History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
Do Now!
Dear Sixth Grade History-Maker,
1) Take out a pen or pencil.
2) Copy your homework assignment into your homework folder.
3) Take out the homework due today and put it in the upper left corner of your desk.
4) Silently put your binder on the floor.
5) Answer the following question:
6) Imagine that you are an archaeologist studying the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. You just
stumbled into a pharaoh's tomb
that has been abandoned for thousands of
years. It is filled with gold artifacts and precious stones. Would you sell the artifacts for money
or give them to a museum? Write in complete sentences.
7) Silently read your D.E.A.R. book.
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
Guided Reading 14
Pre-Reading Directions: Go through the reading and write a short definition above each underlined word.
royal – related to a king or queen
regent – person who rules for a king or queen
double crown – the crown worn by Egyptian pharaohs. The crown had two parts (upper and lower) to show
that he pharaoh ruled both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
foremost – most important
expedition – a long trip
During-Reading Directions: As you read, underline any details that help you to visualize what Hatshepsut
looked like and what kinds of things she built and accomplished in Egypt.
Hatshepsut, Pharaoh of Egypt
Adapted from “Hatshepsut, the Female Pharaoh” by Joyce Tyldesley
Hatshepsut’s Early Life
Hatshepsut was part of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, and the daughter of Thothmose I and
Queen Ahmose. Hatshepsut was her father’s oldest child, but that did not qualify her to be pharaoh.
She had three brothers. However, all of them died young except her brother Thothmose II. When
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
Hatshepsut’s father died, Hatshepsut was forced to marry her younger brother.
According to
Egyptian tradition, a pharaoh had to marry a female who was royal, usually a sister or half sister.
Since Hatshepsut was her fathers’ most royal daughter, she was the only choice.
After Thutmose II became Pharoah, Hatshepsut became the queen. She was a good queen.
Carvings from this time show her holding her children and standing beside her husband as he
performed religious ceremonies. However, Thutmose II was not healthy. He was pharaoh for about
3 years before he suddenly died.
Hatshepsut as Regent
Thutmose II had many wives, but only two children. He had a daughter with Hatshepsut and a
son, Thutmose III with another wife. Thutmose II’s daughter could not be pharaoh, so his only son
would have to be. But, the son (Thutmose III) was only around 4 years old. According to Egyptian
law, when the next pharaoh in the dynasty was too young to rule, the child’s closest royal relative
would rule until they were old enough. This relative was called the “regent”. They would perform all
of the duties of the pharoah without actually being the pharoah. There were many mothers in Egypt
who acted as regents for their young sons.
Thutmose III did not have a royal mother. Therefore, his mother could not become his regent.
Instead, Hatshepsut became the regent of Egypt, ruling for her young stepson.
At first, Thutmose III
and Hatshepsut ruled together. Carvings from the temples Hatsheptsut built show her and Thutmose
III standing next to each other, making offerings to the gods. They are the same size and are
dressed almost exactly the same. After around 5 years of ruling withThutmose III, Hatshepsut made
a sudden change. She had a ceremony which made her pharoah.
Hatshepsut as Pharoah
No one knows why Hatshepsut decided to become pharoah, but it is clear how she did it.
First, Hatshepsut built a temple to prove to people that she was the son of gods. On the walls of the
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
temple, she showed the Egyptians that she was the son of the gods, and that her father had asked
her to rule Egypt.
Carved on the walls of her temple, it says “ Amon Ra said to Hatshepsut, ‘Come,
you blessed one. I will take you in my arms that you may rise in the palace. When you rise in the
palace, you will wear the double crown of the pharaoh, for you are my son, to whom I have given
birth. This is my daughter Hatshepsut, living. I put her in my place on earth.”
Since women weren’t allowed to be pharaoh, Hatshepsut began to dress like a man. All of the
carvings of her show her wearing clothes that men wore – a short kilt, a pharoah’s head dress, and a
fake beard. She even dropped the feminine ending from her name ('t') and called herself “His
Majesty, Hatshepsu 'Foremost of Nobles”. She began to wear a crown with two ostrich feathers on
the top, just like Amon Ra, the king of gods.
Hatshepsut ruled as Pharaoh for about 20 years. There is no evidence that Thutmose III was
against her rule. In carvings from Hatshepsut’s time, Thutmose III is often shown standing beside or
behind his stepmother. He is shown as a commander in the army, and sometimes, bowing down to
his step-mother, Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut's Accomplishments: Works of Art
After becoming Pharaoh, Hatshepsut ordered many works or art. Her first were four
obelisks: large stone monuments which reached to the sky in praise of the gods. She also repaired
many of the temples in Egypt, and built new temples to praise the gods. Hatshepsut was particularly
loyal to Amon-Ra, and built many temples in his honor.
The Expedition to Punt
Hatshepsut also organized one of the greatest trading expeditions of all time. Egypt traded
with people from Nubia, Egypt, and even parts of Europe. The Egyptians loved ivory, incense, and
fruit trees which came from the land of Punt. No Egyptian had ever reached Punt. Instead, they
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
bought goods from Nubians who had traveled to Punt. This made goods from Punt very expensive,
so Hatshepsut decided to lead an expedition to Punt. No one knows where Punt was (maybe in
Somalia) but it was a very rich place, with many natural resources that Egypt wanted.
Hatshepsut made it to Punt and brought back many riches, including ivory, incense, fruit
trees, pearls, and even diamonds. Her trip made Egypt wealthier, and also opened up a new trade
relationship with Punt. Hatshepsut recorded all of her achievements on the walls of her temple at Deir
el-Bahri, and many of the scenes can still be seen today.
The Attempts to Erase Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut ruled for around 20 years. After she died, Thutmose III took power. He was a very
strong king, who led Egypt in many wars to conquer Nubia and parts of Asia.
No one knows how Hatshepsut died. Her mummy has never been found, and the coffin in her
tomb was empty when it was discovered in 1896. Unfortunately most of Hatshepsut’s temples and
statues were damaged or destroyed. After her death, someone tried to erase every single picture of
her that had ever been made. Her sculptures were smashed, her name was scratched off temples
and walls. For example, all of Hatshepsut’s signatures on her temple were replaced with Thuthmose
IIIs signature. This was a sign of great disrespect for Hatshepsut, because erasing her image would
erase her contributions to history.
For many years, no historians knew anything about Hatshepsut. Then, in 1920, a team of
archaeologists from New York were digging in the area where Hatshepsut’s temple stood. They
found a huge pit that had once been a garbage dump. However, the garbage in this pit was very
unusual! It was full of broken statues, walls, and temples. Every thing in the pit was related to
Hatshepsut. It took archaeologists nearly 10 years to sift through all of the rubble, and they
succeeded in piecing together many complete statues of Hatshepsut. These statues tell us the story
of this remarkable woman, who deserves an honored place in history.
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Name:
Unit:
Ancient Egypt
Post-Reading
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What is a regent?
2. How did Hatshepsut become a regent?
3. What did Hatshepsut build to prove to the people that she should be pharaoh? Describe how she
decorated it.
4. How long was she pharaoh for?
5. Why did she go to Punt? What did she bring back?
6. Why did archaeologists find most of Hatshepsut’s belongings and statues in a garbage dump? Explain.
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
History
Unit 2:
Ancient Egypt
Mr. Woodward. 6th Grade History, 2008-2009
Name:
Unit: