Middle and New Kingdoms

• ​The Egyptians empire continued to advance technologically, militarily, and socially as time went on.

• ​Why it matters now: Egypts culture continues to be popular in movies, tv shows, music, and and people around the world.

​●At the end of the Old Kingdom, the wealth and power of pharaohs declined

○Building and maintaining pyramids cost a lot of money and egypt was having a problem collecting taxes

■Nobles also created a problem because they were using their government positions to take power from the pharaoh

■In time the nobles had enough power to challenge the pharaoh

●By 2200 BC, the Old Kingdom fell and for the next 160 years nobles fought among each other for power

○There was no central ruler in Egypt during this time

■Chaos within Egypt disrupted trade with foreign lands and caused farming to decline

■The people faced in Egypt faced economic hardship and famine

​○Around 2050 BC, a powerful pharaoh named Memtuotep II defeated his rivals and began the Middle Kingdom

Middle Kingdom: the period of Egyptian history from about 2050 to 1750 BC and marked by order and stability

●Toward the end of the middle kingdom there was more internal chaos

○The pharaoh was not able to keep the kingdom together and invaders from Southeast Asia invaded Egypt

■The invaders were called Hyksos used horses, chariots and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt

○The Egyptians did not like being ruled by foreigners and resented paying taxes to that government.

​New Kingdom: the period from about 1550 to 1050 BC in Egyptian history when Egypt reached the height of its power and glory

●Ahmose’s rise to power marked the beginning of the 18th Dynasty and more importantly the beginning of the New Kingdom

○To keep Egypt protected from invaders Ahmose's took control of all invasion routes into the kingdom.

○The Egyptians wanted to take revenge on the Hyksos so they took over their territory and made it a trading post

■The egyptians also took the time to conquer Nubia and other territories to create a military superpower

○Military conquest made Egypt rich and is going to help Egypt further their expansion

■Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite kings sent expensive gifts to keep the peace with Egypt

Trade Routes: a path followed by traders

​●Growth and its Effects on Trade

○As egypt conquered more land the are expanding their trade networks into distant lands

■The access to more food and other resources make the expansion of egypt possible

○Queen Hatshepsut wanted to continue to expand

■She sent traders south to the Red Sea and north to Asia Minor and Greece 

■Hatshepsut and later pharaohs used the wealth to support the arts and architecture

●Invasion of Egypt

○Even though the Egyptian army was strong they were challenged by other civilizations

■In 1200s BC Ramses the Great rose to power and fought the Hittites in Asia Minor

■A peace treaty was created by the two groups and an alliance was formed

○Soon after Ramses’s death another major invasion happened but the Egyptians were able to fight them off

■Egypt survived but due to the fighting, the empire in Asia Minor was gone.

​●Although Egyptian dynasties rose and fell but daily life in egypt did not change

○The society was very complex but everyone had a specific job

■While government officials and priests were important to society they were not the only important people

●Scribes

○Worked for the government officials and in the temples to keep records of events.

■Records could include religious works, accounts and literacy text

■Scribes did not pay taxes so they became wealthy

●Artisans, Artists and Architects

○Social scale were artisans whose jobs required advanced skills

■Among the artisans were sculptors, builders, carpenters, jewelers, metal workers and leather workers

○Artisans worked for the government and the temples

​■They made statues, furniture, jewelry, pottery, footwear and other

○Architects and artist were also important to Egyptian society

■The Architects were in charge of designing and building the temples while the artists were in charge of decorating the temples to please the gods.

●Soldiers

○After the Middle Kingdom, a professional army was created

■The military offered a rise in social status

■Soldiers received land as payment and could keep any treasure that were won during battle.

●Farmers and other Peasants

○Farmers and peasants were on the bottom of the social scale but they also made up the largest part of the population

■The farmers had to give their crops to the pharaoh as a form of taxes

■Peasants were responsible for building the pyramids, mining gold and fighting in wars

●Slaves

○Slaves worked the farms, on building projects and in the households.

■Slaves had some legal rights and could earn their freedom