Uncover the mysteries behind the monarchs of ancient Egypt, from the First Dynasty in the early Bronze Age right up to the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BCE. From their ancient gods and complex religion to everyday life and enigmatic rulers, delve into the extraordinary world of this ancient civilisation.
Welcome to PHARAOHS
All About History: Book of Pharaohs
Map of Ancient Egypt • From the Nile Delta to the fertile floodplains, explore the setting that became the birthplace of a great civilisation
NARMER FATHER OF EGYPT • The great ruler who unified Egypt and established a kingdom that endured for thousands of years
Memphis – the white-walled city • Uncover the heart of culture, commerce and power in Ancient Egypt
THE FIRST PHARAOHS • Uncover the leaders of Archaic Egypt and their quest to create a new kingdom
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PHARAOH • Part ruler, part god, the pharaoh’s life was one of ritual and rule
THE REIGN OF Djoser • How one of the early pharaohs of the Third Dynasty helped give the Egyptian Empire its grandeur
The final resting place • Djoser left a sizeable monument to himself
THE MEDJAY SUDAN DWELLERS TURNED ELITE POLICE FORCE • This group of warriors went from skilled mercenaries to the pharaohs’ protectors of the peace
KHUFU GIZA’S LONG-LOST PHARAOH • The pharaoh Khufu may have left his mark on the world with the Great Pyramid, the only remaining ancient wonder of the world, but his own resting place remains a mystery
Giza’s great pharaohs
The Great Pyramid and the Spiral Structure theory
Chambers of the Great Pyramid
MENTUHOTEP II THE PHARAOH WHO REUNITED EGYPT • After the chaos and division following the fall of the Old Kingdom, a new dynasty worked to bring back order
The pharaoh’s great tomb • Mentuhotep built a ‘House for Millions of Years’ unlike any other
WARRIORS OF THE PHARAOH • The Egyptian military charted a course of steady evolution during the age of the pharaohs
AHMOSE I A UNIFYING POWER • After years of unrest, one king would defy invaders, unify a kingdom, found a dynasty and organise the construction of the last ever natively built pyramid
Ahmose I’s mummy
Khamudi: the last ruler of the 15th Dynasty
HATSHEPSUT THE QUEEN WHO BECAME KING • After decades of stability, Egypt once again found itself in crisis when one woman decided to shatter the status quo
The 18th Dynasty family tree
The search for Hatshepsut’s mummy • After being lost to the desert for three millennia, a tiny piece of evidence revealed the truth to her whereabouts
Five greatest building projects • Hatshepsut’s commissions were so grand that after her death, many pharaohs tried to claim them as their own
THUTMOSE III EGYPT’S WARRIOR PHARAOH • After two patient decades beneath the rule of his stepmother, Thutmose emerged the greatest conqueror in Egypt’s history
Master builder • Thutmose created just as prolifically as he destroyed
BATTLE OF MEGIDDO 1457 BCE • Discover how this rebellion against the Egyptian empire was crushed
PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF AMENHOTEP III • In a time of relative peace, the son of Thutmose IV led Egypt to a zenith of political and economic power. His name was Amenhotep III
Amun vs Aten
Queen Tiye: ruling as two
NEFERTITI BEHIND THE BEAUTY • The chiselled features and perfect proportions of her limestone bust is recognised the world over. But who was the woman behind the masterpiece?
Egypt’s female pharaohs • Most of the ancient rulers were men, but a few women became the empire’s most powerful individuals
The search for Nefertiti • Discovered in 1898, could the female...
