Here they are, 5 fascinating facts about Egypt's Pharaohs, some of which are completely strange!
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| "He's gone? Uh oh. Guess that was a bad time for a bathroom break. . ." |
Pepi II became pharaoh at just 8 years old. When he heard his men had discovered a pygmy person on an expedition, the young pharaoh was so excited he wanted to make sure nothing happened to the pygmy before he got to see him.
Pepi II sent a message commanding the men to guard the pygmy at all hours so the pygmy wouldn't run away, or fall into the water, or get hurt. He ordered, "have him inspected 10 times a night!"
Fact #2: Early pharaohs would marry every single royal princess themselves. This would prevent any young rivals to the throne from being born because no one else could marry the women and have competing children.
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| Princess 1: He loves me best. Princess 2: No, he loves me the best! Princess 1: I shall poke you with my stick. |
Thutmose III was a great pharaoh who conquered all of Egypt's enemies. But he had a few close shaves: in Syria, he was almost trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants.
Ramses II (1279-1212 B.C.) had over 90 children: approximately 56 boys and 44 girls. Can you imagine? It must have been hard to remember all of his kids' names!
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| Mother: "I was thinking perhaps tunics with name tags across the front might help?" |
Pharaoh Menes is thought to be Egypt's first pharaoh. He united the Upper and Lower Kingdoms in 3150 B.C. and named the capital of the united lands Memphis. Memphis means “Balance of Two Lands.” Legend says he ruled for 60 years until he was killed by a hippopotamus.
