The History of

Egypt: Pharaohs
June 2010
Class: 1E2 History Report
Group Members:
- Nursarah Binte Suprat (26)*
- Nur Haziqah Hamraa’ (25)

- Sabrina Natasya (28)

- Siti NurDzafirah(29)

- Leong Kai Xiang (16)

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 The History of Egypt: Pharaohs

Content Page

S/No Contents: Page No.:

1 Introduction 3

2 Chapter 1: The Life of the Pharaohs 4

3 Chapter 2: Tutankhamun: The Boy King 6

4 Acknowledgements 8

Introduction to History Report:

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 There are many essentials to the history of Egypt. The ones that we are doing now is
concentrating on the rulers of Egypt, The Pharaohs. There are many points to the
Pharaohs. Their personality, their work, their way of life and many more. The
information found on this report begins and ends with pharaohs. This report mainly
concentrates on their outer character, their beliefs and a little bit about their history.

“In the pyramids of Egypt

An Egyptian King looks down to his people
Leading them to the new era

Without a king, the people will fall

Without the people, he’s no king.

The pharaoh leads and the people follow.

Never shall they fall in their unity of the king and the people.

- nss.”

Chapter 1: The life of a Pharaoh

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1.1 The Pharaoh’s Title

Pharaoh is a title for the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title began to be used for the ruler
who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt. This was proved during the New
Kingdom, especially during the middle of the 18th dynasty.

The title Pharaoh or “Great House” was originally referring to the king’s palace. During Thutmose III
(ca. 1479-1425 BC), it became a form of address for the person of the king. The term for himself was
nsw(t)-bjt(j) or pronounced Nesut-Biti OR the King of Upper and Lower Egypt (He of the sedge and
the bee / King of the Two Lands)

1.2 The Pharaoh’s Crowns

The Red and White Crowns

This double kingship was expressed in the Pschent, the double crown combining the red crown of
Lower Egypt (pronounced: Deshret; original: dsrt) (The Red One) and the white crown of Upper Egypt
(pronounced: Hedjet; original: hdt)(The White, or Bright One).

Though no example of these crowns survive (that we know of), scholars have proposed that they were
made of either fabric or leather, which were the two materials already ‘found’ during those times,
supplemented in the case of the Red Crown by a "wire" ending in a spiral. Both of these crowns are
mentioned, where their luminous color is associated with the light of celestial bodies. These two
crowns were ‘taken’ from the tutelary goddesses of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt), Nekhbet
and Wadjet, and these were glorified in hymns. They were also known as "The Two Great of Magic".

The Double Crown

The combination of both the red and white crowns, most commonly called shmty (The Two Powerful
Ones). When combined, the resulting crown symbolizes kingship over the entire country. It also is
depicted on the heads of gods associated either with kingship, such as Horus or with cosmic rule, like
Atum. The Double Crown is shown in representations from the 1st Dynasty (around 3100 BC/BCE)
onwards. The Double Crown may replace the Red Crown in complementary representations of the
Upper and Lower Egyptian crowns. The Double Crown are rarely seen compared to seeing the Red and
White Crowns separately. In two dimensional representations, the double crown is typically depicted in
a very stylized manner, with the Red Crown section largely omitted. The curled "wire" rarely present in
the depictions of the Double Crown, either because it has been broken off, but more frequently, it
would seem to be purposely omitted on the crown itself.

The Two Feathers Crown

The Double Feathers Crown and principally called swty (The Two Feathers) by the ancient Egyptians,
may have a pair of ostrich or falcon feathers. Some texts suggest that this crown held a special position
within the rites surrounding the ruler's accession to the throne, complementing the role of the Double
Crown at his coronation.

The Nemes
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Worn almost exclusively by the king in representations. Its use on the standards representing the royal
underlines its significance for kingship. The king wears the nemes when represented as a sphinx or
falcon.

The Divine Crowns

There are many crowns in which each represents a god of Egypt. Such as: The most common divine
headdresses are cow horns and solar disks for the leading goddesses of the pantheon, such as Hathor
and Isis, emphasizing their maternal role.

1.3 The People’s beliefs towards the Pharaohs

Initially the rulers were considered the sons of the cow deity Bat and eventually Hathor and they
occupied her throne to rule the country and officiate in religious rites.

The pharaohs were believed later in the culture to be the incarnations of the deity Horus in life and
Osiris in death.

Once the cult of Isis and Osiris became prominent, pharaohs were viewed as a bridge between the god
Osiris and human beings; and after death the pharaoh was believed to unite with Osiris.

The royal line was lead by women and a relationship with the royal women through birth or marriage
(or both) determined the right to rule. The royal women played important roles in the religious rituals
and governance of the country, sometimes participating alongside the pharaoh.

