HAVE YOU SEEN MY MUMMY!
(Let us hope that is not her.)
Ancient Egypt, to the modern tourist, a land of mummies and pyramids. To the modern thinker, a land of vast science and history. Founded around 3150 B.C. Egypt would become one of the greatest ancient powers to rule on this earth. Although the Egyptians would be conquered in 31 B.C. by the Roman Empire, they would bring many new ideas to a starving world.
"How do you reed this compass" says the Egyptian
All things have a beginning and for Egypt that started in (or around) 3150 B.C.. Egypt was divided into two location at this time. Location one: Upper Egypt. Location two: Lower Egypt. Now this may sound backwards, and it is, but Upper Egypt was not in the North and Lower Egypt was not in the South. Lower Egypt was located in the North, while Upper Egypt was located in the South. Hope this makes some sense because, I know that it is weird. I guess that is what happens when you do not know how to work a compass correctly. ;o) Well in 3100 B.C. King Menes united these two opposites; that would official make them lose their titles of Upper and Lower.
"?-TOK-"
Can you guess what the above writing, "?-TOK-?" stands for? Give up? Good I did not feel like sitting here waiting for a reply. Since I have the answer I will tell you what it is. It stands for...The Old Kingdom. The question marks are only there to make it look like Hieroglyphs.
As with most nations, Egypt would have many things change about it after it's unity. They would usher in such new thing's like a better justice system, architecture, art and technology. During this time Great Pharaohs would rise to power like Djoser and Khufu. Both of these men had one huge thing in common. Can anyone guess? That's right, you guessed it, a pyramid.
The Pyramid of Djoser and The Pyramid of Khufu (AKA Pyramid of Giza):
The Pyramid of Khufu would be the biggest man-made structure for around 3,800 years. Amazing! These things would help to form the Egypt we see in history books and museums today. As with everything, it does not last. Egypt was plagued with many draughts and a bad economic problem lead Egypt into some hard times. Recovery was slow, but Egypt managed to climb out of the mud she fell into.
First (and not the last) Intermediate Period
During this period of Egyptian history, the Hierakonpolis ruled Lower Egypt; while the family of Intef, ruled Upper Egypt. So Egypt was divided into two parts once again; Upper and Lower. The Intef grew mighty and wealthy, so a clash was bound to happen. The Hierakonpolis and the Intef met in Battle around 2055 B.C.. The Hierakonpolis were under the rule of their leader's; the Intef were under the Leadership of Nebhotepre Mentuhotep II (later Pharaoh of all Egypt).
-The Monkey in the "Middle Kingdom"-
(Kind of like the game, monkey in the middle.)
This was a period of forward movement for all of Egypt. We see a rise of art, building projects and literature. The Pharaoh's would rule their kingdom from Thebes for eleven dynasty's, but when Amenemhet I came to power he shifted the capital to Itjtawy located in Faiyum. During this time the Military also regained parts of Nubia. The "Wall's of the Ruler's" was built to protect Egypt's eastern flank.
Egypt was flourishing in arts, wealth, agricultural due in part to their military and political ties. In the Old Kingdom it was believed that only kings, Queens and others of a noble birth would be allowed an after life after death. Now in the Middle Kingdom, it was believed that everyone had an after life. Their view's on life seem to have changed quite often. God word say's in Roman 10:13 that "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.". The Egyptians had it wrong. They thought they could get to Heaven by their good works or by their birth. This is what God say's will get you to Hell.
Amenemhat III (we will call him Amen.III for short) is considered the last great ruler of this period. Amen.III allowed Asian settlers to settle on the Delta region. Amen.III had it in mind to work these people. And so he did. Later these same settlers would become the Hyksos, who would rule Egypt for some time.
-The Rule Of The Hyksos /The Second Intermediate Period-
Around 1650 B.C. the Hyksos came into power. These were the same people that settled in the Delta region when Amenemhat III was Pharaoh. Amenemhat III had a simple plan for these people: work. Pretty simple huh? The Hyksos were of Asian decent, with their name meaning, "rulers of foreign lands".
Eventually the these Asian settlers would rule those who worked them. The name Hyksos means "rulers of foreign lands". Well let me tell you, they would not be foreign lands for long. Around 1650 B.C. the Hyksos kicked the government out of Thebes.Now Pharaoh was forced to pay tribute to these "foreign" rulers. The Hyksos copied a lot of Egyptian ideas for use in basic culture to advanced government. And if you already have not guessed it, they made themselves Pharaohs.
Now the Pharaoh and his government were trapped at Thebes. To the north were the Hyksos; to the south the Kushites who were the allies of the Hyksos. It would take many years along with many Pharaohs to expel the Hyksos out of Egypt.
-Enter The New Kingdom-
As with most nations, Egypt would have many things change about it after it's unity. They would usher in such new thing's like a better justice system, architecture, art and technology. During this time Great Pharaohs would rise to power like Djoser and Khufu. Both of these men had one huge thing in common. Can anyone guess? That's right, you guessed it, a pyramid.
