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Information about Egyptian Pharaohs.

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Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were considered to be both divine deities as well as mortal rulers. Throughout the 30+ dynasties in ancient Egyptian history, it is speculated that some 170 or more rulers reigned over the great land of Egypt during a three thousand year time span. The throne of Egypt was primarily intended to be succeeded from father to son, however in many cases this line of kingship was interrupted by murder, mayhem and mysterious disappearances.

Pharaohs were the god kings of ancient Egypt who ruled between 3150 B.C. and 30 B.C. (when Rome conquered Egypt). Each time a new family took control of the throne, a new kingdom began in the history of this fascinating nation. While rulers often intermarried with daughters, granddaughters, sisters and brothers to keep the throne within the family the throne still managed to shift hands multiple times; creating a dynamic and complex pharonic history.

© Xuan Che - Pharaoh's Bust

Definition: the word pharaoh refers to the title of the ancient Egyptian kings. The title "pharaoh" means the "great house" and refers to the royal palace.

Thirty-one Dynasties ruled from the Early Dynastic Period to the Ptolemaic Period. Scholars also include a Dynasty 0 but any kings from this period are not well represented in the archaeological record. Some Dynasties ruled at the same time in different areas of Egypt during the intermediate periods.

10 Famous Pharaohs

Below is a top 10 of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs:

1. Tutankhamun (aka King Tut) restored the capital to Thebes after the death of Akhenaten and restored the worship of the old gods. Later pharaoh's erased his name from some king lists so scholars found his tomb's goods intact in the 1920s.

2. Cleopatra VII was the last pharaoh of Egypt who tried to hold off the Romans under Augustus. She ruled beside three pharaohs including her young son and was the lover of Marc Antony.

3. Ramses II ruled during the New Kingdom for either 66 years. He built all over Egypt and many of his statues and temples are still standing today. He is probably the most prolific of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, siring over 100 children with more than a dozen wives.

4. Ramses III was the last king of the New Kingdom and is considered the last great pharaoh. He was murdered by one of his wives.

5. Hatshepsut ruled during the New Kingdom for around 20 years. She organized military campaigns and sent out trade expeditions to bring exotic goods to Egypt.

6. Akhenaten ruled during the New Kingdom for less than 20 years. Scholars call him the hieratic pharaoh because he forbade the worship of the old gods. He built Amarna as the center for the worship of his god, Aten.

7. Khufu also known as Cheops, ruled during the Old Kingdom and built the Great Pyramid.

8. Djoser ruled during the Old Kingdom and built the first true stone pyramid, the Step Pyramid.

9. Thutmose III was the 6th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He ruled Egypt for 45 years and created the largest empire ever in Egypt. Thutmose was buried in the Valley of the Kings.

10. Amenhotep III was the son of Thutmose IV and was the 9th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He ruled during the peak of ancient Egypt's power.

Click here for a list of the 25 most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt

© Mary Harrsch - King Tut's Sarcophagus

Symbols of Kingship

Below is a list of some of the symbols used by the pharaoh to show his/her kingship. Images of the pharaoh show him/her wearing a crown or headdress with the uraeus (cobra) over the forehead. S/he also had a bull's tail coming from his/her belt to show personal power and wore a false beard which was a sign of divinity.

Life of the Pharaoh

© Tiffany Silva - Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun

The crown prince began training to become the pharaoh as a young child through a series of lessons. Many of these lessons focused on building physical strength because the pharaoh often fought at the head of his army. Princes went to the royal stables where they learned how to ride and break wild horses. They also ran long foot races to build endurance and went on hunting and fishing expeditions.

Inheritance of the throne usually passed from a father to his eldest son but there were exceptions. Sometimes, a brother would become the next pharaoh after the previous king's dead if there was no son to inherit. If the only heir was a woman, her husband could become the next pharaoh. Sometimes, a high official became pharaoh after the previous king's death. Some records state that some crown princes, who out lived their father, did not become pharaoh but the reason for this is not known.

Coronation

A new pharaoh always attended the burial of his/her predecessor and the coronation of a new pharaoh began on the first day of a new season. During many dynasties a new pharaoh's coronation began after the death of his/her predecessor. In some dynasties the old pharaoh presided over his/her successor's coronation before his/her death.

