Pharaohs

BY PHOEBE ROSE

Who were the Pharaohs?

Pharaohs were the king or Queen of Egypt. Most pharaohs were men but some well-known pharaohs, such as Nefertiti and Cleopatra, were women.

A Pharaoh was the most important and powerful person in the kingdom. He was the head of the government and high priest of every temple. The people of Egypt considered the pharaoh to be a half-man, half-god.

The Pharaoh owned all of Egypt.

WHO WAS THE FIRST KING/ PHARAOH OF EGYPT?

The first true pharaoh of Egypt was Narmer (sometimes called Menes), who united Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. He was the first king of the First Dynasty, the beginning of the Old KINGDOM.

Egypt was once divided into two kingdoms. The kingdom in Lower Egypt was called the red crown and the one in Upper Egypt was known as the white crown.

Around 3100 B.C. the pharaoh of the north conquered the south and Egypt became united. The pharaoh's name was King Narmer (Menes). He founded the first capital of Egypt where the two lands met. It was called Memphis. (Thebes became the next capital of Egypt and then Amarna was made the capital during the reign of King Akhenaten.)

Tutankhamun The most famous Egyptian pharaoh today is, without doubt, Tutankhamun.

However, before the spectacular discovery of his almost intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in November 1922, Tutankhamun was only a little known figure of the late 18th Dynasty.

The reason that Tutankhamun is so well known today is that his tomb, containing fabulous treasures, was found early this century (1922) by British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.

He was buried in a hastily prepared tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes, the traditional burial place of his predecessors. The person responsible for his burial, and shown on one of the walls in Tutankhamun's tomb, was Ay who succeeded him on the Egyptian throne.

Fun Facts about Pharaohs

Pepy II became Pharaoh at the age of 6. He would rule Egypt for 94 years.

The Pharaohs wore a crown that had an image of the cobra goddess. Only the Pharaoh was allowed to wear the cobra goddess. It was said that she would protect them by spitting flames at their enemies.

Pharaohs built great tombs for themselves so they could live well in the afterlife.

The first Pharaoh was a king named Menes who united both upper and lower Egypt into a single country.

Khufu is the Pharaoh who built the largest pyramid.

Thanks for watching I hope you have enjoyed

learning about the Pharaohs.

BY PHOEBE ROSE