Page by: Elaine
Interviewing the Pharaohs of Egypt
During our remarkable trip, we got to communicate with some of the most interesting and remarkable pharohs of Egypt (We didn't understand the Egyptian language, so we used Google translate)! I, Elaine have written down two interviews with Ramses II and Hatshepsut as we traveled through the different time periods of Egypt.
Enjoy!
Image of Ramses II
Image of Hatshepsut
Interview With Rames II
Thank you for contributing your time so that I can ask you some questions!
شكرا لك على المساهمة وقتك حتى أستطيع أن أ
أطرح عليك بعض الأسئلة !
No problem, I love talking about my accomplishments.
لا توجد مشكلة ، وأنا أحب الحديث عن
الإنجازات بلدي .
So to start off, you are known as one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt. Why do you think that is?
حتى أن تبدأ ، أنت معروف كأحد الفراعنة
الأكثر نجاحا في مصر . لماذا تعتقد ذلك ؟
Well, I conquered the region of Canaan and moved north into Syria. However, it's not as easy as it seems. I had to battle the Hittites many times. After all of these battles, the Hittite king and I signed a peace treaty, and it was finally all over.
سوريا . ومع ذلك، فإنه ليس من السهل كما يبدو . كان لي لمحاربة الحثيين عدة مرات . بعد كل هذه المعارك ، الملك الحثي وأنا وقعت معاهدة سلام ، وكان أخيرا في كل مكان.
What peaceful activities do you devote yourself to?
ما هي الأنشطة سلمية هل تكرس نفسك ؟
I have had many temples built throughout Egypt. However, one of my most magnificent temples is Karnak, located at Thebes. I hope thet it will still be standing for centuries to come!
لقد كان العد يد من المعابد التي تم بناؤها في جميع أنحاء مصر . ومع ذلك ، واحدة من بلدي المعابد أروع و الكرنك ، وتقع في طيبة . آمل ثيت أنه سيظل واقفا لقرون قادمة !
What do you think is one of your favorite parts about Karnak?
ما رأيك هو واحد من أجزاء المفضلة لديك حول الكرنك ؟
That is a really tough question since Karnak is so amazing! However, if I had to chose, one of my favorites would have to be the poem carved inside of Karnak celebrating my victory over the Khita. Part of the poem says, "Halt! take courage, charioteer, As a sparrow-hawk swoops down upon his prey, So I swoop upon the foe, and I will slay, I will hew [cut] them into pieces, I will dash them into dust."
هذا هو سؤال صعب حقا منذ الكرنك هو مدهش جدا ! ومع ذلك، إذا كان لي أن اختار ، واحدة من المفضلة سيتعين قصيدة منحوتة داخل الكرنك يحتفلون بالفوز بلدي على Khita . جزء من قصيدة يقول: " وقف ! اتخاذ الشجاعة ، العجلة ، كما تمكنت الحملات عصفور - هوك داون على فريسته ، لذلك أنا انقضاض على العدو ، وأنا لن أذبح ، وسوف حطب [ قطع ] إلى قطع ، وسوف يحطم لهم في الغبار " .
Well then, I guess that's all I have to ask you! Thanks again so much for coming!
بالاضافة الى ذلك الحين ، وأنا أعتقد أن هذا كل ما لدي لأطلب منكم ! شكرا مرة أخرى كثيرا على حضوركم !
Of course, thank you for having me.
تماما ، وذلك بفضل لاستضافتي .
Interview with Hatshepsut
Thank you for contributing your time so that I can interview you Hatshepsut!
شكرا لك على المساهمة وقتك حتى أستطيع أن مقابلة لك حتشبسوت !
Yes, of course. Thank you for having me.
نعم بالطبع. شكرا ل استضافتي.
Okay then! So to start off, I know you might have heard this question many times, but I have to ask you, why do dress up as a man?
حسنا ثم ! حتى أن تبدأ ، وأنا أعلم أنك قد سمعت هذا السؤال مرات عديدة ، ولكن يجب أن أسألك ، لماذا اللباس و الرجل؟
Yes, I have heard this question many times, but I would be happy to answer it again. My apparel is what other men pharaohs would have worn. I do this so the people accept me as being their pharaoh since most of the previous pharaohs were in fact men.
نعم ، لقد سمعت هذا السؤال مرات عديدة، ولكن سأكون سعيدا للإجابة على ذلك مرة أخرى . بلدي الملابس هو ما الفراعنة الرجال أخرى قد ترتديه . أفعل هذا حتى يقبل الناس لي بأنها الفرعون منذ أكثر من الفراعنة السابقة كانت عند الرجال حقيقة .
I am making great efforts to restore trade relations that had been interrupted by the Hyksos invasion. Egyptian seafarers are sailing to ports in Arabia and East Africa as we speak. There, Egyptian traders are exchanging beads, metal tools, and weapons for gold, ivory, ebony wood, and incense, which we like to burn for its pleasent smell.
What are you doing to fix the damage the Hyksos have caused?
