Why pharaoh is important

B y the Middle Kingdom , the pharaohs no longer considered themselves to be living gods, but rather the representatives of the gods on earth. They left records of their deeds, but these were no more than a string of titles and laudatory epithets. T o reinforce their image as powerful divine rulers, the pharaohs represented themselves in writings and sculptured reliefs on temple walls. They often depicted themselves as warriors who single-handedly killed scores of enemies and slaughtered a whole pride of lions.

Similar depictions were repeated by one pharaoh after another, which leads one to question the validity of the scenes. These deeds of heroism were, in part, designed for propaganda purposes. Make no mistake, Ramses the Great was not a modest pharaoh. The extensive architectural legacy of his reign is testament to this — as is the fact that his excesses are thought to have left the throne close to bankruptcy at the time of his death.

Persian Achaemenid Kings were acknowledged as pharaohs and so Xerxes the Great, as he was known, earns a place on our list by virtue of fame, if not popularity. Xerxes I was very much a pharaoh in absentia and his failed attempts to invade Greece ensured that his portrayal by Greek historians and by extension the film is not kind. The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Cleopatra presided over the dying days of the Egyptian empire, yet her fame has lived on through folklore, Shakespeare and Hollywood.

Cleopatra was an astute, politically savvy ruler who succeeded in bringing peace and relative prosperity to an ailing empire. TV A new online only channel for history lovers. Sign Me Up.

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You cannot download interactives. Egypt was a vast kingdom of the ancient world. It was unified around B. Today Egyptologists, archaeologists who focus on this ancient civilization, have learned a great deal about the rulers, artifacts, and customs of ancient Egypt. Use these resources to teach your students about the ancient Egyptians. 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 B. 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.