This is what it's like like to be an Ancient Egyptian Kingt. You have total and absolute power over everyone and everything! The crops grown by farmers, the crafts created by artisans, and the lands conquered by soldiers all belong to you. All the wealth of the country is yours! If you want an impressive temple built in your name, just give the order and your people will build it. You (and everyone else) believe that Ra, the god of the sun, is your father- so you are a god, too! Humans have to kneel with their foreheads on the floor to show their respect to you. Because you are a god, they are forbidden to talk to you or even say your name. Instead of addressing you directly, they have to call you pharaoh, which means"the great palace."
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That way, they are referring to your home instead of your person.As soon as you become pharaoh, planning and construction on your burial tomb begins. As a god, you'll need special accomodations for the inevitable day when you go on to join with Osiris, the god of the afterlife. There is a downside to being a pharaoh, though. Since no one outside your family has royal blood, you'll have to marry one of your sisters. After a pharaoh died, the oldest son would inherit the position. But if he didn't have any sons it wasn't usually a problem since pharaohs had many wives, who bore many children. Ramses II had over 100 children! The throne would be handed down throughout the family, generation after generation. There were exceptions, though. A dynasty could end if a pharaoh had no male heirs to inherit his throne. Or a rival could conquer a reigning pharaoh and establish himself as the new king. Even foreigner invaders could come in and take the throne. In all, Egypt had 31 dynasties until the Greeks took over in 332 BC. The Greeks ruled as pharaohs, blending their culture with that of Egypt. Historians divide Egypt's history into several major time periods, where particular events mark the end of one period or the beginning of the next. Most dates are approximate and may vary from one source to another. |
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