Pharaohs


 * This page is for Allison, Rabeea, and Jarrod. **
 * Hi guys! Whatever I write will be orange. -Allison **


 * Hey! I'll be purple :) ~Rabeea **


 * Jarrod will be blue .**


 * Edits that we make together will be in black. **


 * The great pharaoh Ohenpotep of the Old Kingdom has recently passed away. She was a great pharaoh and was admired by many. Because of her great achievements on earth, we would like to make sure that she is rewarded in the afterlife. For her journey, we have sent her with some items that depict her great achievements as a pharaoh so that she can prove to Anubis and Osiris that she is worthy of entering the afterlife. Three symbols that we have chosen to engrave on her sarcophagus are the Ankh for an extra long afterlife, the Flail and Crook to represent her power, and the eye of Horus for protection. Her favorite god was H'apy, so in honor of the great god of the Nile, we want to engrave an illustration of him on her sarcophagus. Her motto is "You only live twice." We have decided to engrave that onto her sarcophagus so that she may take it into the afterlife with her and be able to live by it. **
 * Because of the amazing pharaoh that she was, the Egyptians have created another deity in her honor. It is a picture of a dove because of the great peace that she brought to Egypt during her reign. **


 * Eulogy**


 * The great pharaoh Ohenpotep has recently passed away. Today we are here to honor her and prove to Osiris that she is worthy of entering the afterlife. She did many great things during her life on earth that were never done before. She led a very astonishing life, despite the fact it was very short-lived. She was an incredible ruler. She brought peace throughout her reign, along with support and encouragement to her people. This led to many great achievements such as the construction of the great Pyramids. **


 * Ohenpotep was the sister of Khufu, the well-known Egyptian pharaoh. Ohenpotep wasn’t very well known by the people of Egypt. Not many knew that Khufu had a sister until he passed away. Once he died, Ohenpotep became the pharaoh. The people loved her from the start of her rule even though she was noticed by few. **


 * There was a very complex social structure in the time of Ohenpotep’s rule. The top social class was the pharaohs. The people believed that they were gods, and Ohenpotep was no exception. Naturally, the pharaohs would need some help guiding the people of Egypt, so next in the social structure were the government officials. Their job was to assist the pharaoh in their role as supreme leader of Egypt. They were often members of the pharaoh’s family and usually inherited their job from past family members. Next in the social structure came the priests. The high priest oversaw all religious activity in Egypt and advised the pharaoh. The other priests handled more common issues, like giving advice and performing healings. Following the priests were the scribes. They recorded all information for the government and religious leaders. They weren’t the best class in the social structure, but one that was highly respected. Then came the artisans. They are the the crafts people of Egypt. Despite their valuable skills, they had a very low social status. At the very bottom of our social pyramid, are the peasants. They worked the land and supplied the Egyptians with a stable food supply. They were very important in society, but they had the lowest social status. Even though they were on the bottom of the social structure, they played a key part in the development of Egypt. As you know, the great pyramids were built by peasants for Ohenpotep’s burial. If it weren’t for them,one of the most magnificent rulers wouldn’t be buried in one of the most magnificent places here in Egypt. **


 * The Egyptian culture thrived under Ohenpotep’s rule. Religion played a huge part in each Egyptian’s life because of Ohenpotep’s great influence. Her favorite god was H’apy, so she made H’apy and Ra the two most important gods. That is why we engraved an illustration of H’apy onto her sarcophagus. She was the chief priest, and a great one at that. She made sure that all of the gods were properly taken care of. She offered unto them great feasts. She cleansed their statues. She also made sure they were entertained with beautiful music. If the gods weren’t happy, then neither was she. That was probably one of the most evoked attributes of her. She just wanted to please the gods, and she did. **


 * Ohenpotep made sure that all of the Egyptians had enough food to survive on. The farmers in Egypt were the main source of the people’s food, so it was important that there were in large numbers to get the job done. They had to work the land. Fortunately, farming was very easy at the time. All they had to do was spread the seeds around in the dirt and let their animals walk all over it. **


 * Not only was Ohenpotep in charge of the food supply in Egypt, she was also in charge of all of the trading that went on. The Egyptians traded their surplus for other cities’ valuables. For example, Ohenpotep once traded two large bags of grain for and oxen. Trading was very important in society because it supplied us with items that we wouldn’t normally have in Egypt. Also, we can get rid of some of our extra, or surplus. Ohenpotep was very talented in trading and bargaining, but didn’t do it that often. **


 * Before her death, Ohenpotep requested that we engrave three objects that she can show to Osiris to exemplify the artistic and intellectual activity during her reign. We chose to illustrate a copper tool, a pyramid, and a mud brick house. The people here in Egypt use copper to create tools and weapons. Ohenpotep wanted to show this to Osiris because it was one of the important inventions in her time. Also, she requested to engrave a pyramid on her sarcophagus. She wished to do so because the pyramids took a lot of effort and time from all of the people in several different social classes. They were a special privilege to the wealthy. Pyramids were in replacement for a tomb. It would ensure the body’s protection from robbers, animals, and floods. That way the body would be perfect for the afterlife. The final item she wished to be illustrated on her sarcophagus was a mud brick house. The Egyptians created a new way to construct homes, with dried bricks made of mud. They would first mold the mud into a brick-like fashion then set them out to dry. Once they were dry they were able to be used in the construction of buildings. **


 * Ohenpotep was one of the many who loved writing. Egypt is filled with writing, mostly with sacred writing called hieroglyphics. There is hieroglyphic writing on the walls of pyramids, pottery, tombs, and other parts of Egyptian culture. Lucky as she was, she was able to get her favorite motto carved on her sarcophagus. The motto was “You only live twice.” This was very meaningful to Ohenpotep because she wanted to make sure that her life in the underworld was twice as wonderful as her life on earth. We all know that the kind and acknowledged Ohenpotep will be entering the afterlife, with her motto to live by. **


 * Even though Ohenpotep was a girl, she made a wonderful pharaoh. She had all of Egypt’s government under control. Egypt became a center of religion and government under her rule. She was honored by her people because of the strength and unity that she brought to the kingdom. She chose excellent government officials to assist her in making important political decisions. She was honored by peasants who built the pyramid that is now to be used as her tomb. Though she did not take place in the construction, she offered moral support and gave encouragement to those building. I must say for myself, the pyramid turned out quite well, as you can see. Her assistance in support created such an impact on the construction taking place. And though her death is a sad moment, we can still be happy that she is being buried in this magnificent pyramid. **


 * Although Ohenpotep’s death is very tragic, we can all still be thankful about how she has changed all of our lives. This is a time to honor to her life and how lucky we should feel to have had Ohenpotep to rule over us. Let’s not grieve at her loss, but be happy at her remembrance. At how she encouraged and supported those building the pyramids, being an extraordinary government leader, and most of all, how she left a mark on all of us, here in Egypt. **


 * For the motto I found this picture to help us translate into hieroglyphics: **


 * http://tinyurl.com/c8758ps **


 * Picture representation for H'apy **



http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/god-of-the-day

http://www.eyelid.co.uk/hieroglyphic-typewriter.html
 * Here is the website that we used to translate our motto into hieroglyphics. **

**Who wants to do what in the presentation? Reader? Mourners?** **Maybe we could ask some other students to be mourners too... What do you think?**