Ancient Egypt

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Ancient Egypt

• Government

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? Essential Questions ?

• What were the responsibilities of the king
  (Pharaoh)?
• How did one become king?
• Who helped the king rule the land?
• Is our government today like that of the ancient
  Egyptians government?

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Introduction

• The New Kingdom period lasted around 500 years,
  from about 1570 to 1070 B.C.
• The Pharaoh was responsible for all aspects of
  Egyptian life.
• Keeping the irrigation works in order
• Directing the army
• Keeping peace
• Issuing laws
• A web site that will give a brief introduction.
  You can also listen to it.
• Another introduction site about the Pharaoh

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Government

• Kings ruled ancient Egypt throughout most of its
  history.
• Sometime between 1554 and 1304 B.C., the people
  began to call the king pharaoh.
• Pharaoh comes from the words that meant great
  house in Egyptian.
• The Egyptians believed that each of their kings
  was the god Horus in human form.
• This belief helped strengthen the authority of
  the kings.

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How to Become a Pharaoh

• The position of king was inherited.
• It passed on to the eldest son of the kings
  chief wife.
• Some chief wives gave birth to daughters but no
  sons, and several of those daughters claimed the
  right to the throne.
• At least 4 women became rulers.
• A site to look at all of the Dynasties Pharaohs

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The Kings Helpers

• Ancient Egypt was also a theocracy, controlled by
  clergy.
• The Pharaohs advisors and ministers were almost
  always priests.
• Priests had special status above the rest of the
  citizens.
• Officials called viziers helped the king govern
  ancient Egypt.
• There were two viziers. One administered the
  Nile Delta area, and the other ruled the area to
  the south.
• The viziers acted as mayors, tax collectors, and
  judges.

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Local Government

• Ancient Egypt was divided into 42 provinces
  called nomes.
• The king appointed an official known as a
  normarch to govern each province.
• There were courts in each nome and a high court
  in each capital.
• Vizierz judged most cases

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Egyptian Social PyramidIn the social pyramid of
ancient Egypt the pharaoh and those associated
with divinity were at the top, and servants and
slaves made up the bottom.
Pharaoh
Government Officials
Soldiers
Scribes
Merchants
Artisans
Farmers
Slaves and Servants
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Todays Activity

• Read the battle story as a class on the TV. The
  Story
• Imagine you are the Pharaoh and you are in charge
  of a major battle.
• Create the story of your battle for land and why
  you need to win the battle.
• Create the ceremony that follows the battle.
• Draw the picture that represents the battle and
  the ceremony. The Picture
• Use color for your picture and write the story on
  a separate sheet of paper.

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Alternative Activity

• Click on the site below to find out information
  on Cleopatra, take a quiz and work on a puzzle.
• Cleopatra Site