The coronation was not a single event but a collection of ceremonies and festivals that could last an entire year. For this reason, the coronation year was not counted as part of the years a king reigned. The first year of a reign began after the coronation ended.

© doris_pemler - Baptism of the Pharaoh, part of the coronation rituals

List of Coronation Ceremonies and Festivals

Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt: a ceremony that was the symbolic reunification of the Two Lands of Egypt.

© Peter Roan - Ancient Egyptian Ritual Figure

Appearance of the king: a ceremony held after assuming the throne and repeated every two years thereafter. It had three steps:

1. Pharaoh appeared wearing the White Crown as king of Upper Egypt.

2. Pharaoh appeared wearing the Red Crown as king of Lower Egypt.

3. Pharaoh appeared wearing the Double Crown as king of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Sed Festival: meant to restore the pharaoh's vital life force but the details of its events are not well documented. It was first held during the coronation and the pharaoh repeated it during the thirtieth year of his/her reign. After this point, the pharaoh held it every three years but some preformed it more often.

Sokar Festival: a celebration involving the construction of a sacred boat that the pharaoh pulled to the Nile or a sacred lake. After its celebration during the coronation year, this festival took place every six years. Sokar was a god of the underworld and a guardian of royal cemeteries.

Names and Duties of Pharaoh

After becoming pharaoh, the king received four new names besides his/her birth name. The first name was the Horus name which scribes wrote inside a serekh. The Nebty name showed the pharaoh had the protection of the patron goddesses of the Two Lands and the pharaoh's rule of both lands. The Golden Horus name emphasized the pharaoh's divinity.

Scribes wrote the final two names inside cartouches. The Prenomen was the pharaoh's coronation name and the one people knew him/her by in antiquity. The Nomen was the pharaoh's given name and it is the name scholars use today with a numeral added if necessary.
As an example, here are the five names of Ramesses II:
© Roberto Venturini - Ramses II statue

Horus name: Kanakht Merymaat

Nebty name: Mekkemetwafkhasut

Golden Horus name: Userrenput-aanekktu

Prenomen: Usermaatre-Setepenre

Nomen: Ramesses (meryamun)

As king, the pharaoh had many duties that were civic and religious. The people saw him/her as the living Horus and the son of Ra. They believed only pharaoh could sacrifice to the gods but this belief lessened over time. Only the pharaoh could appoint the priests to serve the gods in his/her place. The people believed that s/he became Osiris after death and would continue to help his/her people in the afterlife.

Pharaoh was the commander-in-chief of the army and the highest judge in the land. The people saw the pharaoh as essential for keeping their lives in balance and keeping harmony in Egypt. As the living embodiment of Ma'at, the pharaoh ensured that order and justice existed in Egypt.

Burial of Pharaoh

Mummification and burial held an important place in Egyptian life. The Egyptians believed the body's preservation guaranteed the soul's survival in the afterlife. The pharaoh began building his/her tomb soon after assuming the throne. The locations and types of tombs built changed over time and when the country's capital moved. Tombs contained decorations of the pharaoh's journey in the afterlife and texts from the Book of the Dead.

© Mary Harrsch - Decorated Sarcophagus

The earliest pharaonic tombs are the mastaba tombs made of mud-brick. Scholars found these tombs in some of the oldest cemeteries near the ancient capitals (see capital list below). Mastabas, like all ancient Egyptian cemeteries, were on the Nile's west bank, which was the realm of the dead.

Pyramids were elaborations of the mastaba design made of stone. The first was the Step Pyramid of Djoser which Imhotep designed. Architects planned the pyramids and included a mortuary temple and other royal tombs in the complex. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the greatest example of this type of tomb.

© DragonWoman - Pyramid Complex at Giza

Later pharaohs saw that grave-robbers broke into the earlier tombs so they made secret rock-cut tombs. The area where they built these tombs is now called the Valley of the Kings. Some tombs contained several chambers and more than one ruler.

Pharaohs received elaborate burials containing a wide variety of goods. At first, priests buried pharaohs with items like clothes, furniture, games and jewelry. During the Nineteenth Dynasty, priests began burying them with items made for the afterlife. An example of this are the clay shabti figurines made to serve the pharaoh. Priests placed food, oil and dishes in the tombs to nourish the king in the afterlife.

Five Important Capitals

- the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom built at the mouth of the Nile Delta. This city was an important trade center and the pyramids of Giza are part of its necropolis (city of the dead).

