The Egyptian Empire

Chapter 4Section 1

What did King Tut’s father do during his rule?

How did this affect the Empire? What was the most important thing King Tut

did during his rule? Write down a description of what Egyptians

believe happens when they die. How do they get to the afterlife?

Warm up

After the prosperity of the Middle Kingdom,

Egypt descended into war and violence. Caused by a streak of weak pharaohs. The weakened Egypt eventually fell to

invaders who utilized chariots. Hyksos. This invasion shook the Egyptians

confidence in their desert barriers.

Nomadic Invaders Rule Egypt

During the rule of the Hyksos, the Hebrews

migrated into Egypt. The Egyptians hated the Hyksos and the

Hebrews but they were powerless to remove them.

Hebrews Migrate to Egypt

The Egyptians had a series of warlike rulers

who began to help restore Egypt’s power. The Egyptians eventually ran the Hyksos

out of Egypt. The Hebrews remained in Egypt and were

enslaved, forced to work hard labor.

Expulsion and Slavery

After getting rid of the Hyksos, the pharaohs of

the New Kingdom wanted to strengthen Egypt by building an empire. – an empire brings several peoples or states under the control of one ruler. During the New Kingdom era, Egypt becomes

more wealthy and powerful than ever before. Equipped with bronze weapons and chariots, the

Egyptians became conquerors. Their armies contained archers, charioteers,

and infantry.

The New Kingdom of Egypt

Took power because her stepson was too

young to rule. Hatshepsut spent her time encouraging trade

rather than only waging war. These trading expeditions brought even

more wealth into the Empire.

Hatshepsut’s Prosperous Rule

Hatshepsut’s stepson. He was much more

warlike than Hatshepsut. It is possible that he murdered Hatshepsut.

Thutmose pushed the Egyptian armies into Nubia – a region of Africa on the Nile river, south of Egypt. The Egyptians had traded with the Nubians

since the time of the Middle Kingdom, but now Egypt was so strong, they just took them over.

Thutmose Builds an Empire

Egypt’s conquest had brought them into

conquest with the Hittites. After a few small battles, the Egyptian

Pharaoh Ramses II and a Hittite king made a treaty that promised “peace and brotherhood between us forever.” Aka, bffs.

The Egyptians and the Hittites

In search of security in the afterlife – and

protection from grave robbers – they hid their tombs beneath desert cliffs.

They also built elaborate temples and huge palaces for themselves.

An Age of Builders

Ramses II was one of the greatest builders of

the New Kingdom. He had huge statues of himself built all over

the empire. He was incredibly full of himself and

wanted history to remember him as superman.

Other strong civilizations rose to challenge

Egypt’s power.

The Empire Declines

Both the Egyptians, and their friends, the

Hittites were attacked by invaders called the “Sea Peoples”. We don’t know exactly who they were, but

they caused great destruction. In the east, Palestinians were rebelling against

the Egyptian Empire and in the west, Libyans began raiding Egyptian villages.

Invasions by Land and Sea

After suffering the invasions, Egypt never

recovered its previous power. The Empire broke up into regional units, and

numerous smaller kingdoms took its place. These kingdoms were not united and

wanted to maintain their independence. The individual kingdoms soon fell to their

neighbors invasions.

Egypt’s Empire Fades

Libyans crossed the desert from the west and

Libyan pharaohs ruled Egypt. Instead of imposing their own culture, the

Libyans adopted the Egyptian way of life.