THE+THREE+KINGDOMS+7


 * __[|extra info about egypt itself] THE THREE KINGDOMS__**

__The Old Kingdom:__ The Old Kingdom spanned four dynasties, Dynasties 3-6. The Old Kingdom's pharaohs were thought of as a living Horus, the falcon-headed god. They reigned from the capital city, Memphis (no, not the one in Tennessee). The pharaohs traded with Nubia, and the two nations were peaceful towards each other. The empire had people who went up to the Mediterranean to gather materials to sell, like wood, so they could build boats, houses, etc. The kingdom consisted of different nomes, or provinces, and was ruled by a local governor, whom the king had control over. This could ensure that all of Egypt could be managed, instead of having the king be able to manage some areas, but not be able to maintain control over the rest of the empire. The king also had two chatys, or prime ministers, who were the advisors and chief admin. people for the king. One chaty represented Upper Egypt, while the other represented Lower Egypt. Scribes were a very important part of the Old Kingdom, since at that time, most citizens could not read or write. Most of the Old Kingdom's income revolved around the flooding of the Nile every year. Too little water, and the crops wouldn't grow. Too much water, and the crops would be washed away in the massive floods. During the 4th Dynasty, the famous Great Pyramid at Giza and the also well-known Sphinx were constructed. The Old Kingdom fell apart after many years of bad weather doomed the floods, and the crop production, thus resulting in a famine. The governors of the provinces began to question the pharaoh's power, and their untiy tumbled. Overall, the Old Kingdom was best remembered for its great government.

__The Middle Kingdom__:      The Middle Kingdom encompassed the end of Dynasty 11, Dynasty 12, and Dynasty 13. It was very long, and just Dynasty 12 lasted 212 years. Two of the pharaohs, Senusret I and Amenemhat III, had terms of around 45 years! Amenemhat I was the first pharaoh of Dynasty 12. He led war campaigns to make sure that Egypt had immediate access to gold. In the beginning of the Middle Kingdom, there were rebellions against the pharaoh, since people were used to living in independent provinces. It could be true that Amenemhat I himself was murdered because of this. The other first rulers made sure that order was restored, & made the empire whole again. They were pretty peaceful. Instead of wars, they used Egypt's great wealth during that period to build houses and roads. The capital was no longer Memphis; it was now a city about 20 miles to the south, called Itjtawy, which meant "Seizer of the two lands". Pretty much every dead pharaoh in the Middle Kingdom was laid to rest in a pyramid. Many forts were built to guard the empire from invaders.During this period, Egypt began exploiting their resources, like farming and gold. Egypt became very rich. Unfortunately, then, they had worse phraohs come into power, and these weak rulers pulled the nation down.

__The New Kingdom:__ The New Kingdom is the third kingdom we are going to tell you about.The New Kingdom contained Dynasties 18-20. The pharaohs in the beginning of the New Kingdom wanted to have a gigantic nation, so they had wars, unlike their peaceful ancestors. Armor and swords made of bronze helped the Egyptians become a great force to be reckoned with. The empire expanded into Syria, and even reached the Euphrates river! King Tut became pharaoh during this period. The female pharaoh Queen Hapshetsut came into power during this period.Also, Akenhaten was pharaoh during this kingdom. He dumped a bunch of Egypt's gods, and worshipped the sun disk, Aten. Originally, his name was Amenhotep IV, but he changed it when he found out about Aten, and decided to worship it. During Akenhaten's reign, the Hittites conquered Syria, and Egypt's capital became Amarna. Now, Akenhaten is thought to possibly Tutankhamen's dad! Rameses II came in and took Syria back. After Rameses III, the New Kingdom declined. He was the last pharaoh to mantain a powerful kingdom. [|THE THREE KINGDOMS.mht] To view this power point:click the link then in the lower right corner click slide show. http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/EGYPT/MIDDLE.HTM http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/history/periods/middle_kingdom.html http://www.friesian.com/notes/newking.htm Works Cited Hooker, Richard. "The Middle Kingdom 2040-1640 BC." __Http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/EGYPT/MIDDLE.HTM//__. 1996. Washington State University. 14 Jan. 2009 . // "Middle Kingdom (2125-1560 BCE)." __Http:__ //www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/history/periods/middle_kingdom.html. Minnesota State University Mankato. 14 Jan. 2009 . __ Prentice Hall Social Studies __. Pearson Success. Ross, Ph.D., Kelly L. "The New Kingdom of Egypt." __Http://www.friesian.com/notes/newking.htm//__. 199, 2000,2002,2003. 14 Jan. 2009 . // Staples, Jason A. "Old Kingdom." In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds. //Encyclopedia of World History: The Ancient World, Prehistoric Eras to 600 CE //, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. //Ancient and Medieval History Online //. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=WHI277&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 2009).// Burns, John Barclay. "Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt." In Ackermann, Marsha E., Michael Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters, eds. Encyclopedia of World History: The Ancient World, Prehistoric Eras to 600 CE , vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE49&iPin=WHI248&SingleRecord=True (accessed January 2009).
 * __Links:__ Introduction: The New Kingdom **