political and religious leader of ancient Egypt. Similar to a king, he owned all the land, made the laws, levied and collected taxes, and was responsible for the country’s defense.

Though we refer to the kings of Egypt as pharaohs, the word is actually Greek, and was used by the Greeks and Hebrews in reference to Egyptian Kings. The ancient Egyptians themselves did not use the word pharaoh. For Egyptians, a pharaoh generally held two titles: Lord of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) and High Priest of Every Temple.

Ancient Egyptians believed that their pharaoh was an incarnation of the god Horus, son of Ra, the sun god. When a pharaoh died, they believed that he became a part of the sun, and Horus reappeared to rule in the form of a new pharaoh.

The first pharaoh of Egypt was Narmer (sometimes known as Menes). Menes became pharaoh around 3100 B.C. by conquering Lower Egypt and uniting it with Upper Egypt. The first capital of Egypt, called Memphis, was founded where Upper and Lower Egypt met. His reign marked the beginning of the Old Kingdom, and the beginning of the culture that we know as ancient Egypt.

During the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2628 to 1638 B.C.) pharaohs were buried in pyramids when they died. The pyramids were built at the edge of the desert, to the west of Memphis. During the New Kingdom (1504 to 1069 B.C.) pharaohs were buried in tunnel tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes.

Most pharaohs were men, but the pharaoh could also be a woman. The two best known female pharaohs were Cleopatra and Nefertiti.