Pharaohs were ancient Egyptian rulers who were both religious leaders and heads of state. Their importance in Ancient Egypt is undeniably paramount. Early Egyptian rulers were called kings but over time the name 'Pharaoh' became commonly used. The Pharaoh represents a middle intermediary between the Egyptians and the Gods. They are considered divine supreme beings.
Many of these images show either statues or death masks of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. Statues commemorated the Pharaoh that had passed. Death masks were created for souls to be able to recognize their bodies and return to them safely in the afterlife.
The Bridgeman archive is rich with Egyptian imagery, explore these exceptional images of some of the most famous Pharaohs in Ancient Egyptian History.
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Hatshepsut was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh. She came to the throne in 1478 BC. This masks presents the idealized forms of Hatshepsut's face, perfect features with equal symmetry!
King Tutankhamun
King Tutankhamun was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who ruled between 1334 - 1325 BC. Tutankhamun was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the 18th Dynasty.
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII was the queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. The Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt was an ancient Hellenistic state. Cleopatra’s leadership saw her forestall the fall of Egypt to the Roman Empire.
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. He ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC. He reigned during the peak of Egypt's artistic and international power.
King Narmer
King Narmer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period. Scholars have considered Narmer the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty.
Ramesses III
Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. Ramesses III reigned from 1186 to 1155 BC and is believed to have been the last great monarch of the New Kingdom to wield power over Egypt.
Thutmose I
Thutmose I was the third pharaoh of the eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Thutmose I campaigned deep into the Levant and Nubia, pushing the borders of Egypt farther than before.
Pepi I Meryre
Pepi I Meryre was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh and the third king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled for over forty years during the 24th and 23rd centuries BC, towards the end of the Old Kingdom Period.
King Userkaf
Userkaf was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty. Userkaf reigned during the Old Kingdom Period for seven to eight years in early 25th century BC. It is believed that Userkaf may have been a high priest of Ra before ascending to the throne.
Djedefre
Djedefre was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh king of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. Djedefre was the son and immediate throne successor of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Queen Nefertiti
Nefertiti was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known to lead a religious revolution as the couple only believed in one god, Aten, the disc of the sun.
Read more about Ancient Egypt and the Valley of Kings