Egypt had its share of rulers over the years

Egypt's strong kings united the Egyptian Kingdom

These kings ruled as living gods

Around 3100 B.C., the king of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt

This king was named Menes

Kings wore the double crown after the unification (Lower and  Upper Egypt)

The united Egypt built their new capital city at Memphis

These kings started Egypt's political, economic, tech., art, and religious practices

These first unified kings started the ruling dynasty (series of rulers from the same family)

Egypt had 31 dynasties

A total of 330 kings ruled throughout this period

Egyptians began calling their kings "pharaoh" around 1000 B.C.

People called the king pharaoh because they feared speaking the king's name

People feared the pharaoh because it had total authority over their lives (religious, civil, and military)

The king, or pharaoh, had absolute power over everyone's life

The pharaoh was worshipped as the son of Egypt's gods

He was seen as a living god

Pharaohs had the duty of maintaining communication between the gods and Egypt's people

The pharaoh was the highest priest, with ultimate religious power over everyone and everything

Successful harvests, wars, etc. meant that the pharaoh was in good standing with the gods (successful pharaoh)

Disease, unsuccessful wars, or famine were direct results of the pharaohs standing with the gods, and his authority was in jeopardy (unsuccessful pharaoh)

The pharaoh was in charge of all important decisions

He led his armies to battle as the commander-in-chief

As powerful as he was, most of his work was done by viziers (chief officials)

One vizier oversaw the Upper Kingdom and the another the Lower Kingdom

Viziers had many supporters working for them (made governing more manageable)

Pharaohs were predominantly men and had many wives

The oldest son of his main wife became heir to the throne

This heir would rule alongside his father (learning the job)

When the pharaoh died, the heir took over the throne