- the capital of Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms and the location of the religious centers of Luxor and Karnak. The Theban Necropolis includes a series of mortuary temples and the Valleys of the Kings and Queens.

Alexandria - the capital of Egypt during the Ptolemaic period that Alexander the Great founded. Its rulers built the Great Lighthouse at Pharos and the Great Library.

Akhetaten (Amarna)- the capital of Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten and abandoned after his death.

Pi-Ramesses - the capital of Egypt built by Ramesses II in the far north that held 300,000 people and covered 6.9 square miles. After the Nile branch it was on silted up and the Nile formed a new branch, the people abandoned this city.

Quick Facts and FAQ

Pharaohs were the god kings of ancient Egypt.

Who was the first pharaoh of Egypt? Narmer or Menes was the first pharaoh of Egypt.

The people believed the pharaoh's existence was vital for a happy health.

What pharaoh ruled the longest? Pepi II ruled Egypt the longest for about 90 years!

At first, only pharaohs or their representatives could make sacrifices.

Who was the most famous pharaoh? Tutankhamun is the most famous pharaoh today but Ramesses II was more famous in ancient times.

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Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were considered to be both divine deities as well as mortal rulers. Throughout the 30+ dynasties in ancient Egyptian history, it is speculated that some 170 or more rulers reigned over the great land of Egypt during a three thousand year time span.

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Get more information about Pharaohs

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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.

Interesting fact
The ancient Egyptians did not refer to their Kings as Pharaohs. The word Pharaoh comes from the Greek language and was used by the Greeks and Hebrews to refer to the Kings of Egypt. Today, we also use the word Paraoh when referring to the kings 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.)

The story of Ancient Egypt begins from when the north and the south were united as one country under the first pharaoh Menes.

Which God did the people think their Pharaoh was?

The Ancient Egyptians believed that their Pharaoh was the god Horus, son of Re, the sun god. When a pharaoh died he was believed to be united with the sun and then a new Horus ruled on earth.

Where were Pharaohs buried?

In the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2628-1638 BC), Egyptian kings were buried in pyramids. About 50 royal pyramids have survived. They were built on the desert edge, west of the ancient capital of Memphis.
( Click here to find out more about pyramids)

In the New Kingdom (1504-1069 BC), Egyptian kings were buried in tombs in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. These tombs were tunnels cut deep into the natural rock.

How many wives did a pharaoh have?

Pharaohs often had several wives but only one was queen.

Who is the most famous pharaoh of Egypt?

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

Find out more about Tutankhmun (Tutankhamen)

Further Information

Make a paper model of a Pharaoh's Death Mask
This site has links to the instruction to make a paper model of a Pharaoh's Death Mask.

The Pharaohs Cleopatra VII, Akhenaton and Tutankhamen
by Mark Telford, Aged 8yrs

Akhenaton - pharaoh of Egypt from about 1350 to 1334 BC

Tutankhamen - was the son-in-law of Akhenaton.

Cleopatra VII - the last Queen of Egypt.

Read more ....

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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.

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Read about the duties of the Pharaoh.

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Here is a slide presentation that shows the different geographical parts of Egypt.

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geography of ancient egypt: the nile river

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Geography of Ancient Egypt: The Nile River - ppt video online download

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I. Cataracts A. At six places along the Nile's winding course, stone cliffs and boulders force its waters through narrow channels. B. The rushing water forms waterfalls and rapids called cataracts. C. The first cataract marked the southern boundary of ancient Egypt.

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This is a basic overview of the Civilization of Ancient Egypt.

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National Geographic: Stories of Animals, Nature, and Culture

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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This is a video and lesson that explains the social structure in Ancient Egypt.

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A good website that has been compiled by a 14 year old boy from Ireland, along with librarians and teachers.

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Understanding Ancient Egypt

We really hope you enjoy these fun facts about Egypt. You will learn about the Pharaoh's who were the Kings of all the land. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses?

Or that they invented things like the calendar and glass blowing! Things that we still use each and every day. Learn about Pyramids like the great pyramid at Giza. It can be fun to learn about history and all that happened in the past.

