The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ and ‘High Priest of Every Temple’.
As ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the lands, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
As ‘High Priest of Every Temple’, the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.
Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognise the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.
Male and Female Egyptian Pharaohs wear a false beard
They always had a beard. In real life, Egyptian men had their beards shaven, however, pharaohs even the female ones always wore fake beards. It was believed that it made them closer to the Gods.
Preparing For The Next Life
The Afterlife was as important as real life, they would start building and constructing their tombs as soon as they take the throne. They built tombs so that they could still live well even after they’re gone.
They all wore makeup
The eye area was always painted with black kohl, they used to do that because they believed that by doing so, their eyes would resemble the eyes of the god Horus. It’s actually almost impossible to find a portrait of an ancient Egyptian whose eyes are not decorated.
Regardless of Gender, The ruler of ancient Egypt was called a King
The title of “king” was used to refer to a male or female ruler. The title of “Pharaoh” was not Egyptian, meaning “Great house”. They were not known as pharaohs but as kings.
Offerings to the Gods
On their daily rituals, pharaohs had to make offerings to the gods. Only them could enter the temples and approach and touch the statues which held the spirits of the gods.
It requires hard work
It was not an easy thing to become a Pharaoh, it was a phase in every prince’s life. There were lessons to be taken, lessons about hunting, fishing, riding and breaking horses. If they were doing good in their lessons, the pharaoh would take them on as co-regent, and after the pharaoh’s death, they would take full control.
They marry within the family
To keep the family bloodline pure, they claimed ancestry from the gods, and therefore this “divine” status had to be preserved.
