TOPIC 古埃及战后的社会变化和外来文化的影响

　　版本一：埃及在经历独立解放战争和领土扩张战争后，社会的一些变化。一是关于艺术和宗教的变化，外来的 god和本地的god不同(有说god的问题比较好解决，因为都是关于natureforce;还有说本地的god 影响会变小);二是关于权利拥有者的变化(temple 宗教势力获得了大量的战争reward从而财富增加，另外士兵军事势力的增大)，三是具有争议的，king是代表god独立行使权利(central)，还是king需要教士、宗教势力的辅助来管理国家?

　　版本二：Egypt被外来文化的影响，什么temple，milirary，它们的god的地位的变化，，，云云。没怎么理解。

　　版本三：历史类，Egypt的战争扩展领土后对社会的影响;埃及的文化以及国王;埃及自从别的国家扩张以来,各种文化艺术power都被影响。

　　Ancient Egypt

　　New Kingdom, Third Intermediate Period, and Late Period

　　The first king of the 18th Dynasty, Ahmose I, completed the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt, which his brother Kamose had begun. Once again, the south united a fractured land, giving rise to the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 bc). During Ahmose’s reign, which lasted from about 1550 to 1525 bc, the central government was reestablished, the economy improved, and Egypt’s borders were extended to the south and east. His reign set the stage for the continuing expansionist activities of the kings who followed. During the 18th Dynasty, Egyptians began using the term pharaoh (literally “great house,” a reference to the palace) to refer to their king. At its zenith, Egypt under the 18th Dynasty controlled an area that extended south into what is now Sudan and east into the Middle East. Much of this imperial expansion is credited to Thutmose III, the dynasty’s fifth king, who extended Egyptian control farther than had any other ruler. Thutmose III began his reign as a coregent in 1479 bc but ruled alone after the death of Hatshepsut, his stepmother, who ruled from 1473 to 1458 bc. As a daughter of a pharaoh (Thutmose I) and the wife of one (Thutmose II), Hatshepsut took full control of the throne as the ruling pharaoh during her reign. The relationship between her and Thutmose III apparently was one of mutual coexistence. However, late in his reign as sole king, Thutmose III began removing Hatshepsut’s name and images from all painted or carved surfaces, thus expunging her memory for posterity.

　　Amenhotep III, the ninth king of the 18th Dynasty, had a long and fairly peaceful reign of almost 40 years (1391-1353 bc). It was marked by unprecedented wealth, cultural creativity, internal strength, and prominence in the ancient world. The king built a magnificent pleasure palace at Thebes, constructed and decorated huge temples throughout the land, and encouraged a flowering of the arts. The influence and power of the priesthood of Amun also increased in Egypt at this time, but the stature of the ruler remained supreme. In fact, Amenhotep III emphasized his own divinity with a focus on divine birth, as seen in reliefs on the walls of Luxor Temple (portions of which he built) at Thebes and in statues bearing his divine name.

　　Amenhotep IV, the son and successor of Amenhotep III, reigned for less than 20 years (1353-1335 bc). However, his reign represented a focal point in history. He introduced the concept of a single supreme deity, Aton (Aten), the disk of the sun, radically changing the belief systems that had been in place in Egypt for more than 1,000 years. The somewhat monotheistic religion that he developed was the first yet known. In addition, there are indications that the new religion focused even more on the divinity of the king than ever before. Along with the religious changes came modifications in other areas, such as art, language, and architecture. Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaton (“The one who is beneficial to Aton”). He abandoned Thebes and built a new capital at Akhetaton, between Thebes and Memphis. The new capital had innovative plans and structures. For example, temples had no roofs, to let the sunlight in. The art used to decorate its walls displayed a more natural style, and texts composed there used a unique hybrid grammar. Akhenaton's revolution, sometimes known as the Amarna period (after the site of modern excavations of Akhetaton), was short-lived, however, and his successors quickly restored the traditional beliefs. Tutankhamun, who some scholars think may have been the king’s son by a minor wife, married the princess Ankhesenamun and succeeded to the throne. He is known to history not so much for reestablishing order after this chaotic period as for the discovery of his nearly intact tomb, filled with magnificent treasures.