Monuments and Geography

King Tut was a pharaoh in Egypt who lived from 1341 B.C. to 1323 B.C. His full name was Tutankhamun. King Tut was the 12 th pharaoh
Read More

The Valley of the Kings was a place in Ancient Egypt that was located in the Southern part of Egypt and it was located west of the Nile River
Read More

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Ancient Egyptian History for Kids - Fun Facts to Learn

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Understanding Ancient Egypt We really hope you enjoy these fun facts about Egypt. You will learn about the Pharaoh's who were the Kings of all the land. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses? Or that they invented things like the calendar and glass blowing!

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Click through this presentation on Mummification. Take 2-Column Notes to remember what you've learned.

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Watch this video and take notes about the importance of the Nile River.

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The Gift of the Nile: Egypt - Kids geography Sixth grade 6th

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The Gift of the Nile: Egypt - Kids geography Sixth grade 6th

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Here is the alphabet using hieroglyphs.

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Go to this website to take a virtual tour of the Valley of the Kings.

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The Pyramids - 3D Virtual Tour

The Pyramids virtual tours can be started by clicking the preview window or by downloading the stand-alone versions. Just drag the mouse to the direction you want to look. Use the scroll wheel to zoom at the details. Press F9 to get a list of the 3D sites you downloaded (residing in the same directory). To install the listed sites as a screensaver press F5. Our advise is to install all the sites, including The Pyramids, as a screensaver. When the screensaver starts, a random site is chosen and shown around automatically (this gives the impression of looking at a documentary in HD quality). To see the usage of other keys press F1. Press Ecs to exit.

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Panorama shootings for The Pyramids were done in the year 2010. Shooting equipment was Nikon D90 digital camera, 10.5 mm fisheye lens, panoramic tripod head and a tripod. For The Pyramids more than 800 pictures were taken. The pictures that are taken for different angles are later combined using a computer to form a full 360 degree panoramic view, surrounding the viewer both horizontally and vertically.

History of The Pyramids

The Egyptian Pyramids were built as tombs for deceased Pharaohs and their consorts. For thousands of years they were the largest structures on earth. The earliest pyramid known is that of The Step Pyramid in Saqqara. It was built in the year 2650 B.C. Near the Step Pyramid there are many mastaba tombs belonging to the Pharaohs family. Unlike the rooms inside the Pyramids, their walls are richly decorated.

The best known pyramids are undoubtedly the ones at Giza. The largest of them is The Great Pyramid of Keops that was built around 2589 B.C. It is 145.75 meters high. It is also the only remaining "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World".

The Pyramid of Khafre (143.5 meters high) is believed to be built by Mycerinus, the son of Khafre. The Pyramid of Mycerinus that Mycerinus started building for himself is finished by his son Shepseskaf.

The Bent Pyramid in Dahshur is considered the first 'real' pyramid. It's limestone outer casing is largely in tact. Pharaoh Sneferu, who wasn't very happy with the Bent Pyramid, ordered the building of The Red Pyramid to the North.

Sun Boat Museum

In 1954 a real sized old Egyptian boat was found in a pit near the Great Pyramid. It took 14 years to put together the 1200 peaces using old materials like wooden nails and ropes of grass.

Credits

We would like to thank Mr. Mohamed Abdel Fatah, Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed Hussein and their family and friends for their support during our stay in Egypt.

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The Pyramids virtual tours can be started by clicking the preview window or by downloading the stand-alone versions. Just drag the mouse to the direction you want to look. Use the scroll wheel to zoom at the details. Press F9 to get a list of the 3D sites you downloaded (residing in the same directory).

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Visit this website to learn more about the major gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt.

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Please select a name from the list below to view the Egyptian god's description.

The god of the earth, Geb was one of the first gods to appear from the sea of chaos at the beginning of time. He appears as a man made of earth, with rivers, forests and hills across his entire body.

Nut was Geb's wife, the goddess of the sky. Yes, we know she's got a funny name, but she was not the goddess of peanuts. She appeared as a woman with skin like a starry sky, dark blue and covered in constellations. She is often pictured stretching over Geb, as the sky stretches over the earth.

Although Geb and Nut loved each other very much, Ra had a prophecy that their children would try to overthrow him someday, so Ra did his best to keep them apart. Despite this, Nut managed to have five children, and the oldest, Osiris, did indeed take over the throne from Ra.

