Pharaoh
Viewed as the most powerful person in ancient Egypt, pharaohs served as
the heads of the state and religious leaders of the Egyptian people. These
monarchs held the titles “Lord of the Two Lands” and “High Priest of
Every Temple”.
ETYMOLOGY
* The term “pharaoh” is the Greek form of the Egyptian compound pr 00,
which means “great house”, coined from the two bilateral hieroglyphs pr,
meaning “house”, and 010, meaning “column.”
* The name of the royal residence or palace became correlated with the
king, and as years passed, was used only for the leader of the kingdom.
* It started to be used to address the king in the era of the New Kingdom,
Second Intermediate Period. The earliest recorded use of pr 10 was seen
in a letter to Akhenaten, addressed to “Great House, L, W, H, the Lord.”
* In the Eighteenth Dynasty (10th century BCE), the title pharaoh was used
as a reverential designation of the king.
THE KINGSHIP IS ESTABLISHED
* In 3150 BCE, the First Dynasty in ancient Egypt was ruled by King Menes,
also known as King Narmer.
KIDSKONNECT.COMPharaoh Facts
Based on reports, King Menes wore the two crowns of Egypt to unify
Upper Egypt (the Nile Valley area in the South, whose cities were mainly
urban) and Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta area, which was more
agricultural). His reign was also believed to be in accordance with the will
of the gods.
Because of this unification, the “Upper and Lower Crowns” were merged
into a single crown named “The Double Crown”. _
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King Menes Upper and Lower Crowns and the Double Crown
King Raneb or Nebra of the Second Dynasty associated his name with the
prophecy and his dominion with the will of the gods. Rulers who succeeded
Raneb also followed this kind of kingship.
Osiris was honored by other rulers, who also embraced the crook (kingship
- guidance of the people) and flail (fertility of the land - threshing wheat). It
was believed that these two items were adopted by Osiris from the god
Andjety. Osiris’ son Horus also became a pharaoh, following his father’s
footsteps.
The Cylinders of Pharaoh and the Rods of Horus, used to channel spiritual
and intellectual energy, are the objects visible in the hands of Egyptian
rulers’ statues.
As the most powerful monarch in ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was treated
as a god on earth, a mediator between the gods and the people. Upon
stepping on the throne, the pharaoh is linked to Horus, the god who
brought back order after conquering the forces of evil. After his death, he
would be connected with Osiris, god of the dead.
As “High Priest of Every Temple”, it was the pharaoh’s duty to construct
new temples and monuments to commemorate his victories and to pay
devotion and honor the gods of the land who allowed him to rule the
kingdom. He was also made to preside over rituals and other religig
ceremonies. KIDSKONNECT.COMPharaoh Facts
* As “Lord of the Two Lands”, the pharaoh served as a lawmaker, owner of
all the lands in Egypt, tax collector, and defender of the country against
any attacks from other rulers.
* Most pharaohs were the sons or declared heirs of the previous rulers,
born of the Great Wife (pharaoh’s chief consort), or sometimes a wife of
lower rank whom the pharaoh had laid his eyes on. It was also a practice
to let these kings marry female monarchs to set the legitimacy of their
kingdom by associating it to the upper class of Egypt’s capital, Memphis.
* King Narmer, considered to be the first king of Egypt, started this marriage
tradition as he made Memphis his capital and married princess Neithhotep
of Naqada to secure his kingship and bridge Memphis to his wife’s city
and to his home city of Thinis.
* To continue the practice and to keep the bloodline absolute, a number of
pharaohs married their sisters or half-sisters; Pharaoh Akhenaten wedded
his own daughters.
THE PHARAOH AND MA’AT
* It was the main responsibility of the pharaoh
to monitor the ma’at across the land. Ma’at,
an ancient goddess of truth, justice,
harmony, and balance, guided the pharaoh’s
decisions and actions in ruling his land.
* Warfare was an important feature of the
pharaoh’s rule, especially for the
rehabilitation of balance and harmony in
Egypt. If he won the battle, the conquered
people had to bend their knees for the
Egyptian ruler and offer him the finest and
Ma'at most treasured goods from their land.
PHARAOHS AND THE PYRAMIDS
* King Djoser of the Third Dynasty authorized
enough wealth, power, and possessions to build
his eternal home, the Step Pyramid. Designed
by Imhotep, this iconic tourist attraction was the
—— tallest structure of its time.
