Pharaohs of Egypt

Pharaohs were the kings of Egypt.The word “Pharaoh” was used by the Greeks and

Hebrews.

The word means “great house/palace”Carried the crook (hook) and flail (three stranded rod) –

symbols of kingshipCrook – represented care, shepherdingFlail – represented justice, punishment

Responsibility Of Pharaohs• The Pharaoh ruled with absolute

power.• He was seen as being Horus here on

earth (in death he became Osiris)• Everything belonged to him – land,

people, possessions• Despite absolute power the Pharaoh

was expected to rule according to the principles of Ma’at.

• Ma’at was the goddess and symbol of the equilibrium of the universe.

• Any King that attempted to radically change society would be seen as destroying the equilibrium that was so important to Egyptian tradition.

Pyramid of Power

Vizier• The vizier was the Pharaoh’s most trusted advisor –

second most powerful• Did the “day to day” running of Egypt• This was Joseph’s position!!!

Genesis 41:41-43, "So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, 'Make way!' Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt

Succession• To keep the pure line of succession, a Pharaoh

passed on the throne to the eldest son born of the Principal Queen, or Great Royal Wife.

• The king's chief wife was also a relative of the king, which meant that the successor was of pure, royal blood and more fit to succeed than those sons of the king's lesser wives.

• Pharaoh’s were able to have more than one wife – due to high number of miscarriages, stillbirths, etc (of course, this was due to incest……)

Khufu

• Khufu lived from 2589-2566 B.C.E• He reigned for around 24 years.• Khufu is most remembered for building Great

Pyramid of Giza.• The pyramid originally stood 481 feet tall.• Khufu left behind the legacy of the Great Pyramid

and even today it’s still a mystery to how it was built.

Hatshepsut: A King….or a Queen?

• There were female Pharaohs, though it wasn’t common

• Egypt allowed women a certain amount of independence

• Hatshepsut was a well-known one – ruled when her husband/half-brother died– Often portrayed with a “chin wig”- not sure if

she wore one or if the drawings or just symbolic

• Tutmohsis attempted to “eradicate” her from history– Destroyed her monuments, statues– Scratched out her name– Was thought he was destroying her from both

history and the afterlife

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sE9E9jATRM

Tutankhamen • King Tutankhamen came to the

throne at a very young age.• When his father died, he became

King at age 9 or10.• King Tutankhamen helped restore

Egypt's old beliefs from when his father tried to make Egypt a monotheism society.

• He died suddenly at the young age of 19

• Since his tomb had not yet been made, he was laid in a tomb of a member of the nobility in the Valley of the Kings (NOT a pyramid).

Tutankhamen continued…

• Tutankhamun – like most pharaohs- was born of incest (His father marrying a half-sister)

• As a result, he had many physical defects like a partial cleft palate and a degenerative bone condition.

• He also had malaria and had a broken leg which required that he walk with a cane.

• He married his half-sister and together they had two still-born daughters.

• He died at age 19, likely from a combination of malaria, his broken leg and his overall sickly condition.

Tut’s Burial- He was buried in a 4-chambered tomb with his possessions, amusements, food and his two still-born daughters. The tomb construction (like a noble’s tomb rather than a pharoah’s) and the wall painting (just where the mummy lay rather than all the rooms like most pharoahs) suggests that the tomb was hurriedly prepared for Tutankhamun.

The AntechamberThe antechamber contained 700 objects including 4 chariots, 3 funeral beds, statues and animals.

The Burial Chamber 3The innermost coffin used 110.4 kg of pure gold, valued today at 5.9 million just as scrap gold not even considering its artistic value.

The annex contained 2000 items like oils, ointments, scents, food and wine for life in the hereafter.

The Annex

The treasury contained 5,000 objects which amount to 50 billion dollars in today’s prices. The Canopic chest held the jars with Tutankhamun’s preserved internal organs.

The Treasury

Many of the objects found in the treasury were used in Tutankhamun’s funeral. Found here were two chariots, a statue of anubis, model boats, Tutankhamun’s canopic chest and the mummies of Tutankhamun’s children who died prematurely.

The Treasury (Continued)

Discovery of Tutankamun’s TombEnglishmen Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon were avid enthusiasts of ancient Egypt. In 1922, they uncovered a staircase leading down to a passage. Careful search of the passage revealed a secret door into the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Tomb robbers had broken into Tutankhamun’s tomb at least twice, looting mostly jewelry which left many treasures to be discovered. To get into the burial chamber, Carter broke through the south wall of the chamber. Over a period of 8 years, Carter carefully photographed and recorded each item and sent them to the Antiquities Museum in Cairo, Egypt.

Tomb Mostly Undisturbed

End of the Pharaohs

• The last kings of Egypt were actually Greek• Egypt had been conquered by Alexander the

Great• The Greek Ptolemy family ruled – Cleopatra

was the last of the Ptolemy rules and the last of the Pharaohs