Chapter 2: Tutankhamun: The boy king

2.1 The name of Tutankhamun

When Tut was born, he was given the name Tutankhaten meaning the "Living Image of the Aten"
(The Aten was the single god worshipped during the rule Akhenaten, the heretic king who is the
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 father of Tutankhamun.The mother in which is still yet to be known but is believed to be Tut’s
sister.)

Not long after Tutankhaten became Pharaoh, his name restored to the previously-deposed state
god Amun and Tut's name was returned to Tutankhamun.

These days, Tut's name is found with differing spellings, including Tutankhamun, Tutankhamen
and Tutankhamon.

In reality, we cannot be sure how the ancient Egyptians pronounced the name as they did not
write vowels. (Some hieroglyphs are transliterated as vowels, since they are weak consonants).
Egyptologists add vowels to assist in communicating information.

2.2 The life of Tutankhamun

Reign

Given his age, the king must have had very powerful advisors, presumably including General Horemheb,
the Vizier Ay, and Maya the "Overseer of the Treasury". Horemheb records that the king appointed him
lord of the land as hereditary prince to maintain the law and order in the country. He also noted his ability to
calm the young king when his temper flared. Tutankhamun ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of
nine, taking the reign name of Tutankhaten.

When he became king, he married his half sister, Ankhesenepatan, who later changed her name to
Ankhesenamun. They had two daughters, both stillborn.

Domestic policy

In his third year of sovereignty, Tutankhamun reversed several changes made during his father's reign. He
ended the worship of the god, Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun
was lifted and traditional privileges were restored to its priesthood. The capital was moved back to Thebes
and the city of Akhenaten abandoned. This is also when he changed his name to Tutankhamun.

As part of his restoration, the king initiated building projects, in particular at Thebes and Karnak, where he
dedicated a temple to Amun. Many monuments were built, and an inscription on his tomb door declares the
king had "spent his life in fashioning the images of the gods". The traditional festivals were now celebrated
again.

Foreign policy
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Foreign policy

The country faced problems like being economically weak and in turmoil during the reign of Akhenaten.

Diplomatic relations with the other kingdoms had been neglected. Tutankhamun sought to restore them, in
particular with the Kingdom of Mitanni. Evidence of his success is suggested by the gifts from various
countries found in his tomb. Despite his efforts to improve the relations between the countries, battles with
Nubians and Asiatics were recorded in his mortuary temple at Thebes.

His tomb contained multiple body armours and folding stools appropriate for use during military
campaigns. However, given his youth and physical disabilities, which seemed to require the use of a cane in
order to walk, historians speculate that he did not take part personally in these battles. Research has proved
that he had some disability in his legs and could not walk, thus, explaining the presence of the cane.

Health and Appearance

Tutankhamun was slight of build, and was roughly 170 cm tall. He had large front incisors (teeth) and the
overbite characteristic of the Thutmosid royal line to which he belonged to. He also had a pronounced
elongated skull, although it was within normal bounds and highly unlikely to have been pathological. Given
the fact that many of the royal depictions of Akhenaten often featured such an elongated head, it is likely an
exaggeration of a family trait, rather than a distinct abnormality. The research also showed that the
Tutankhamun had "a slightly cleft palate" and possibly a mild case of scoliosis.

Cause of death
The king probably did inherit Kohler disease II, however, a rare bone disorder affecting the foot.
Additionally, he had a club foot and curvature of the spine. These disorders would affect the King's
mobility, which explains, say the researchers, why there were sticks and staves in Tut's tomb; he must have
used them as canes.
It was malaria that actually killed the King; the researchers actually found evidence of the disease in Tut's
blood - evidence that is the oldest mummified proof of malaria in ancient populations found yet.

Other References:

As stated above, the team discovered DNA from several strains of a parasite proving he was infected with
the most severe strain of malaria several times in his short life. Malaria can trigger circulatory shock or
cause a fatal immune response in the body, either of which can lead to death. And while Tut did suffer from
a bone disease which was crippling, it would not have been fatal. “Perhaps he struggled against others
[congenital flaws] until a severe bout of malaria or a leg broken in an accident added one strain too many to
a body that could no longer carry the load,” wrote Zahi Hawass, archeologist and head of Egyptian Supreme
Council of Antiquity involved in the research.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Information found in this proposal and presentation:

Adapted from:

www. Wikipedia.org/pharaoh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun

http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/tut3.htm

http://inventorspot.com/articles/tutankhamuns_dna_reveals_why_he_died_boy_kin
g_37952

Pictures found in the presentation:

Adapted from Google Images and Yahoo Images.

::Thank You::

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