Pharaohs and Kings

 

Egypt was ruled by a series of kings. In ancient times, they did not call themselves pharaohs; this was a name that the Greeks gave to them when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt.

 

The land of Egypt began as a loosely associated group of tribes, marauding nomads who moved from one place to the next with the changing seasons. During the Naqada period, leaders rose to become kings, ruling both domains of Egypt, Upper and Lower.

 

Pharaohs (originally from the Egyptian word "per-w" meaning "house," which was misinterpreted by the incoming Greeks) were the supreme kings of Egypt.  They were said to embody the power of the gods on earth. The people of Egypt believed the pharaohs had been placed in power to keep the universe in line. Because the gods themselves could not rule the earth, the pharaohs were the next best choice.

 

Dynasties were families who held power for a long period of time. When one pharaoh in a dynasty died, the next pharaoh would have been his closest family member, preferably a son or brother. There were exceptions, such as when the next in line was very young, so his mother or sister would make decisions for the kingdom while he grew up. When a family was overthrown and could not rule any longer, a new dynasty formed. Most of the dynasties throughout Egyptian history were from Egypt, but there were many periods of occupation when the kingdom was controlled by another country, such as Assyria or Greece.

 

Hierakonpolis was the first major city in Egypt. Its name meant “City of the Hawk.” (write about development of major cities) Around the time this city was growing, settlements were being established all over the Nile River Valley. Naqada and Abydos were also important cities, but Hierakonpolis is believed to have been the political center of Egypt in its early years.

King Narmer united the two domains of Egypt into one and declared himself the first Pharaoh. This was a pivotal moment in Egyptian history as it had never before been one single country. The unification of Egypt was symbolized by the new crown worn by its pharaoh: the double crown of Egypt, with white representing Upper Egypt and red representing Lower Egypt.

 

Djoser (pronounced Zoser) was the first important pharaoh after Narmer. He commissioned the first pyramid to be his tomb, and hired the architect Imhotep to design it. The tomb started out as a flat mastaba, a single-level tomb. But he wanted it to be more amazing than any other tomb at the time. So he asked Imhotep to build another level – but still, that was not enough. Djoser added several more levels before he was finally satisfied with the work. Djoser’s step pyramid has a very stacked look, like a staircase.

 Egyptian rulers became very concerned about the afterlife at this point. Building tombs to prepare for their eventual death became one of the most important tasks during their lifetimes. The next pharaoh after Djoser built a pyramid of his own. This time he improved the design, trying to build a smooth slope for the walls. It still did not turn out quite right, so Sneferu’s pyramid is called the Bent Pyramid.

 

The pyramids were an iconic symbol of Egyptian power. When the Great Pyramids at Giza were built, there was nothing like them in the ancient world. The Mesopotamians had their ziggurats, which were enormous step pyramids, but no country had built such marvelous pyramids as those in Egypt. It was an incredible innovation for the ancient world.

Just as the pyramids were built to honor pharaohs and kings, great temples were built to honor the gods. These were not just for worshipping the gods, though – temples were also major centers for business and administration, or running the government. They worked a lot like an Egyptian household, with many servants to help the priests and priestesses, who themselves were “servants” to the gods. Temples were a very impressive achievement for pharaohs as well.