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- This article refers to the historical pharaoh. For pharaoh in the Book of Abraham, see Pharaoh (Book of Abraham); for the book by Boleslaw Prus, see Faraon; for the computer game see Pharaoh (computer game)
| Pharaoh "Pr-Aa" in hieroglyphs |
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Pharaoh (Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (without niqqud: פרעה), Standard Hebrew Parʿo, Tiberian Hebrew Parʿōh, Arabic فرعون) is a title used to refer to the kings (of godly status) in ancient Egypt.
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Etymology
The term derives ultimately from the Egyptian words Pr-Aa meaning "Great House". Originally a term for the royal palace, this word came into vogue to refer to the king. The earliest certain instance of the term "pharaoh" is in a letter addressed to Thutmose III in the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty (1539a href="1292_BC_73cf.html" title="1292 BC">1292 BC). By the Twenty-Second Dynasty (c. 945. 720 BC) this usage had been extended and was now used occasionally just as hm.f "His Majesty" was used in earlier periods. It was not the official title, but was used in letters to the monarch. It is frequently used by modern historians due to its use in the Bible, especially the Book of Exodus, and in the ancient Greek and Roman writers; although the Bible, at least in the Hebrew original, treats pharaoh like a proper name rather than like a title.
Open problems
There are several open problems concerning ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Below are just a few:
- It is unknown who was the first pharaoh of Egypt. It may have been the Pharaoh Menes or Narmer. Narmer is attested archaeologically, but Menes is not; it is possible that Menes is mythological, or that Menes and Narmer are the same person. If Menes existed as a separate person from Narmer, it is unknown which of them came first.
- Scholars have wondered whether Ramesses II defended Egypt against the Sea People because they were invading, or if they were people fleeing to Egypt in the middle of a war. It is unclear whether Ramesses III or Amenemhat I were asassinated.
- The exact circumstances surrounding the dissapearance of Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti, are unknown. The body of Akhenaten himself has not been found, and it is unknown if Akhenaten was killed or exiled. The exact nature of what Akhenaten believed is also still debated by scholars. The parentage of the next pharaoh, Tutankamun, is uncertain, and the date and nature of his death is unknown.
- What happened to Hatshepsut is unknown and Hatshepsut's relationship with Senenmut is debated.
- While it is clear Cleopatra was Greek and not Egyptian, her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes, it is unclear who her mother was, probably Ptolemy's half sister Cleopatra Selene. Contrary to a popular (though interesting) idea, there is no evidence to suggest she was black or even half-black, and some evidence suggesting against it in the form of contemporary statuary, coinage, and the fact Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans would probably not tolerate a black ruler.
- Little is known about the reign of Pharaoh Smendes I's, and it is possible that Egypt split during his governance.
- It is unclear if Khababash of the Thirtieth Dynasty was a true pharaoh, and his origins are also a mystery.
- It is unknown if Necho II really sent out an expion, which sailed from the Red Sea around Africa back to the mouth of the Nile.
Regalia and titles
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The king of Egypt wore a double crown, created from the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and the White Crown of Upper Egypt. It was adorned by a uraeus, which was doubled under the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. Egyptologist Bob Brier has noted that despite its widespread depiction in royal portraits, no actual ancient Egyptian crown has ever been discovered. Tutankhamun's tomb, discovered largely intact, did contain such regal items as his crook and flail, but did not contain a crown. Crowns were assumed to have magical properties, and Brier's speculation is there were items a dead pharaoh could not take with him and, therefore, had to be passed along to his living successor.
The official titulary of the king by the New Kingdom consisted of five names; for some rulers, we know only one or two of them.
The Game
- Main article: Pharaoh (computer game)
Sierra released a popular game under the title 'Pharaoh'. It was a city building (or "real-time strategy") game where you manage an egyptian city from the ground up and have to sustain it. There was also a military element where you were forced defend your city from invaders and possibly call in reinforcements for your civilization.
The game was released on October 31, 1999 and was designed by Impressions Games.
See also
- List of Pharaohs
- Egyptian chronology - Conventional Egyptian chronology
- History of Egypt
- Monarch
- Fivefold Titulary
Bibliography
- Sir Alan Gardiner Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs, Third ion, Revised. London: Oxford University Press, 1964. Excursus A, pp. 71-76.
- Brier, Bob. PhD. History of Ancient Egypt (Audio). The First Nation in History. The Learning Company. 2001.
External links
- Pharaoh of the Exodus article The Kings Calendar
- Tutankhamun: Pictures
- Egyptian Royal Genealogy
- Digital Egypt for Universities
