For about three thousand years, Egypt had a ruler at the top: the king. Today we often call Egypt's kings pharaohs. Where does that word come from? It is older than you might think.
Key idea
A pharaoh was the king (or, a few times, the queen) of all Egypt. The word comes from the Egyptian per-aa, "Great House," which first meant the royal palace.
Why it works
People often talk about a leader by naming the building where the leader works, the way news reports say "the White House said…" when they mean the President. Egyptians did the same: "the Great House" came to mean the king who lived in it. That use began in the New Kingdom, more than a thousand years after the first kings.
Worked example: A title, not a name
Is "Pharaoh" the name of one person?
- A name belongs to one person, like Khufu or Ramesses.
- "Pharaoh" was used for every king, one after another.
Answer: No. It is a title, like "king."
Common mistake
Thinking "Pharaoh" was one person's name. It is a title, and Egyptians mostly said nesu, "king." Every pharaoh also had his or her own names, written in ovals called cartouches; you will learn to read them in Reading a Cartouche.
Egyptians believed the king stood between the people and the gods. The king led the army, ran the country with the help of officials, and made offerings in the temples so that the world stayed in order.