Step Pyramid KIDSKONNECT.COMPharaoh Facts
* It was initially constructed as Djoser’s ultimate resting place but the
grandeur of the surrounding complex and its immense height were made
to honor not only the pharaoh, but also the prosperity of all the lands of
Egypt under his kingship.
* King Sekhemkhet and Khaba constructed the Buried Pyramid and the
Layer Pyramid, following Imhotep’s design.
Buried Pyramid Layer Pyramid
After losing the battle, the Middle Kingdom in 1782 BCE was put into the
hands of Semitic people known as the Hyksos. However, these rulers
imitated all the practices of Egyptian pharaohs and preserved all their
customs until their kingdom was conquered by the royal line of the
Egyptian 18th dynasty.
King Ramesses the Great and Amenhotep III were two of the most famous
pharaohs of this period.
The 18th dynasty rulers also controlled the resources of some areas in
Mesopotamia, Levant, Libya, and the Nubian Kingdom of Kush. King
Ahmose | overthrew the Hyksos and created buffer zones around the
borders of Egypt, guarded by Egyptian administrators who would report to
the pharaoh, thus preventing other invasions.
Queen Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty ruled successfully as a female
pharaoh for over 20 years. Egypt flourished during her rule; she renewed
trade with the Land of Punt and strengthened trade expeditions which
caused Egypt’s economy to prosper.
King Thutmose II] succeeded her, removing her image from all of her
temples and monuments. He believed that only men should be a pharaoh,
never women. It seems King Thutmose Ill feared Hatshepsut’s example
might encourage other women to step up and disregard their roles in the
sacred order and aim for the power the gods had allotted for men.
KIDSKONNECT.COMPharaoh Facts
* After the rule of King Ramesses Ill, the power of the pharaoh started to fall
apart when the Sea People (naval raiders) invaded Egypt. Egypt won the
battle, but many lives were lost and the economy was damaged.
The power of the pharaoh greatly diminished after Egypt’s loss over the
Persians at the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE.
By the time of Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty,
the title no longer had the prestige it once had. After her death, Egypt
turned into a province of Rome, thus erasing the glory of the pharaohs.
KIDSKONNECT.COMWho’s Who?
The name pharaoh comes from a word meaning “great
house”, describing a palace or kingdom. Identify who is
being described in each box below.
This pharaoh was famous for saying there was
only one god - the sun god. He ruled with his
wife, Nefertiti, and was King Tut’s father.
He ruled at the age of 9 and is famous because
much of his tomb remained intact and we have
one of the greatest treasures from his reign.
She was originally regent for her son, but took
on the power of pharaoh. She dressed like a
pharaoh to reinforce her power.
He ruled for 39 years of great prosperity. He
brought Egypt to its peak of power, enlarged
many cities, and constructed temples.
He ruled Egypt for 67 years. He is famous today
because he built more statues and monuments
than any other pharaoh.
She is often considered as the last pharaoh of
Egypt. She maintained power by making
alliances with famous Romans.
He was the first pharaoh of Egypt. He united
both upper and lower Egypt into a single
country.
This pharaoh built the largest pyramid.
PHARAOH WORKSHEETSWho’s Who?
ANSWER KEY
This pharaoh was famous for saying there was
Akhenaten only one god - the sun god. He ruled with his
wife, Nefertiti, and was King Tut’s father.
He ruled at the age of 9 and is famous because
much of his tomb remained intact and we have
one of the greatest treasures from his reign.
Tutankhamun
She was originally regent for her son, but took
Hatshepsut on the power of pharaoh. She dressed like a
pharaoh to reinforce her power.
He ruled for 39 years of great prosperity. He
Amenhotep III brought Egypt to its peak of power, enlarged
many cities, and constructed temples.
He ruled Egypt for 67 years. He is famous today
because he built more statues and monuments
than any other pharaoh.
Ramesses II
She is often considered as the last pharaoh of
Egypt. She maintained power by making
alliances with famous Romans.
Cleopatra Vill
He was the first pharaoh of Egypt. He united
both upper and lower Egypt into a single
country.
Menes / Narmer
This pharaoh built the largest pyramid.
PHARAOH WORKSHEETS