The pharaohs started the Egyptian civilization. They made Egypt rich and powerful. They ordered people to build temples to worship their gods and to build tombs for themselves.

Sons inherited their fathers' thrones. Pharaoh's wives were important, but few women ever held the throne in the country. For example, Cleopatra ruled. You would think that you and your siblings fight the most, but in early Egypt, royal siblings would KILL for the throne. Literally! Cleopatra killed her younger sister Arsione so that she would not kill Cleopatra and take the throne from her.

Fathers would kill their own children if they thought the child was betraying him. Ptolemy XII killed his second oldest daughter, Berinece (CleopatraVII's older sister), because she stole the throne from him!!!! (to find more on this part, go to Cleopatra's page). Some of his friends killed his oldest daughter, Trypheana, for him.

When the pharaoh died, his servants were buried in his tomb with him after drinking poison. They were actually willing to go because they thought the pharaoh would need them to serve him in his afterlife, just as they did on Earth.