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Please select a name from the list below to view the Egyptian god's description. The god of the earth, Geb was one of the first gods to appear from the sea of chaos at the beginning of time. He appears as a man made of earth, with rivers, forests and hills across his entire body.

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Use this timeline to see when major events happened during the Egyptian Civilization.

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Visit this website to learn about 25 famous pharaohs.

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Narmer

Narmer was a pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty in the Early Dynastic Period. He was the first pharaoh to unite the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. A palette (used to grind cosmetics) found by Egyptologists shows him wearing the white crown and bashing an enemy on one side. On the opposite side Narmer wears the red crown as he surveys the bodies of his enemies. Later historians left his name out of the king lists but Egyptologists have found many items mentioning him.

King Menes

Menes is a pharaoh that Herodotus claimed founded the 1st Dynasty in the Early Dynastic Period. Later historians claim he built the walls of Memphis but the evidence does not support this myth. Modern scholars equate him with either Narmer or the pharaoh Aha.

Djoser

Djoser was a pharaoh of the 3rd Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He built the Step Pyramid as part of his funeral complex at Saqqara. Djoser started it as a 200' square stone mastaba (type of tomb) with sloped sides. When finished, the pyramid rose in six slanting steps to 200'. Later pharaohs considered Djoser's reign to be the beginning of pharaonic history. Records state that the step pyramid's design was the work of Djoser's vizier, Imhotep.
Click here to discover more about Djoser
Snefru
Click here to discover more about Snefru
Snefru was a pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty in the time of the Old Kingdom. He built the first true pyramid and changed the orientation of the funerary complex to east-west. He built two pyramids in the funerary complex at Dahshur but his burial was in the Red Pyramid. Scholar's call Snefru's first pyramid the Bent Pyramid. Structural flaws made it necessary to change the angle of its sides.

Khufu

Khufu (aka Cheops) was a pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty, during the Old Kingdom, and he built the Great Pyramid. This pyramid is unusual for its large size and because it's burial chamber is in the center of the pyramid rather than at the bottom. Scholars believed that the king changed the location of the burial chamber during construction. New information indicates that Khufu intended the burial chamber to be at the center of the pyramid from the beginning.
Click here to discover more about Khufu
His complex also includes three pyramids for his queens and a mastaba for his vizier. Egyptologists have found two dismantled ships beside the Great Pyramid and they restored one of them.

Khufu only ruled for twenty-three years, so the Great Pyramid's completion took less than twenty-five years. Later pharaohs called him a despot but records at the time say that he was a good pharaoh and his rule was a time of prosperity.

Khafre

Khafre (aka Khafra) was a pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty, in the time of the Old Kingdom, and he built the second largest pyramid at Giza. The Great Pyramid and Khafre's pyramid appear to be the same size because Khafre built his pyramid on a higher elevation. He also built a funerary complex that included the Great Sphinx near the causeway leading up to his pyramid. Contrary to some stories, slaves did not build the Giza pyramids, the citizens of Egypt did. The pharaohs organized a tax system that allowed them to keep a workforce building the pyramids.
Click here to discover more about Neferefre
Neferefre

Neferefre, also called Raneferef, was a pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He must have had a short reign because his pyramid only reached its lowest courses. Records state that Neferefre built a sun-temple but Egyptologists do not know its location. Excavators discovered a store of papyri in his pyramid temple. These provided information about the economic, administrative, and religious practices during the 5th Dynasty.

Pepi II

Pepi II was a pharaoh from the 6th Dynasty, during the Old Kingdom, and his rule was Egypt's longest, 94 years. The first half of his reign seems to have been prosperous with trade existing with various places. During the later part of his reign, local officials grew in power and began setting up little kingdoms. The second half of Pepi II's reign was a time of economic crisis. Circumstances forced him to establish an economic overseer in Upper Egypt.

Nitocris
Click here to discover more about Senusret I
Nitocris was the last pharaoh of the 6th Dynasty, during the Old Kingdom, and a woman. Later historians claimed that she was the daughter of Pepi II and told various legends about her. According to one story, she built the smallest pyramid at Giza (built by Menkaura). Historians called her the most beautiful woman of her time and said she used water to kill her brother's murders. Modern scholars doubt that Nitocris ever existed.

