Did you know that the term 'pharaoh' wasn't used for
the ruler of ancient Egypt until the New Kingdom?
Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia! My name is Kelly and today is all about the
political and religious leader of ancient Egypt. We are going to introduce the king and pharaoh of
Egypt, their establishment and responsibilities as the ruler of such a successful and enduring
region during the ancient world. Don't forget, the easiest way to support us is by giving this
video a thumbs up, subscribing to our channel and hitting that bell icon for notifications
so you don't miss out on any new uploads. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organisation
and you can find us on Patreon - a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive
exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week, so make sure to
check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below.
It was during the First Dynasty of Egypt in 3150 BCE that the first king of Egypt arose after
unifying Upper and Lower Egypt, and the continuous unification of the region, became one of the most
important roles that the ancient Egyptian king or pharaoh had to uphold. The first king of Egypt:
Menes, also known as Namer, is depicted on the well-known Namer Palette wearing the two crowns
of Egypt which symbolised the unification of the region under a single ruler. It was during the
Second Dynasty of Egypt that spanned from 2890 and 2670 BCE when the King Raneb linked both his reign
and his name with the gods. From Raneb onwards, all kings of Egypt were linked to the divine and
one of their principal responsibilities was the maintenance of harmony and balance known as Ma'at
and to keep the region unified to keep chaos or Isfet away. The kings of Egypt weren't connected
with just any of the gods but with specific gods from the pantheon. Osiris was considered the first
king of Egypt after the creation of the universe, and he is often depicted in art holding the crook
and flail, a symbol associated with kingship, guidance of the people and fertility of the
land. After the death of Osiris, his resurrection and then his descent as king of the underworld,
his son Horus became the next king of Egypt after battling his uncle Set for the title;
a representation of harmony defeating chaos or Ma'at defeating Isfet. As the first and second
kings of Egypt, as determined in their religion, all kings from then on became associated with
Horus in life and Osiris in death. During their reign, the kings of Egypt were not only associated
with Horus but were considered intermediaries between the gods and the people of Egypt.
So, as the ruler of a large region and a man or sometimes a woman associated intimately with the
gods, what did the pharaoh actually do? On the religious side of the job, the pharaoh held the
title 'High Priest of Every Temple', and it was his duty to build great temples and monuments that
both gave honour to the gods but also celebrated his own achievements. He would officiate religious
ceremonies, he would choose sites for new temples and decree the work that needed to be done;
although he didn't actually design the temple nor did he get to choose the priests. As a man
of many titles, the king was also 'Lord of the Two Lands' as the person who collected the taxes,
made the laws, owned all of Egypt's land and also made the decision to go to war. War doesn't sound
like a very harmonious thing to do; however, sometimes it was necessary to keep the balance
or harmony in Egypt which was the pharaoh's most important responsibility. Warfare was an
essential part of the rule of a pharaoh, and it was sometimes necessary when the balance of the
land was threatened. This is best shown in "The Poem of Pentaur" written by Rameses II's scribes
after the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites - a battle which both sides claimed victory of. It
is noted in the poem that the balance of Egypt was disrupted by the Hittites and so they had to be
severely dealt with. It was the sacred duty of the pharaoh to defend the borders of his land but also
to attack neighbours for natural resources if it was in the best interest of the harmony of Egypt.
Some of the most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt, including Ramesses II also known as Ramesses the
Great, come from the New Kingdom Period of Egypt during the 18th and 19th dynasties.
It was during this time that the title pharaoh came into use; prior to the New Kingdom,
Egyptian rulers were known as kings. Pharaoh is the Greek form of the Egyptian
pero meaning 'Great House' and referring to the royal residence. In the 18th Dynasty,
you have probably one of the most well-known women from Egyptian history: Hatshepsut, who first
reigned as regent and then as pharaoh for over 20 years and she did so successfully. Hatshepsut
re-established trade with the Land of Punt and caused the economy of Egypt to boom. She was
also responsible for a huge number of public work projects and only Ramesses II of the 19th Dynasty
would build more than her during his reign. In the 18th Dynasty, you also have Hatshepsut's
successor Thutmose III, who 20 years after becoming pharaoh attempted to wipe the memory
of Hatshepsut from Egypt, scratching her name out of inscriptions and destroying her statues.
During this dynasty, you also find the unique rule of Akhenaten who started as Amenhotep IV before he
changed his name, moved the capital to the brand new city of Akhetaten and declared the Aten as the
one god to worship and of course, the most famous Pharaoh due to his untouched tomb being discovered
100 years ago is the boy king Tutankhamun, the son of Akhenaten, and a pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty.
The New Kingdom of Egypt is also sometimes considered the period of the Egyptian Empire
due to its great success ,but it didn't last. After Ramesses III, the power of the pharaoh
started to decline due to the invasions of the mysterious Sea Peoples who were wreaking havoc
all throughout the Bronze Age Aegean. Although the Egyptians were victorious over them,
it cost them greatly in both wealth and lives, and the economy started to decline.
Still under Ramesses III, there was a labour strike which caused his ability to maintain
Ma'at to be called into question, as well as whether the upper classes actually cared about
the general population of the region. The Prestige of the pharaoh continued to decline
throughout the Third Intermediate Period when Egypt was ruled not by Egyptian kings but by
foreign rulers and then continued downward after the Persians invaded in 525 BCE, and
then still further after Alexander the Great moved through the country. By the time of Cleopatra VII,
the final ruler of ancient Egypt before the Romans annexed the region as a part of their empire, the
title of pharaoh no longer held any of the power it once did and fewer monuments were erected. The
power and might of the ancient Egyptian kings and pharaohs faded with her death. Can you think of
another ancient culture whose ruler served the same functions as the king or pharaoh in Egypt?
Let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up
and subscribe to our channel, so you don't miss out on our new videos every Tuesday and Friday.
This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia! For more great articles and
interactive content, head to our website via the link below. If you like my sweater,
you can find this design and a bunch more in our shop at worldhistory.store or you can find a link
for it down below. Thank you so much for watching, and we will see you soon with another video!