Egyptian Pharaohs

Pharaohs were great kings and queens of the Egyptian civilization. Most pharaohs were men but some well-known pharaohs, such as Nefertiti and Cleopatra, were women. Pharaohs were the most powerful and influential of leaders who served in capacity both as a religious and political ruler. Pharaohs were held in high esteem by Egyptians they were thought to be the owners of all land and were responsible to construct laws, collect taxes, and defend Egypt against foreigners. Many pharaohs went to war when their land was endangered or when they desired to have power over foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, those conquered were forced to recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their leader and ruler. They offered him the finest and most valuable goods from their land. A Pharaoh was seen as the most important, most distinguished as well as the most powerful individual 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.

The Kings of Egypt however, were not called Pharaohs by the ancient Egyptians; the word “Pharaoh” was used by the Greeks and Hebrews, and today is commonly used for the ancient Kings of Egypt. It is unknown, how many kings Egypt had, due to the fact that the country was at one point separated and several kings ruled at the same time. The first true pharaoh of Egypt however, was Narmer also known as Menes; Narmer was responsible for uniting Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt in 3100 B.C. as well as responsible for establishing the first capital of Egypt where the two lands met.  He was considered the first king of the First Dynasty, which was the beginning of the Old Kingdom. When Pharaohs died, they were mummified and placed in a sarcophagus which according to The World book Dictionary is a stone coffin, especially one ornamented with sculptures or bearing inscriptions. Sarcophagus’s resembled the Pharaoh inside. This was so because it was believed, that the Pharaoh need to be identifiable in order to be granted approval in to the after life.