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| Around 5000 BC, farmer villages grew on a narrow fertile land along the Nile Valley, surrounded by desert. In springtime snow from the mountains south of Egypt melted, at this time the whole family helped with harvest. In July the river flooded and no work could be done in the fields. In November the water level fell leaving fertile soil, at this time farmers prepared the land and planted crops. Then, they mended the ditches that carried water to the fields, ready for next year's flood. Egyptians grew peas, beans, onions, garlic, leeks, cucumbers, grapes, melons, pomegranates, figs and dates. They made bread and beer from wheat and barley, and wine from grapes and pomegranates. Tehy also kept cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, geese, ducks and pigeons. |
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| In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt. Some pharaohs were skilled soldiers, and led Egyptians into battle. People came from all over the Empire to the Pharaoh's court, bringing trade goods and rich gifts, which were a kind of tax, called tribute, that all conquered people had to pay. Some foreign rulers sent their daughters to marry the pharaoh, who had many wives. |
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| The pyramids were huge tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs, built during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. The most famous are at Giza. The Great pyramid is 147 mts high and contains over two million stine blocks, it was built for pharaoh Khufu. The second largest pyramid was built for his son Khafre. |
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| Around 3100 BC, there were two kingdoms, lower and upper Egypt. They fought a battle which was won by King Menes of Upper Egypt. Menes built a capital city at Memphis for the united land. |
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| The Old Kingdom lasted between c 2686 BC and 2180 BC, when it ended in famine and civil war. |
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| First Intermediate Period |
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| This period lasted between the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, between 2181 BC and 2055 BC. During this period Egypt was again divided in two competing countries, Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. |
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| The Middle Kingdom lasted between c 2040 BC, when Egypt was re-united, and 1720 BC, when it was invaded by the Hyksos. |
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| Second Intermediate Period |
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| This period lasted between the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the New Kingdom. The Hyksos invaded the eastern Nile Delta (c 1720 BC) and controlled most of Egypt for 150 years. They had horses and chariots, but the Egyptians fought on foot. Eventually the Egyptians learned to fight with chariots and horses and drove them away (c 1570 BC). |
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| Ahmose I was the Egyptian pharaoh who finally expelled the Hyksos from Egypt, after the death of his father and of his brother Kamose, who fought them. He first drove them back to their capital Avaris and laid siege to the city. He left the siege of Avaris in the control of his military commanders so that he was free to placate a rebellion in the Theban region. When Ahmose returned to Avaris he found that negotiations had been taking place between the Hyksos and his military commanders who allowed them to leave Egypt in return for surrendering the city. |
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| The New Kingdom is the period in ancient Egyptian history between 1570 BC and 1070 BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. |
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| Thutmose III or Tuthmosis III |
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| Thutmose III (sometimes read as Tootmosis or Tuthmosis III and meaning Son of Toot) reigned during the 18th dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his aunt, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh. When he reached a suitable age she appointed him to head her armies. After the death of Hatshepsut, Thutmosis III ruled Egypt on his own for thirty years. He led his army to war 17 times. During his reign the Egyptian Empire was at its largest (c 1450 BC). |
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| The Hittites were ancient people inhabiting regions north of Egypt (Anatolia and parts of Syria). The Hittites and other empires from the Middle East started to pay tribute to Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmosis III; the Hittites maintained control of northern Syria. The battle of Qadesh involved the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittite emperor Muwatallis II, it had uncertain results as both kings claimed victory. Muwatallis died shortly after the battle. Some time after this batlle, the new Hittite emperor, Hattusil III, and Ramses II agreed on a peace treaty between the two Empires. This treaty is considered by many as being the first official treaty ever made because it was drawn up in the international diplomatic language of the time called Akkadian. |
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| Ramesses II or Ramses II was also called called Ramesses the Great, he lived to be 96 years old and had many wives, sons and daughters. He fought the Hittites and signed a peace treaty with them, then married a Hittite princess. |
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| Ramesses III or Ramses III |
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| The last Egyptian great emperor, who ruled for 31 years and defended Egypt from raiders known as the Sea People (c 1190 BC). |
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| During the New Kingdom, pharaohs were buried in tombs cut deep into the rock, in the Valley of the Kings. The tombs were filled with treasures the Egyptians thought the pharaohs would need in the Next World. Most tombs were robbed, Tutankhamun's tomb was the only one that escaped. |
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| There were few roads in Egypt because they would have been flooded by the Nile each year. Most travel was by boat along the Nile, also to ports on the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean. |
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| The Egyptians had many gods and goddesses, most linked to animals and shown in images with the head of that animal. Re or Ra, Sun god, sometimes with a head of a hawk. Thoth, god of wisdom, with the head of an ibis. Anubis, god of the dead, with a jackal's head. Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, god of the sky, had a falcon's head. Bast was the cat goddess, Ma'at the goddess of Truth and Justice, Toweret the hippo goddess of pregnant women and babies. The Egyptians built many huge stone temples that contains a statue of the god who "lived" here and was washed, dressed, given food and prayed to by priests. Ordinary people only saw the god when it was taken out on festivals and carried around the town. |
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| Egyptians wrote in pictures or signs, called hieroglyphs. Scribes wrote in special paper called papyrus using ink that was made in solid blocks which were mixed with water. Boys learned to write on pieces of pottery because papyrus was expensive. |
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| Attached to the temple were craft workshops, schools and libraries. People worked there, and boys from rich families went to the temple schools to learn how to read and write and then study history, geography, religion, language, mathematics and medicine. Girls were taught at home by their mothers. |
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| Egyptian houses were made of bricks from a mixture of mud and straw. Most houses had only one or two room but rich people lived in large villas. |
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| Rich people gave large parties with lots of food, drinks, musicians, singers, dancers, jugglers and acrobats. Servants put cones of perfumed fat on the guests' heads which cooled them down and perfumed them as it melted. |
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| The Egyptians had many board games but we don't know how they were played. Children played with balls, spinning tops, dolls and animals made of wood and pottery. |
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| The main sports were hunting and fishing. Noblemen hunted water birds and river animals (hippos and crocodiles). People enjoyed wrestling and other energetic games such as tug-of-war. |
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| The Egyptians had gold mines and used the gold to trade with other lands. Some traders went as far as Punt, on the East coast of Africa, where they bought myrrh trees which were used to make sweet smelling incense. |
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| In 1070, at the end of the reign of Ramesses XI, the New Kingdom ends in civil war and the Egyptian Empire starts its decline. In the following centuries it suffered several invasions, the main ones by Assyrians in 671 BC, by Persians in 525 BC, by Macedonians (Alexander the Great) in 332 BC. After Alexander's death, Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemy family. In 32 BC Egypt went to war with Rome and queen Cleopatra, last Ptolemy ruler killed herself. Egypt became part of the Roman Empire in 30 BC. |
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