Senusret I

Senusret I was a pharaoh from the 12th Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom. His reign was a time of peace with no records of military campaigns found to date. Senusret I was the first pharaoh to begin irrigating the Faiyum to open more land for cultivation purposes. His statues show signs of his actual appearance which marks a new idea in the depiction of pharaohs. Senusret built a pyramid and a funerary complex at Lahun.

Ahmose I

Ahmose I was the founder of the 18th Dynasty which began the New Kingdom. He began the reunification of Egypt after the Second Intermediate Period. He fought battles throughout Egypt, Palestine and Kush as he sought to banish the Hyksos. Goods and artwork from this period show a Minoan influence in the design on Egyptian forms. Ahmose I began building projects at Memphis and in his religious capital Thebes, especially at Karnak. His tomb location is unknown but his mummy was part of the Deir el-Bahri royal mummy stash.

Amenhotep I

Amenhotep I was from the 18th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom. He was the son of Ahmose I and he continued his father's building projects and his military campaigns. Amenhotep I military campaigns brought in booty that allowed the pharaoh to fund his building projects. The workmen at Deir el-Medina worshiped him, and his mother, as their patron gods for centuries. Deir el-Medina was the town where the government workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings lived. During this period, it became a rule that royal females could only marry a king.

Thutmose II

Thutmose II was part of the 18th Dynasty, in the New Kingdom. The son of Thutmose I and the father of the better known Thutmose III, he was only able to rule between 3 and 13 years, a period disputed by scholars. His wife, queen Hatshepsut, attempted to replace his name on monuments with hers. Thutmose III, later, tried to restore his father's name and this resulted in conflicting information about Thutmose II's life. His mummy, found in the royal cache at the Temple of Hatshepsut, shows signs of weakness and diseases that caused his death.
Click here to discover more about Hatshepsut
Click here to discover more about Thutmose II

Hatshepsut
Click here to discover more about Thutmose III
Hatshepsut was a pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom, and a woman. When her husband (Thutmose II) died, his heir (Thutmose III) was a young child. Hatshepsut began her rule as his regent but she became the pharaoh. She claimed to be the child of Amun and transformed herself into a king by wearing the symbols of kingship.

Hatshepsut emphasized her right to rule through her bloodline. She ruled for almost twenty years and built all over Egypt. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri and her tomb in the Valley of the Kings are well-built and beautiful. She also sent trade missions to Punt that brought back various exotic goods.

Thutmose III
Click here to discover more about Amenhotep III
Thutmose III was from the 18th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom, and he ruled alone for thirty-two years. He conducted military campaigns in the Levant and conquered most of Palestine. Hatshepsut's name and monuments were not dishonored until the end of Thutmose III's reign. He built many monuments and collected a vast amount of booty from his military campaigns.

Amenhotep II

Amenhotep II was an 18th Dynasty pharaoh, during the New Kingdom, and co-regent with his father, Thutmose III. He completed the dishonoring of Hatshepsut's monuments to end any claims by her family for the right to rule. Amenhotep II ruled for almost thirty years and his depictions show him as an athletic man. He built various temples including one to worship Horemakhet, a god associated with the Great Sphinx.
Click here to discover more about Akhenaten
Amenhotep III

Amenhotep III ruled during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom for thirty-eight years. Later records said that harvests during his time were rich and he became a fertility god. Amenhotep III might have been a child when his reign began and he was the son of Thutmose IV. He called his palace "the gleaming Aten" and emphasized the worship of the various solar deities. Amenhotep III built a large tomb in the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon near his mortuary temple.

Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten
Click here to discover more about Tutankhamun
Amenhotep IV (who later took the name Akhenaten), was an 18th Dynasty pharaoh during the New Kingdom. Many scholars believe that his reign did not overlap with that of his father because he might have had an older brother. He ruled for less than twenty years but his reign had a great impact. Akhenaten, also spelled Echnaton, came to the throne at a time when the priests of Amun were wealthy and powerful. He built a temple to Aten at Karnak during the first few years of his reign.

In the fifth year of his reign, Akhenaten built a new capital at Amarna called Akhetaten. He changed his name and declared Aten the only god in Egypt.
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The military supported this move at the beginning of his reign but many people still worshiped the old gods in private. His wife was an important part of his religious rituals and depictions of her making sacrifices exist at Amarna.