The Pyramid of Djoser and The Pyramid of Khufu (AKA Pyramid of Giza):
The Pyramid of Khufu would be the biggest man-made structure for around 3,800 years. Amazing! These things would help to form the Egypt we see in history books and museums today. As with everything, it does not last. Egypt was plagued with many draughts and a bad economic problem lead Egypt into some hard times. Recovery was slow, but Egypt managed to climb out of the mud she fell into.
First (and not the last) Intermediate Period
During this period of Egyptian history, the Hierakonpolis ruled Lower Egypt; while the family of Intef, ruled Upper Egypt. So Egypt was divided into two parts once again; Upper and Lower. The Intef grew mighty and wealthy, so a clash was bound to happen. The Hierakonpolis and the Intef met in Battle around 2055 B.C.. The Hierakonpolis were under the rule of their leader's; the Intef were under the Leadership of Nebhotepre Mentuhotep II (later Pharaoh of all Egypt).
-The Monkey in the "Middle Kingdom"-
(Kind of like the game, monkey in the middle.)
This was a period of forward movement for all of Egypt. We see a rise of art, building projects and literature. The Pharaoh's would rule their kingdom from Thebes for eleven dynasty's, but when Amenemhet I came to power he shifted the capital to Itjtawy located in Faiyum. During this time the Military also regained parts of Nubia. The "Wall's of the Ruler's" was built to protect Egypt's eastern flank.
Egypt was flourishing in arts, wealth, agricultural due in part to their military and political ties. In the Old Kingdom it was believed that only kings, Queens and others of a noble birth would be allowed an after life after death. Now in the Middle Kingdom, it was believed that everyone had an after life. Their view's on life seem to have changed quite often. God word say's in Roman 10:13 that "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.". The Egyptians had it wrong. They thought they could get to Heaven by their good works or by their birth. This is what God say's will get you to Hell.
Amenemhat III (we will call him Amen.III for short) is considered the last great ruler of this period. Amen.III allowed Asian settlers to settle on the Delta region. Amen.III had it in mind to work these people. And so he did. Later these same settlers would become the Hyksos, who would rule Egypt for some time.
-The Rule Of The Hyksos /The Second Intermediate Period-
Around 1650 B.C. the Hyksos came into power. These were the same people that settled in the Delta region when Amenemhat III was Pharaoh. Amenemhat III had a simple plan for these people: work. Pretty simple huh? The Hyksos were of Asian decent, with their name meaning, "rulers of foreign lands".
Eventually the these Asian settlers would rule those who worked them. The name Hyksos means "rulers of foreign lands". Well let me tell you, they would not be foreign lands for long. Around 1650 B.C. the Hyksos kicked the government out of Thebes.Now Pharaoh was forced to pay tribute to these "foreign" rulers. The Hyksos copied a lot of Egyptian ideas for use in basic culture to advanced government. And if you already have not guessed it, they made themselves Pharaohs.
Now the Pharaoh and his government were trapped at Thebes. To the north were the Hyksos; to the south the Kushites who were the allies of the Hyksos. It would take many years along with many Pharaohs to expel the Hyksos out of Egypt.
-Enter The New Kingdom-
At this era in Egyptian history, we find the one thing we all link to Egypt: magnificent buildings. Yes in this period we find such things as obelisks and other things that would shape Egypt into how we see her today.
Also, we find many famous Pharaohs (say "Famous Pharaohs" 5 times as fast as you can) such as:
Thutmose the I, who supposedly, is one of the first kings to be buried in the "Valley of the Kings".
Hatshepsut, who is considered one of the greater female pharaoh. She was Thutmose the III's aunt/step mother. She placed him as commander of her armies during her reign.
Probably the best would have to be (drum roll please).....Thutmose the III (pictured). He ruled Egypt for close to fifty-four years. Although the first twenty-two were spent as the co-regent to Hatshepsut, his aunt/step mother. He would go on to conquer more land than any Pharaoh before him. Truly a great Egyptian king.
Now this man is the one people think is the Pharaoh mentioned in the Bible, Ramesses the II (aka Ramesses the Great). He was know as a builder Pharaoh because he liked to build; well actually he did not like to build at all, he just like to have others build stuff for him. Now if this is the Pharaoh that the Bible speaks of in the book of Exodus, we can conclude that he was not a builder at all, just a chief taskmaster. A tyrant.
-The Third (and final) Intermediate Period-
This is the period of decline for the Egyptian People. With Smendes taking control of northern Egypt and the Priest taking control of the rest. Now you might be wondering, "Who is Smendes?", well, he was supposedly a Governor in Lower Egypt during the reign of Ramesses the XI (11th). During his time on the thrown the Libyans would come.
Libyans took control of the Delta around 945 B.C.. So Egypt eventually came under Libyan control. They set-up a kingdom that almost lasted two-hundred years. They would lose control when the Kushites, Leontopolis and another rival began to challenge them for this power.
The rest of this period is filled with the constant attacks from the Assyrians. The bottom line: the Kushites were pushed back to were they belonged, the temples at Thebes were looted and Memphis was under Assyrian control.
