Definition: the word pharaoh refers to the title of the ancient Egyptian kings. The title “pharaoh” means the “great house” and refers to the royal palace. Pharaohs were the god kings of ancient Egypt who ruled between 3150 B.C. and 30 B.C. (when Rome conquered Egypt). Each time a new family took control of the throne, a […]

Caesar openly claimed their son and declared he would marry Cleopatra despite laws against bigamy and foreign marriage. Upon his orders, a gold-plated statue depicting Cleopatra was placed in the temple of Venus Genetrix. Caesar continued to conquer his rivals with Cleopatra by his side. He had politically placed himself as dictator of Rome. On March 15, 44, a […]

@ Jason Devaun – Cleopatra, depiction on a Ptolemaic coin Roman Invasion While Cleopatra fought to regain control of Egypt, the Roman guardian Pompey was fighting his own battles against his fellow Romans. Pompey sought refuge with Ptolemy XIII only to be murdered the moment he arrived at Alexandria. Four days later, Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria with 3,200 […]

Raised to Rule       © Tiffany Silva – Statue of Queen Cleopatra For more than 300 years, Cleopatra’s family ruled Egypt. She was born the third child of King Ptolemy XII in 69 BC. Her name meant “glory of the father”. Cleopatra’s two older sisters died before her father, leaving her with the rights […]

Considered by some scholars to be history’s first woman of importance, Hatshepsut ascended to the status of pharaoh in the very male-dominated ancient Egypt, and her ascension was even more remarkable as she declared herself ruler through a bold power-play. Her reign, circa 1473-1458 BC, was during a particularly fruitful portion of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. During her time in […]

The Narmer Palette, an ancient Egyptiancermonial engraving, depicts the great king Narmer (c. 3150 BCE) conquering his enemies with the support and approval of his gods. This piece, dating from c. 3200-3000 BCE, was initially thought to be an accurate historical depiction of the unification of Egypt under Narmer, the first king of the First Dynasty. Recent revisions in scholarship, […]

  Pi-Ramses, an ancient city in the Nile delta, was established by Ramses 2 and used for his campaigns in Syria. This city is mentioned in the Bible, as a place where Israelites were forced to work for the Pharaoh. Another ancient city, Abydos (known for its mythological inscriptions) was used by Ramses II to record the history […]

Ramses II Biography: Architectural Accomplishments   © Richard White – Ramesseum from the air Perhaps the best-known achievements of Ramses the Great are his architectural endeavors, most notable the Ramesseum and the temples of Abu Simbel. Ramses II’s interest in architecture resulted in the erection of more monuments than any of the other ancient Egyptian pharaohs. A significant number of architectural tributes […]

Thutmose III’s Family Tree The son of Thutmose II and a secondary wife, Iset, Thutmose III rose to co-regency with Hatshepsut (his father’s chief wife) when Thutmose II died in 1479 BC. However, because Thutmose III was still a young boy of only seven, Hatshepsut ruled on her own while Thutmose III spent much of his time […]

Monuments One of the ways Pharaohs are remembered are by the monuments they leave behind. Since Hatshepsut had her husband’s name removed from many monuments, it’s hard to determine what was originally built by him. However, a few monuments do remain including some in Kumma, Semna and Elephantine. The largest monument credited to his reign is a […]