"Ancient Egypt is one of the great wellsprings of human civilization, first developing around the city of Memphis on the Nile River in the fourth millennium BCE. Egyptian life was centred on a complex system of religious rituals, with the pharaoh (king) seen as a living god among the people. Mighty pyramids, tombs and monuments were built to celebrate the pharaohs, many of which can still be seen in all their grandeur today. Arranged by dynastic period, Pharaohs offers a compact history of the reign of these god- kings, from Menes, who united the north and south kingdoms, to the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra, who was defeated along with her lover Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) by imperial Rome. Along the way the reader will learn about the Great Pyramid constructed by Khufu, the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world; Queen Hatshepsut, a rare female pharaoh whose name means ""foremost of noblewomen"" and who launched a massive building programme at Luxor; the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered intact in the Valley of the Kings, complete with the fabulous trappings of his divine status; and Ramesses II (""the Great""), who is thought to have enslaved the Israelites, built the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel, and defeated the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) riding his trade-mark chariot. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Pharaohs is an accessible history of the kings who ruled Ancient Egypt for more than 4,000 years."
"Contents: Introduction 1: The Great Age of the God Kings Menes: unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt Qa’a: Ruled very long, his tomb is the last one with subsidiary tombs. Neferkasokar: Old Kingdom legends claim that this ruler saved Egypt from a long-lasting drought. Djoser: Commissioned the first Pyramid in Egypt, created by chief architect and scribe Imhotep. Sneferu: Reigned 48 years, giving him enough time to build the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Khufu: Built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Khufu is depicted as a cruel tyrant by ancient Greek authors. Menkaure; A legend claims that his only daughter died due to an illness and Menkaura buried her in a golden coffin in the shape of a cow. Teti: According to Manetho, he was murdered. Neferkare: Possibly the longest reigning monarch of human history with 94 years on the throne. 2: Royal Decline & Recovery Qakare: Built a pyramid at Saqqara inscribed with the last known instance of the Pyramid Texts. Sehertawy: First member of the dynasty to claim a Horus name. Tepia: Nominally a Theban nomarch (Tepy-a) but may have ruled independently. Wahankh: Conquered Abydos and its nome. Mentuhtep III: Commanded the first expedition to Punt of the Middle Kingdom Amenemhat: Assassinated by his own guards. Khakaure: Most powerful of the Middle Kingdom pharaohs Sobekkare: the first female pharaoh Senusret III (1878–1839 BC) was a warrior king, leading his troops deep into Nubia, and built a series of massive forts throughout the country to establish Egypt's formal boundaries with the unconquered areas of its territory. Amenemhat III (1860–1815 BC) is considered the last great pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom. 3: Reimagining Egypt in a Wider World Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782–1570 BCE) Awybre: Famous for his intact tomb treasure and Ka statue Smenkhkare: marked by two colossal statues Sobekemsaf II: His tomb was robbed and burned during the reign of Ramesses IX. The Seventeenth Dynasty and a war of liberation: The two last kings of this dynasty were Seqenenre Tao and Kamose. Ahmose I completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos from the Nile Delta, restored Theban rule over the whole of Egypt. 4: The Age of Egyptian Empire New Kingdom (1570–1069 BCE) Ahmose I: conquered north of Egypt from the Hyksos. Thutmose III: Famous for his territorial expansion into the Levant and Nubia. Under his reign, the Ancient Egyptian Empire was at its greatest extent. Amenhotep III The Magnificent: Father of Akhenaten and grandfather of Tutankhamun. Ruled Egypt at the height of its power. Built many temples and monuments, including his enormous Mortuary Temple. Amenhotep IV: changed the state religion from the polytheistic Ancient Egyptian religion to the Monotheistic Atenism, centered around the worship of the Aten, an image of the sun disc Tutankhamun: He is thought to have taken the throne at around age eight or nine and to have died around age eighteen or nineteen, giving him the nickname ""The Boy King."" Tutankhamun was a weak ruler suffering from multiple health issues. 5: An Age of Decline or Transformation? Ramesses II the Great: C ontinued expanding Egypt's territory until he reached a stalemate with the Hittite Empire at the Battle of Kadesh in 1275 BCE Ramesses III: Fought the Sea Peoples in 1175 BC. Possibly assassinated (Harem conspiracy). Third Intermediate Period (1069–664 BCE) Pasebakhenniut I: Ruled for 40 to 51 years. Famous for his intact tomb at Tanis. Known as ""The Silver Pharaoh"" due to the magnificent silver coffin he was buried in. Shoshenq I Meriamun: Possibly the biblical Shishaq Piye: King of Nubia; conquered Egypt in his 20th year; full reign at least 24 years, possibly 30 years Late Period (664–525 BCE) Nekau I: Was killed by an invading Kushite force in 664 BC under Tantamani. Wahibre: Fled Egypt after Amasis II (who was a general at the time) declared himself pharaoh following a civil war. Ahmose II: He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest. Psamtik III: Ruled for about six months before being defeated by the Persians in the Battle of Pelusium and subsequently executed for attempting to revolt. Darius III: Upper Egypt returned to Persian control in 335 BC. Nectanebo II was the last native king to rule Egypt. The Persian Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. 6: The End of Independent Egypt Aluksindres (Alexander the Great): Macedon conquered Persia and Egypt. Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy IV: Died in unclear circumstances, possibly by fire in the palace or murder. Cleopatra III: Murdered by her own son Ptolemy X. Ptolemy XI: Young son of Ptolemy X Alexander; installed by Sulla; ruled for 80 days before being lynched Cleopatra VII: Ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII, her brother Ptolemy XIII, her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV, and her son Ptolemy XV. Committed suicide after the defeat at Actium. Ptolemy XV Caesar: Infant son of Cleopatra VII; aged 3 when proclaimed co-ruler with Cleopatra. Last known ruler of ancient Egypt when Rome took over. Index"
Phyllis G. Jestice is Professor of Medieval European History and former Chair of the Department of History at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, where she regularly teaches about vikings, crusaders, and the 100 Years War. A devoted teacher, Jestice enjoys writing for both academic and popular audiences. Her most recent monograph is Imperial Ladies of the Ottonian Dynasty: Women and Rule in Tenth-century Germany> (Palgrave Macmillan 2018).
Reviews for Pharaohs
“Jestice has presented a beautiful, concise book designed to enlighten . . . Pharaohs: The Rulers of Ancient Egypt for over 3000 Years has an engaging narrative for the beginner worthy of its extensive color illustrations.” -- Robert S Davis * New York Journal of Books *
