Honors World History Unit 1 Part B

The Egyptians

•Kemet (Black Land) of the Nile River Valley
•5000 BC, nomads began settling along the Nile
•Farming villages that grew wheat and barley
•Series of tribal kingdoms develop

•Early Egypt divided into north and south
•Lower Egypt in the north where Nile empties into Mediterranean
•Upper Egypt in the south bordering Ethiopia
•Narmer (Menes), king of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt around 3000 BC w/capital at Memphis

•Old Kingdom collapsed due to infighting of nobles
•First Dark Ages from 2200 BC to 2050 BC
•New Dynasty seized power in 2050 BC to establish the Middle Kingdom with capital at Thebes
•Expansion of territory into Nubia (Sudan) and Syria

•Around 1700 BC, invaders from southwest Asia attacked Egypt, beginning the Second Dark Ages
•Hyksos conquered Egypt with bronze weapons and horse drawn chariots (Egyptians fought on foot with copper and stone weapons)
•Around 1600 BC, Ahmose led the revolt against Hyksos rule and drove them out

•Ahmose was the first ruler of the New Kingdom, first to use the title pharaoh (great house of the king)
•Ahmose rebuilt Egypt to even greater glory

•Around 1480 BC, Hatshepsut came to power when her husband Thutmose II (her half brother) died.
•Her stepson (born to Thutmose II and a harem girl) was too young to rule
•She became Regent of Egypt

•About 7 years into her regency, she proclaimed herself pharaoh and wore men’s clothing and the false beard
•Why? Now believe there were several coup attempts against her and her stepson
•Had to take on the persona of a male pharaoh to gain legitimacy and acceptance

•Thutmose III became pharaoh upon her death
•Unlike his stepmother, focused on military and conquest
•Conquered northern Mesopotamia and parts of central Africa
•Huge wealth came into Egypt from conquered areas

•After Thutmose III died, series of weak pharaohs brought about decline
•Saved from destruction by Ramses II who fought off Hittite invasion at the Battle of Kadesh
•Treaty signed between two nations calling for truce and alliance

•After Ramses II died in 1237 BC, Egypt began to decline and later destroyed by Seafaring raiders from the Mediterranean
•Finally conquered by Libyans from the west and Kushites from the south