Pharaohs Unify EgyptLevel A
What is a dynasty? How did ancient Egyptians choose rulers?
Egypt’s firstcivilizationswere small villages scattered along theNile River. During those early days, Egypt was not united. In the ruins of ancient Egypt’s early towns, scenes painted on walls show bloody battles. This suggests that wars were commonplace among theEgyptians. Over time the people formed two kingdoms—Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
Around 3100 BCE, the two kingdoms became one. It is believed thatMenes, king of Upper Egypt, led his forces into Lower Egypt and seized control.Menessucceeded in bringing together all the people living along the Nile into one nation and so became Egypt’s firstpharaoh, or ruler.Egyptiansbelieved thatMenesand thepharaohsthat followed him were not just kings, but gods on Earth. It is believed that as a good will gesture King Menes wore a “United Crown” to signify the relationship between the two kingdoms under his control.
Why do you think wearing a United Crown would show the people that he was King of both of the Kingdoms?
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At least that is one version of the story. When you are talking about something that happened 5,000 years ago, there is a chance some of the information may have been lost. Some historians believeMenesis a myth—that he didn’t exist at all—and that several kings helped unite Egypt. Others believe that drawings andhieroglyphicsfrom that period showMenesruling Egypt for 62 years until he was killed by a hippopotamus. These historians argue thatMenesfounded Egypt’s very firstdynasty, or series of rulers from the same family.
Definition of dynasty:
Rulers in manycivilizationspassed leadership from one generation to the next inside the same family. Sometimes, these transitions went smoothly, with the ruler’s son—or sometimes daughter—assuming control after the ruler’s death. In other cases, disagreements over succession led to bloody battles as families and outside forces fought to determine who would be the next ruler.
For 3,000 years after Egypt’s unification,pharaohsfrom at least 31 different dynasties ruled Egypt. Thepharaohsand their families had immense power over Egyptian society.
Egypt’s Kingdoms
How do historians organize Egypt’s history?
Think about the oldest person you know and all of the changes he or she has lived through. Chances are that this person is less than 100 years old. Now imagine trying to keep track of 3,000 years of history!
Historians today use Egypt’s many dynasties as a convenient way to divide up its long timeline. They group these dynasties into three main time periods: theOld Kingdom, theMiddle Kingdom, and theNew Kingdom.
The time before theOld Kingdomis known as the Early Dynastic Period. During this time, Egypt’s culture was beginning to form, butEgyptianshad not yet built large cities. Between each major era were Intermediate Periods. These periods were times of change and conflict when no one central power ruled over all of Egypt.
Each of these periods had powerfulpharaohswho influenced the history of Egypt and the world.