Apr 19, 2023 GNED002 - Ancient Empires 1

Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt

Land and History

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OverviewOverview

GeographyOld Kingdom 1st Intermediate Period Middle Kingdom 2nd Intermediate Period New Kingdom 3rd Intermediate PeriodGraeco-Roman Period

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GeographyGeography

The Nile Valley– Unchanged until

Aswan Dam built in 1960’s

Annual floods– Alluvial soils good for

farming

– Requires little irrigation

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Village Life to 3000 BCVillage Life to 3000 BC

Archaic culture– Nile delta– Hunting and fishing

Agriculture– Sheep, goats, cattle, pigs,

geese– Emmer wheat, two-rowed

barley4221 BC

– Base year of Egyptian calendar

4500 BC

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The Predynastic Period

Origins in earlier Sumerian empire

Upper and Lower Nile cultures

Larger towns and cities– Craft specialization– Divine kingship

Development of religious system– temples, priest class,

writing New cultigens

– flax, cotton– grapes, wine for export

3200 BCMaking beer

Harvesting andTreading grapes

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Early Dynastic Period Mystery of Unification

– Ancient Egyptians: People of Two Lands (Upper & Lower Egypt)

– King Scorpion, Narmer• Kings of southern Egypt• Shown wearing combined Red

(Lower) and White (Upper) Crown

1st Dynasty• First Pharaoh: Menes • founded city of Thebes, capital city:

Memphis• National administration, royal

governors

The Narmer Palette

3150 - 2890 BC

64 cm schist

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The Old Kingdom2nd to 4th Dynasty3rd Dynasty

– Djoser• Step Pyramid

• Imhotep: architect & doctor

4th Dynasty– builders of Pyramids

• Khufu (Great Pyramid)

• Chephren

• Menkaure

– locations: Giza, Dashur

– first embalming

Djoser’s Pyramid

The Great Sphinx at Giza

2686 -2613 BC

2613 -

2494 BC

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First Intermediate Period

Weakened Old Kingdom– major famines– weak leadership

Intermediate Period– nomes (provinces) self-

governing– many kings 7th - 11th

Dynasties– Mentuhotep II

• Re-establishes order

2494 - 2150 BC

Pepi I6th Dynasty

Mentuhotep

2150 -2040 BC

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The Middle Kingdom

11th Dynasty– Mentuhotep II

• Established capital at Thebes• Expansion south along Nile

12th Dynasty– Amenemhet I

• Mentuhotep’s vizier

– Senusret I• Conquest of Nubia• Fortresses, mining

– first rock-cut tombs– Amenemhet III

• Land reclamation• Labyrinth pyramid at Hawara

2040 - 1991 BC

Pyramid of Hawara

Shrine of Senusret I1991-

1786 BC

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Second Intermediate PeriodSecond Intermediate Period

13th & 14th Dynasties– Military decline

Hyksos Dynasties (15 & 16)– “rulers of foreign lands”, from Canaan– settled in eastern Delta– introduced chariots, horses, bows, armour– adopted Egyptian language, customs

17th Dynasty– Fierce families from Luxor

• Challenged Hyksos kings

1786 - 1650 BC

1650 -1567 BC

Hyksos chariot

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The New Kingdom:The New Kingdom:18th Dynasty, Part 118th Dynasty, Part 1 Dynasty of empire building

– Conquest & lavish temples, tombs

Ahmose I– Drove Hyksos out of Egypt

– Tight central control

Thutmose I– Extended empire to 3rd cataract

– Led army to Euphrates River

Queen Hatshepsut– Commercial expansion e.g. Punt

– temple at Deir El-Bahari

1567 -1546 BC

1504 - 1482 BC

1525 -1512 BC

Queen Hatshepsut

Obelisk of Thutmose I

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The New Kingdom:The New Kingdom:18th Dynasty, Part 218th Dynasty, Part 2

Thutmose III– Conquest of Palestine and Syria– Effective army and navy, administration– Tribute built temples at Karnak, Abydos