- It's Too "Late Period"-
In this period we see that the Assyrians did not want to conque Egypt, but rather gave it over to vassals. The first up and the only one I will talk about here is Psamtik I. He would knock the Assyrians back to Assyria (not really back to Assyria, but hey, it sounded good) with the help of some mercenaries from Greece. The Greek culture at this time was slowly walking into Egypt. Which is good because the next to conquer this ancient land is the famous....
-Alexander the Great-
If you ask anybody to name one of the greatest military minds to every grace the earth, they would more and likely say "Alexander the Great.". Now, I am not going to go into detail about him now, (yes you guessed it, future blog post) but he is still considered one of the better Generals to ever live. History will never forget that name.
The Greek conquest of Egypt was not too difficult. They were pretty much welcomed into the country. The only resistance was from the Persian military, but they were nothing for Alexander and his armies of trained veterans.
One of the significant things the Greeks did was build the city of Alexandria. Of course, you guessed it, Alexandria is named after Alexander the Great.
After Alexander the Great's death, Egyptian culture stayed the same; with only a little bit of Greek added to it. Pyramids and other Egyptian building's were still constructed in the same manner.
With the people un-happy with the leaders who were left for them, after Alexander the Great's death, and with more rebellions rising the Greeks were put to the test. One which they could not pass.
Also, we find many famous Pharaohs (say "Famous Pharaohs" 5 times as fast as you can) such as:
Thutmose the I, who supposedly, is one of the first kings to be buried in the "Valley of the Kings".
Hatshepsut, who is considered one of the greater female pharaoh. She was Thutmose the III's aunt/step mother. She placed him as commander of her armies during her reign.
Probably the best would have to be (drum roll please).....Thutmose the III (pictured). He ruled Egypt for close to fifty-four years. Although the first twenty-two were spent as the co-regent to Hatshepsut, his aunt/step mother. He would go on to conquer more land than any Pharaoh before him. Truly a great Egyptian king.
Now this man is the one people think is the Pharaoh mentioned in the Bible, Ramesses the II (aka Ramesses the Great). He was know as a builder Pharaoh because he liked to build; well actually he did not like to build at all, he just like to have others build stuff for him. Now if this is the Pharaoh that the Bible speaks of in the book of Exodus, we can conclude that he was not a builder at all, just a chief taskmaster. A tyrant.
-The Third (and final) Intermediate Period-
This is the period of decline for the Egyptian People. With Smendes taking control of northern Egypt and the Priest taking control of the rest. Now you might be wondering, "Who is Smendes?", well, he was supposedly a Governor in Lower Egypt during the reign of Ramesses the XI (11th). During his time on the thrown the Libyans would come.
Libyans took control of the Delta around 945 B.C.. So Egypt eventually came under Libyan control. They set-up a kingdom that almost lasted two-hundred years. They would lose control when the Kushites, Leontopolis and another rival began to challenge them for this power.
The rest of this period is filled with the constant attacks from the Assyrians. The bottom line: the Kushites were pushed back to were they belonged, the temples at Thebes were looted and Memphis was under Assyrian control.
- It's Too "Late Period"-
In this period we see that the Assyrians did not want to conque Egypt, but rather gave it over to vassals. The first up and the only one I will talk about here is Psamtik I. He would knock the Assyrians back to Assyria (not really back to Assyria, but hey, it sounded good) with the help of some mercenaries from Greece. The Greek culture at this time was slowly walking into Egypt. Which is good because the next to conquer this ancient land is the famous....
-Alexander the Great-
If you ask anybody to name one of the greatest military minds to every grace the earth, they would more and likely say "Alexander the Great.". Now, I am not going to go into detail about him now, (yes you guessed it, future blog post) but he is still considered one of the better Generals to ever live. History will never forget that name.The Greek conquest of Egypt was not too difficult. They were pretty much welcomed into the country. The only resistance was from the Persian military, but they were nothing for Alexander and his armies of trained veterans.
One of the significant things the Greeks did was build the city of Alexandria. Of course, you guessed it, Alexandria is named after Alexander the Great.
After Alexander the Great's death, Egyptian culture stayed the same; with only a little bit of Greek added to it. Pyramids and other Egyptian building's were still constructed in the same manner.
With the people un-happy with the leaders who were left for them, after Alexander the Great's death, and with more rebellions rising the Greeks were put to the test. One which they could not pass.
With this said, we now enter.....
-The Rise Of the Romans. The Fall Of The Egyptians. And Another Turning Page In History.-
The Romans were one of the ancient worlds greatest Empiers. Now what do great Empires need? Correct. You guessed it. FOOD. All people need it and eat it. The Romans had long been getting a good amount of grain from the Egyptians through the years, but then it dawned on, "Why pay for this grain when we could just conquer this people and take as we please?". So that is what they did. In 30 B.C. Egypt became one of the many provinces of Rome following the Battle of Actium.
Although I could talk for days about the Romans, I best not, for I do not wish to bore you with too long of a blog post. I know what you are thinking right now, you already think my post is too long, don't you? Well don't worry I won't write anymore about Egypt. Why? Because I do not wish to write a book, just a "small" post. So for now I bid you a fond farewell.
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