Ancient Egypt The Egyptian Empire Chapter 2 Section 3

The Middle Kingdom Golden age of peace, prosperity, & advances in art & architecture. A new dynasty moved their capital to Thebes. They restored order & stability.

More Land… During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt took control of more land. Conquered people had to send tribute to the Egyptian pharaoh. Pharaoh’s added more waterways & dams in Egypt. They increased the amount of land being farmed.

The Arts… During the Middle Kingdom, arts and literature thrived. A new form of architecture was also created. Instead of building pyramids, pharaoh had their tombs cut into cliffs.

The Hyksos The Middle Kingdom ended in 1670 B.C. Egypt faced a serious threat from outside. A group known as the Hyksos, from western Asia, attacked Egypt. The Hyksos ruled Egypt for about 150 years. In 1550 B.C., an Egyptian prince led a rebellion & drove the Hyksos out of Egypt.

The New Kingdom During the New Kingdom, Egypt acquired new territory & reached the height of its power. At about 1480 B.C., the first woman came to rule Egypt. Hatshepsut became the new ruler of Egypt.

Hatshepsut More interested in trade than conquest. During her reign, Egyptian sailed along the east coast of Africa. These trade journeys brought even greater wealth to Egypt. When she died, her nephew came into power.

Hatshepsut

Thutmose III Under his authority, Egypt began aggressive wars of conquest. Egypt now controlled more territory than ever before. His empire grew rich from trade & tribute. Slavery became widespread.

Akhenaton Born as Amenhotep. Tried to change Egypt’s religion to worship only one god. He was so devoted to his new religion, he neglected his duties as pharaoh. As a result, Egypt lost most of its lands in western Asia. Aton

The Boy King When Akhenaton died, his son-in-law inherited the throne. At the time he was only 10 years old. After ruling for only 9 years, King Tutankhamen (Tut) died unexpectedly. He played only a small role in Egypt’s history, so why is he so popular?

King Tut Tomb discovered by Howard Carter in This discovery gave great insight into the burial traditions of the Egyptians. After much speculation and study scientists have decided Tut died from complications of a broken leg.

King Tut’s reconstructed face.

Ramses II Reigned for 66 yrs. During this time, Egyptian armies rebuilt the empire & launched new building programs. New temples were built. Most Egyptians used them to store valuable items.

Peace Ramses fought a war against the Hittite king Muwwitallah This lead to the first recorded peace treaty.

Egypt’s Decline & Fall After Ramses II, Egypt’s power began to fade. Groups from the Mediterranean attacked Egypt by sea. By 1150 B.C., the Egyptians lost their empire & controlled only the Nile Delta.

Conquerors Assyrians (670 B.C.) Persians (525 B.C.) Alexander the Great (332 B.C.) –Ptolemy Nubia –Meroë