Amenhotep III– Extensive architecture e.g. Luxor, Thebes– Peace and prosperity, height of empire– Amarna Letters: clay records of diplomacy

Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)– Banned all cults except sun god Aten– Queen Nefertiti: famous beauty– Removed wealth of Amen temples– New styles in art and literature

1504 -1450 BC

1350-1334 BC

1402-1364 BC

Amenhotep III

Nefertiti and Akhenaten

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The New Kingdom:18th Dynasty, Part 3

Tutankhamen– Child Pharaoh

– Priest advisers restored old cults

– Intact tomb found in 1922, Howard Carter

Horemheb– Tutankhamen’s general of army

– Restored order, central administration

– Moved army against invaders

Tutankhamen

1361 - 1352 BC

Horemheb’s Tomb

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The New Kingdom:The New Kingdom:19th & 2019th & 20thth Dynasty Dynasty

restoration of military powerSeti I

– Reconquest of PalestineRamses II

– Military campaigns: Battle of Kadesh– Extensive building program

• Temple of Amen at Karnak• Temple of Rameses at Abu Simbel

– Queen NefertariEnd: weak leadership, powerful

Theban priests ruled Upper EgyptQueen Nefertari

Ramses II at Abu Simbel

1318 - 1155 BC

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Third Intermediate Period:Third Intermediate Period:LibyaLibya

Period of peace and stability, divided kingdom

21st Dynasty– Egypt split, two capitals

• Tanis in North (Nile Delta)• Thebes in South

22nd Dynasty– Libyan military– reconquered Palestine & Syria– ended in competing dynasties

1085 - 945 BC

945 -730 BC

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Third Intermediate Period:Third Intermediate Period:NubiaNubia

25th Dynasty– Nubia conquered Egypt– kept Egyptian traditions

Invasion by Assyria– Thebes sacked

26th Dynasty– Libyan power assured peace– Suez canal built, Syrian

campaigns– Peace, prosperity

• Strong Greek influences

716 - 656 BC

Kush (Nubia)

664 -525 BC

Shabaka

Suez Canal

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Third Intermediate Period:Third Intermediate Period:PersiaPersia

27th Dynasty– Egypt as Persian satrapy,

breadbasket

– Peace, prosperity

28th - 30th Dynasty– Return of Egyptian rule under

Artaxerxes II

31st Dynasty– Persian Artaxerxes III reconquers

– dark period: temples sacked, heavy tribute demanded

525 -404 BC

404 -343 BC

343 -332 BC

Darius I

Persian coin

PersianEmpire

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The Graeco-RomanThe Graeco-RomanPeriodPeriod

Alexander the Great– Founded Alexandria

– Installed Ptolemies as rulers

Ptolemy I– Alexander’s general as satrap

– Later became independent

– Introduction of coins• Eliminated barter system

– Fusion of Egyptian & Greek elements

332 - 323 BC

Ptolemy Icoin

Temple of Isis at Phylae

323 -284 BC

Alexander the Great

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PtolemiesPtolemies

Ptolemy II– Called Philadelphus– Unified administration, did census– Alexandria library, literature &

science Ptolemy III

– Consolidated empire– Built Horus Temple at Edfu

Ptolemy V– Golden age of arts and science– Rosetta Stone written in Greek and

Egyptian

284 -246 BC

246 -221 BC

RosettaStone

Horus temple at Edfu

Ptolemy II

210 -180 BC

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End of Egyptian RuleEnd of Egyptian Rule

Ptolemy VI - XII– Increasing Roman influence

Cleopatra VII– Ruled with brother Ptolemy XIII

• 3 years, then civil war

– Julius Caesar defeated brother• Caesar murdered 44 BC

– Romance with Mark Antony• Antony defeated by Octavian (Augustus

Caesar) at Actium

– Death of Cleopatra• Egypt becomes Roman province

• Supplies food to Roman Empire

180 -51 BC

51 -30 BC

JuliusCaesar

CleopatraVII

Mark Antony