أنا تبذل جهودا كبيرة ل استعادة العلاقات التجارية التي كانت قد توقفت بسبب غزو الهكسوس . البحارة المصريين يبحرون إلى الموانئ في المملكة وشرق أفريقيا ونحن نتكلم. هناك ، ا لتجار المصريين يتبادلون الخرز، و الأدوات المعدنية ، والأسلحة عن الذهب والعاج و خشب الأبنوس ، و البخور ، والتي نود أن يحرق ل رائحته بليسينت .
ماذا تفعل لإصلاح الأضرار التي تسبب الهكسوس ؟
What natrual resource does Egypt value the most?
ما الموارد ناتروال لا قيمة مصر أكثر؟
Us Egyptians value wood products because the Nile River valley has few trees. We needed wood to build boats, furniture, and other items. To find wood, Egyptian traders traveled to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The people in this region are called the Phoenicians.
لنا المصريين المنتجات الخشبية قيمة ل وادي نهر النيل لديها عدد محدود من الاشجار . كنا بحاجة الخشب لبناء القوارب ، والأثاث ، وغيرها من البنود . العثور على الخشب ، سافر التجار المصريين إلى الساحل الشرقي للبحر الأبيض المتوسط . ويطلق على الناس في هذه المنطقة الفينيقيين.
Well, that's about all I have to ask you! Thank you again for coming!
حسنا، هذا حول كل ما لدي لأطلب منكم ! أشكركم مرة أخرى على حضوركم !
My pleasure, I love being asked questions.
من دواعي سروري ، وأنا أحب أن يطلب من الأسئلة.
How Egypt United
Ancient Egypt used to be split up in to two parts. Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. These two parts of Egypt became unified when Narmer, the king of Upper Egypt, led his armies from the valley north into the delta. He then conquered Lower Egypt in about 3100 B.C. and married one of their princesses, which unified the two kingdoms. For the first time, all of Egypt was ruled by one king. Leadership played a big role in the unification of Egypt because without amazing leadership skills, Narmer would have never been able to lead his army to the delta and conquer Lower Egypt. Narmer established a new capital at Memphis, a city on the border between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. He governed both parts of Egypt from this city bacause it was right in the middle of both kingdoms. Memphis began to blossom as a center of government and culture along the Nile River.
Image of Narmer
How ancient Egyptian rulers affected trade, business and conflict
One of the biggest factors of trade in early Egypt was Hatshepsut (we interviewed her earlier). Referring to the interview, Hatshepsut was more interested in promoting trade than starting wars. She made great efforts to restore trade relations that had been interrupted by the Hyksos invasion.
During the rule of Hatshepsut, Egyptian seafarers sailed to ports in Arabia and East Africa. There, Egyptian traders exchanged beads, metal tools, and weapons for gold, ivory, ebony wood, and incense, a material burned for its pleasant smell. One of the few women to govern Egypt, Hatshepsut ruled with the support of her subjects.
After the egyptians started planting and farming their food, they then got a bigger population because of the amount of food they stored from surplusses. After they had enough people, they could have job specialization. This resulted in buisinesses such as scribes, priests, nobles, artisans, and farmers. The Egyptian rulers affected this by ordering them to do their jobs. What I mean by this is that without the pharaoh, people wouldn't know what to do in their jobs.
Egyptian rulers affected conflict by either starting wars or leading armies to conquer lands. For example, if Narmer had never conquereed lower Egypt, then Egypt itself would never have unified. If this vital event in history never happened, who knows what our world would be like now? 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 recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.
Goverment and Politics
Government and religion were linked in early civilizations because when a pharaoh/king came into power, they claim that they have the right to rule from the gods. The citizens believed that the pharaohs that ruled were half man, half god. Thus, they gained religious power as well. Earlier pharaohs like in the Old Kingdom created a strong government that allowed them to summon large work forces. They appointed their high officials, and they chose members of their families. These men were very loyal to the pharaoh. The government then let the pharaoh gather and distribute enough food to support huge numbers of workers, which allowed them to build the miraculous large stone pyramids. The Old Kingdom's government served as a base for the Middle Kingdom's. The pharaoh made changes, including the addition of more officials. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom continued to build their government on the foundations of earlier governments. During this period, the pharaohs created a standing army and created military positions.
Wu Zetian (武则天) v.s. Hatshepsut (حتشبسوت)
When you think about ancient Chinese and Egyptian rulers, you would normally expect the Pharaoh or Emperor to be a man. However, this is not the case here. Although Chinese and Egyptian cultures are highly different, the rulers Wu Zetian and Hatshepsut actually share quite a lot in common. For example, both rulers were very young when they started their reign. Emperor Wu started taking the throne at the age of thirteen. Hatshepsut started taking the throne at the age of twelve. Imagine the pressure they would have been going through! As they grew older, both rulers helped their lands in different ways. Hatshepsut helped a lot with trade. However, Wu Zetian attached great importance to the development of agriculture. She ordered the construction of irrigation schemes, and commissioned the compilation of farming textbooks.
Image of Emperor Wu Zetian
Image of Hatshepsut