Pharaonic Egypt is often viewed as having been monolithic and unchanging. Ancient Egyptian civilization was certainly long-lasting, and throughout its 3,000 years the basic tenets of its culture endured. There was development and change, however, as kings faced evolving situations, both natural and manmade, and responded to political and economic pressures in order to keep their hold on power. From the time of the very first dynasty, however, the ideology of royal power in Egypt “contained certain key concepts that all successive pharaohs strove to maintain intact” (Valbelle 2002, 97).