Neferneferuaten
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Neferneferuaten was a female pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. Scholars believe that she ruled as a co-regent with Akhenaten and some believe she might have ruled in her own right after his death. Scholars differ about her identity though they agree on two candidates. Many scholars believe Neferneferuaten was Akhenaten's queen, Nefertiti. Some scholars believe she was Meritaten, the oldest daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

Tutankhamun
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Tutankhamun was a pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom, and he is the best known pharaoh today. He was the son of Akhenaten and became pharaoh at the age of nine. During the first year of his reign, Tutankhamun abandoned Amarna and restored the cults of the old gods. His regent was Horemheb who was a senior military official.

Tutankhamun restored the power of Thebes and died after around ten years of rule. Later scribes excluded his name from many of the kings' lists and people forgot his rule. For this reason, tomb-robbers never found his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Egyptologists found his treasures and his body intact when they excavated his tomb in the 1920s.

Ramses I

Ramses I was part of the 19th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom, and later historians claimed that he founded this dynasty. Ramses I and his heirs considered Horemheb the founder of their dynasty. Ramses I was not Horemheb's son but he was his appointed heir. Ramses I was an older man when he became pharaoh because his son's birth took place before his ascension. He ruled for less than a year and set his son up as his heir immediately after gaining the throne.

Seti I

Seti I was the son of Ramses I, part of the 19th Dynasty, and a ruler during the New Kingdom. He restored the traditional temples and opened old mines. To raise money for his building projects, Seti I conducted military campaigns. The exact length of his reign is not known but the highest year found in the archaeological record is eleven.

Ramses II
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Ramses II was the greatest pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, during the New Kingdom, and one of the most powerful pharaohs. He had a period of co-regency with his father, Seti I, and went on various military campaigns. Ramses II's depictions often include his various children (he had at least 95) to show his dynasty.

He reigned for sixty-seven years and built a massive tomb for his children in the Valley of the Kings. Ramses II usurped monuments made by older pharaohs by erasing their names and carving his own instead. He declared himself a god before the tenth year of his reign and outlived his twelve oldest sons.
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Merenptah
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Merenptah was the thirteenth son of Ramses II and ruled during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. He conducted campaigns in Palestine and his stele contains the first written mention of Israel. After he defeated a Libyan invasion, he had a peaceful reign and built temples. Merneptah must have been older when his rule began because it lasted for only nine years.

Twosret

Twosret was a female pharaoh and the last ruler of the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. She might have been Merneptah's daughter and she was the wife of his son, Seti II. Seti II's heir was a young boy who had an atrophied leg due to polio. Twosret served as Saptah's regent and she reigned as pharaoh for at least two years after his death. Twosret was the third female pharaoh to rule during the New Kingdom.

Ramses III

Ramses III was from the 20th Dynasty of the New Kingdom and records show that he was not a relative of the previous Ramses. After Twosret's death, there was a period of lawlessness that Sethnakht, Ramses III's father, ended. Ramses III had to fight various invaders trying to take advantage of Egypt's internal turmoil. He built a mortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis and various other buildings.

He reorganized the temple administrations and land allocations. By the end of Ramses III's thirty-one year reign, one-third of the farm land belonged to the temples.

This caused food shortages and led to one of the first recorded strikes of the workers at Deir el-Medina. It also led to a weakening in the power of the pharaoh and the central government.

Xerxes I

Xerxes I ruled Egypt as part of the first Persian Dynasty, the 27th Dynasty, in the Late Period. The Egyptians did not like him because he ignored the temple privilege. Like the other pharaoh's from his dynasty, Xerxes I was an absentee pharaoh who ruled from the region that is modern Iran. He forced Egypt to provide ships and equipment for his invasion of Greece but his fiscal tributes were not oppressive.

Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII was the last pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty (Ptolemaic Period). She ruled alongside her brother/husbands Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV and her young son Ptolemy XV. Rome was moving to invade Egypt but Mark Antony, Cleopatra's lover, helped her stand against Rome. He provided her the means to keep control of Asia Minor and Palestine. Augustus invaded Egypt and killed Mark Antony. Cleopatra committed suicide which marked the end of Pharaonic Egypt.

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Narmer was a pharaoh of the 1st Dynasty in the Early Dynastic Period. He was the first pharaoh to unite the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. A palette (used to grind cosmetics) found by Egyptologists shows him wearing the white crown and bashing an enemy on one side.

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