| The King was not only the most powerful and important man in Egypt, he was thought to be a god. He was known as the pharaoh, a word which derives from a respectful way of referring to the king by describing him as the "great house" (per-ao), meaning the palace where he lived. They Queen of Egypt was also thought of as a goddess but was usually given the title of "Great Royal Wife", only rarely did women rule Egypt in their own right. There was an effective system of teaching a prince to become a pharaoh, which included training him to be an expert sportsman and potential war leader. |  |
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Often the ruling pharaoh would adopt his heir as co-regent to enable a smooth takeover when the king died. Sometimes princes had to wait a long time. One pharaoh, Pepy II, holds the record for the longest reign of any monarch. Pepy II came to the throne when he was six years old. He was still king of Egypt 94 years later when he was 100. It is remarkable that in Egypt's long history there are only a few references to pharaohs being assassinated, usually as a result of a plot in the court to put a prince who was not the true heir onto the throne. |
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Tutankhamun: (also known as King Tut)
This ruler came to the trone when he was only nine years old. He was obviously guided by his high officials, but seems to have been determined to bring back the old gods who had been banished by Akhenaten. This famous golden mask comes from his tomb. |
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Ramses The Great:
In the 13th century B.C., Ramses II reigned over Egypt for 67 years. He built more monuments and set up more statues than any other pharaoh. Among his buildings are the mortuary complex on the West Bank at Thebes, today called the Ramesseum. |
| Since the climate of Egypt is so dry and hot, people often shaved their heads to keep cool, women included. But beauty was very important to them, so they made wigs. Here is one shown at the right, it may look hot, but it's surprisingly cool! |  |
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Pharaoh
Members of the royal family Nobles, Priests and Warriors Merchants, Artists, and Craftworkers Peasant-farmers, Laborers, and Slaves |