middle and new kingdoms
TRANSCRIPT
The Middle and New Kingdoms
Social Studies for 8th E.G.B. | Teacher: Mauricio Torres
By 220 BC, the Pharaoh’s power declined along with it’s
wealth. Their monumental projects required a lot of money and money was scarce.
Greedy nobles attempted to seize power for themselves for 160 years. The kingdom had no central ruler and famine struck the land.
Middle Kingdom: Chaos
Around 2050 BC a powerful
pharaoh named Mentuhotep II defeated his rivals, uniting all of Egypt once again.
This period lasted until 1750 BC, because his successors could not hold Egypt together.
Also, an invasion of Asian people called Hyksos disrupted the peace.
Mentuhotep II
The Hyksos conquered Egypt by using bronze weapons and battle chariots. They had Semitic background (coming from Canaan, in modern day Israel). They ruled Egypt for 200 years. The Egyptians resented paying tribute to them decided to expel them. Ahmose
of Thebes drove them out and declared himself king of Egypt.
The Hyksos
During this period, Egypt
reached the height of it’s power. It lasted from 1550 BC to 1050 BC.
Conquest and trade brought tremendous wealth to the pharaohs.
The New Kingdom
Fearing future invasions, the
Egyptians sought to block all the “entrances” into the kingdom. The conquered the homeland of the
Hyksos and then moved north to Syria.
The Egyptians took over the southern kingdom of Kush.
These conquests made the Empire rich.
Also, thanks to their power, other kingdoms (Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittites) sent gifts to the pharaohs to maintain good relations with them.
Building an Empire
With an extended empire, traders
could contact far away people. Trade routes, or paths followed
by traders, developed. Those new lands also had
valuable resources. Queen Hatshepsut sent traders
as far as Punt to the south and Greece to the north. She left a legacy of support of the
arts and architecture. Her most important monument is located near the city of Thebes.
Growth and Trade
Event though it was a powerful
nation, it didn’t go unchallenged. In the 1200s BC, Ramses II also
known as The Great, came to power. His reign was one of the longest of
Egypt. Ramses spent a lot of time fighting
the Hittites, both armies fighting fiercely. Battle of Kadesh: 6000 battle
chariots involved. Neither side won, and they
eventually signed a truce and became allies.
Invasions
Ramses also fought against
other invaders like the Tehenu from the west.
After he died, some people known as The Sea People invaded Egypt. They had crushed the Hittites!
They turned all the invasions back, but they were weakened and never regained full power again.
Invasions
Identify:
Where were the Hyksos from? Who was Hatshepsut?
Analyze: What were two reasons why the pharaohs’ power declined at
the end of the Old Kingdom? What weakened the New Kingdom?
Evaluate: What may the Hyksos’ success indicate about Egypt’s level of
technological advance? Judge:
Why do you think Egyptian leaders wanted to control all of the eastern Mediterranean shore?
Ask Yourselves
At home, read the biography of
queen Hatshepsut (page 97) and Ramses’ (page 101).
1. In a paragraph (5 typed lines at least): Try to identify important facts
of their lives. Compare them.
2. When you are done, imagine you are one of them (choose one) and answer the following question: What was the biggest
challenge you faced as a ruler?
Homework