Middle and New Kingdoms

Middle and New Kingdoms

by David Jenkins

​Big Idea

• ​The Egyptians empire continued to advance technologically, militarily, and socially as time went on.

• ​Why it matters now: Egypts culture continues to be popular in movies, tv shows, music, and and people around the world.

​The Middle Kingdom

​●At the end of the Old Kingdom, the wealth and power of pharaohs declined

○Building and maintaining pyramids cost a lot of money and egypt was having a problem collecting taxes

■Nobles also created a problem because they were using their government positions to take power from the pharaoh

■In time the nobles had enough power to challenge the pharaoh

●By 2200 BC, the Old Kingdom fell and for the next 160 years nobles fought among each other for power

○There was no central ruler in Egypt during this time

■Chaos within Egypt disrupted trade with foreign lands and caused farming to decline

■The people faced in Egypt faced economic hardship and famine

​The Middle Kingdom

​○Around 2050 BC, a powerful pharaoh named Memtuotep II defeated his rivals and began the Middle Kingdom

Middle Kingdom: the period of Egyptian history from about 2050 to 1750 BC and marked by order and stability

●Toward the end of the middle kingdom there was more internal chaos

○The pharaoh was not able to keep the kingdom together and invaders from Southeast Asia invaded Egypt

■The invaders were called Hyksos used horses, chariots and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt

○The Egyptians did not like being ruled by foreigners and resented paying taxes to that government.

Open Ended

Egyptians had to fight back against the (blank) to retake Egypt.

​The New Kingdom

​New Kingdom: the period from about 1550 to 1050 BC in Egyptian history when Egypt reached the height of its power and glory

●Ahmose’s rise to power marked the beginning of the 18th Dynasty and more importantly the beginning of the New Kingdom

○To keep Egypt protected from invaders Ahmose's took control of all invasion routes into the kingdom.

○The Egyptians wanted to take revenge on the Hyksos so they took over their territory and made it a trading post

■The egyptians also took the time to conquer Nubia and other territories to create a military superpower

○Military conquest made Egypt rich and is going to help Egypt further their expansion

■Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite kings sent expensive gifts to keep the peace with Egypt

Trade Routes: a path followed by traders

Open Ended

Define New Kingdom

​The New Kingdom

​●Growth and its Effects on Trade

○As egypt conquered more land the are expanding their trade networks into distant lands

■The access to more food and other resources make the expansion of egypt possible

○Queen Hatshepsut wanted to continue to expand

■She sent traders south to the Red Sea and north to Asia Minor and Greece 

■Hatshepsut and later pharaohs used the wealth to support the arts and architecture

●Invasion of Egypt

○Even though the Egyptian army was strong they were challenged by other civilizations

■In 1200s BC Ramses the Great rose to power and fought the Hittites in Asia Minor

■A peace treaty was created by the two groups and an alliance was formed

○Soon after Ramses’s death another major invasion happened but the Egyptians were able to fight them off

■Egypt survived but due to the fighting, the empire in Asia Minor was gone.

Multiple Choice

Use the map on the last slide. What item is not in Egypt (the purple area) for them to trade.

• silvers

• minerals

• gold

• grain

​Work and Daily Life

​●Although Egyptian dynasties rose and fell but daily life in egypt did not change

○The society was very complex but everyone had a specific job

■While government officials and priests were important to society they were not the only important people

●Scribes

○Worked for the government officials and in the temples to keep records of events.

■Records could include religious works, accounts and literacy text

■Scribes did not pay taxes so they became wealthy

●Artisans, Artists and Architects

○Social scale were artisans whose jobs required advanced skills

■Among the artisans were sculptors, builders, carpenters, jewelers, metal workers and leather workers

○Artisans worked for the government and the temples

​■They made statues, furniture, jewelry, pottery, footwear and other

○Architects and artist were also important to Egyptian society

■The Architects were in charge of designing and building the temples while the artists were in charge of decorating the temples to please the gods.

●Soldiers

○After the Middle Kingdom, a professional army was created

■The military offered a rise in social status

■Soldiers received land as payment and could keep any treasure that were won during battle.

●Farmers and other Peasants

○Farmers and peasants were on the bottom of the social scale but they also made up the largest part of the population

■The farmers had to give their crops to the pharaoh as a form of taxes

■Peasants were responsible for building the pyramids, mining gold and fighting in wars

●Slaves

○Slaves worked the farms, on building projects and in the households.

■Slaves had some legal rights and could earn their freedom

Open Ended

What is one job you would want to have in ancient Egypt? What is one job you do not want to have?