　　The last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, Horemheb, was a general under his predecessors. He reigned from 1319 to 1307 bc and set the precedent for the military pharaohs who ruled during the 19th Dynasty, which lasted from 1307 to 1196 bc. The ability to command troops became critical for Egypt’s survival, since rival powers in Asia and elsewhere created difficulties in the coming years. Ramses II, the third king of the 19th Dynasty, ruled for about 67 years, from 1290 to 1224 bc. He battled the Hittites from Asia Minor. The conflict, which at best was a draw, resulted in the first recorded peace treaty. Ramses III, of the 20th Dynasty, was the last of the military pharaohs. He ruled from 1194 to 1163 bc. He had to contend with incursions by both the Libyans from the west and invaders from the Aegean region, known as the Sea Peoples. The remaining kings of the 20th Dynasty were less able to maintain Egypt’s place in the ancient world. During their reigns, as well as those of the kings of the 21st Dynasty, Egypt’s position was eclipsed.

　　During this period of decline, internal problems arose in the form of a struggle for power between the pharaoh and the priesthood. By the beginning of the 21st Dynasty in 1070 bc, Egypt was in another period of transition, the Third Intermediate Period, which lasted until 712 bc. Rival centers were established. Smendes, the first king of the 21st Dynasty, ruled only in the north near Memphis, while a line of high priests at Thebes controlled the south. The 22nd Dynasty (945-712 bc), centered at Bubastis in the western delta, clearly reflected an earlier Libyan presence in Egypt. Its first king, Sheshonk I, who ruled from 945 to 924 bc, even bore the title of Great Chief of the Meshwesh Libyans. Sheshonk I and his successors were able to reunite the country internally, but rival factions arose again with the 23rd Dynasty (828-725 bc). At the same time, the kingdom of Kush in Nubia had been gaining strength, wealth, and power. Soon it controlled much of Egypt, and the Kushites established the 25th Dynasty (770-657 bc). In the north, the 24th Dynasty (724-712 bc) ruled at Sais in the western delta, but it survived for only 12 years.

　　War with the Assyrians brought about the end of Nubian domination (see Assyria). In the 7th century bc, Psamtik I, ruling at first from Sais, reunited the land in 664 bc, ushering in the 26th Dynasty and the Late Period. His reign and those of his successors brought a revival of the traditions of the past and the recapturing of some of Egypt’s former reputation. Unfortunately, the respite lasted only a short time, for in 525 bc the Persians occupied the country (see Persia). The Persian kings were regarded as the 27th Dynasty. The Egyptians were able to regain control in 404 bc, but their last native dynasties ruled under conditions of internal discord and continual external conflicts. The Persians regained control of Egypt in 343 bc. Then, just 11 years later, in 332 bc, Macedonian king Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and annexed it to his Hellenistic empire. When he died in 323 bc, his friend and general Ptolemy became satrap, or governor, of Egypt. In 305 bc he took the title of king of Egypt, thus founding the Ptolemaic dynasty of pharaohs. This line of Hellenistic rulers held power for almost 300 years. Cleopatra VII, the last of them, committed suicide after the Romans defeated her forces at the Battle of Actium in 31 bc. The next year, Egypt was made part of the Roman Empire.

　　What type of government did ancient Egypt have?

　　The pharaoh was the supreme ruler. Egyptologists believe the people of Egypt considered the pharaoh to be half man/half God. However, the ancient belief in "The Divine Right of Kings" assumed that the first child born to the "supreme ruler" was ordained to be king by God because He had effectively determined the person who would be that child. This obviated the need to elect a head of state and is still one of the main reasons why many modern systems of government continue to use this manner of establishing the Head of State today. It is doubtful that any ancient Egyptian believed the king or pharaoh was God. Likewise, no Englishmen ever thought King Charles I was God even though they believed in the "Divine Right of Kings" as many of us still do today. Certainly King Charles I who believed in God never considered himself to be God. However, he did believe God gave him rights to dismiss Parliament. Only when the king behaved really badly did the people or army overthrow the king e.g., after the death of Akhenaten of Egypt.

