Midterm summary (grade 9)

 Key Terms and People

 Hyksos invaders that ruled Egypt from 1640 to 1570 BC
 New Kingdom period after the Hyksos rulers
 Hatshepsut New Kingdom ruler who encouraged trade
 Thutmose III warlike ruler; stepson of Hatshepsut
 Piankhi Kushite king who forced the Libyans out of Egypt
 Kush Nubian kingdom

o After the prosperity of the Middle Kingdom, Egypt descended into war and
violence. The weakened country fell to invaders who invaded the country in
chariots, a weapon of war unknown to the Egyptians. These Asiatic invaders,
called Hyksos.
o How did the invasion of Egypt by the Hyksos demonstrate the importance of
military technology? The Hyksos used two-wheeled chariots, a form of military
technology new to the Egyptians
o Queen Ahhotep worked with her son, King Ahmose I, to drive the Hyksos from
Egypt. Ahhotep ruled as Ahmose’s representative in Thebes while Ahmose waged
war against the Hyksos.

Important!

o Hatshepsut wad different from other New Kingdom rulers because she promoted
foreign trade.
o Hatshepsut’s stepson, Thutmose III, proved to be a much more warlike ruler. In his
eagerness to ascend to the throne, Thutmose III may even have murdered
Hatshepsut.
  The Empire Declines: The empire that Thutmose III had built and Ramses II had
ruled slowly came apart after 1200 BC as other strong civilizations rose to challenge
Egypt’s power. Shortly after Ramses died, the entire eastern Mediterranean suffered
a wave of invasions
o The Egyptian empire broke apart into regional units, and numerous small kingdoms
arose. Each was eager to protect its independence.
o Almost powerless, Egypt soon fell to its neighbors’ invasions. Eventually, Libyans
crossed the desert to the Nile Delta. There they established independent dynasties.
From around 950 to 730 BC, Libyan pharaohs ruled Egypt and erected cities. But
instead of imposing their own culture, the Libyans adopted Egypt’s. When the
Nubians came north to seize power, they too adopted Egyptian culture.
o Libyan dynasty ruled Egypt for more than 200 years.

 The Kushites Conquer the Nile Region

o For centuries, Egypt dominated Nubia and the Nubian kingdom of Kush, which
lasted for about a thousand years, between 2000 and 1000 BC.
o The Kushites viewed themselves as more suitable guardians of Egyptian values
than the Libyans. They sought to guard these values by conquering Egypt and
ousting its Libyan rulers.
o How did the Kushites establish their rule over the entire Nile region? By removing
the Libyans from power.
o In 751 BC, a Kushite king named Piankhi overthrew the Libyan dynasty that had
ruled Egypt for more than 200 years. He united the entire Nile Valley from the delta
in the north to Napata in the south.
o Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, the pyramids of Nubia had steeply sloping sides and
were probably designed with a flat top.

Nubian Pyramids
Egyptian Pyramids