　　The pharaoh owned all of Egypt, the land and all the people in it. Also, he could order farmers to build pyramids for him when they didn't work. He taxed everything. According to the Bible, this happened after Montuhotep I of the 11th dynasty installed Joseph of Israel ("Inyotef") to be Prime Minister when Egypt was stricken by the terrible seven year famine the whole world suffered in circa 1900 BC. In gratitude to Joseph, the Egyptian kings Montuhotep I and Inyotef I to II named their successor after Joseph.

　　They used something called the SOCIAL PYRAMID to determine your spot. Kind of like the food chain. Slaves were at the bottom (because there were lots of them) then you had farmers, then crafts people, then government officials, then soldiers, then pharaoh (smallest space because one person not millions). This is the norm for most societies and is not necessarily unique to Egypt.

　　It depended on the period. During New Kingdom Egypt, the acquisition of an empire meant that the government or administration of Egypt had to become much more refined, structured and efficient. Pharaoh was still the supreme head, but directly under him ruled the two Viziers, of Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as the High Priest (s) of Amun. By repairing the Egyptian chronology problem, we now view Egypt as having two eras which could be named the Old then New Kingdoms or before the "Hyksos" (Old Kingdom, to 1500 BC) and after the Hyksos (New Kingdom, 1000-600 BC). The "acquisition of empire" came with the conquests of Thutmosis III now dated 930 BC not circa 1420 BC.

　　These Viziers held various titles, and were the overseers of public works, including buildings, quarrying and temple repairs. They were the heads of civil service, the collectors of tribute and tax as well as the chief judges. They were chosen by pharaoh himself; "take the office, watch over everything that has to do with it, for the existence of the entire country depends on it".

　　The High Priests of Amun, Ptah and Re were very influential in Egypt, none more so than the ones of Amun during the New Kingdom period. Temples acted as miniature central governments outside Memphis, and were in charge of the stores, maintenance of temple cults, upkeep of the gods, ceremonies, funerary rites and huge amounts of land, cattle grain and crops. Scribes were also an important part of the religious government as they were responsible for writing the records and official documents.

　　When the 18th and 19th dynasties fell (800-680 BC and at various times from circa 600 BC but under foreign suzerainties (Chaldea, Persia, Greece), priest kings sometimes took power in various regions of Egypt. According to the Bible, they retained their land when Joseph took control over privately-held land in the great famine. Unlike in the England of Henry VIII, the religious orders in Egypt kept control over their land.

　　Following the expulsion of the Hyksos at the beginning of the 18th Dynasty, the military became an ever increasingly important part of Egyptian society. Pharaoh was the head of the military, and this period saw the begging to the "Warrior Pharaoh" (e.g., Thutmosis III), who smote his enemies in the name of Amun wearing the Kpresh. The military had its own hierarchy, there were deputy commanders, one for the north and a second for the south, and officers that served underneath them. The military bureaucracy involved anyone that had a hand in organizing war, and included villages of military veterans and the Garrisons within Egypt. The highest ranked soldiers were usually nobles, and had the job of teaching the young princes, (even princesses) and pharaohs the skills or warfare. At home, pharaoh ruled his country with the same absolute power, efficiency and meticulous attention to detail that characterized his command of the army. Pharaoh's power over the civil government no longer rested on his status as a god, but rather on his 'control of the machinery of government, including the army and police'. The central administration occurred in Memphis, but there were separate administration units in towns, villages and provinces. with town majors, police, viceroys and local councils.

　　The structure of New Kingdom government ensured that, apart from pharaoh, there was no single person of entity whose jurisdiction extended over the whole kingdom, let alone the whole empire. The maintenance of a government operating at peak efficiency and free of corruption required the constant supervision of the king to an extent never before required by an Egyptian Ruler.