2civilization in nile valley of egypt (1)

8/13/2019 2Civilization in Nile Valley of Egypt (1)

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Dr. Nidhi L Sharda, Associate Professor, NIFT, Bangalore

Civilization in Nile valley of

Egypt

• Not long after the world's firstcivilization arose between theTigris and Euphrates Rivers inMesopotamia, civilization spreadwest to the Nile River valley ofEgypt, reaching its greatest extentin the second millennium BC

• Here, the first multinational state was born, the first writing system using hieroglyphs was invented,the concepts of kingship, religionand bureaucracy were developed.

• It began with the incipientunification of Nile Valley politiesaround 3150 BC, and isconventionally thought to haveended in 31 BC when the earlyRoman Empire conquered




• Egypt is located in northeastern

Africa.

• The most important geographic

feature is the Nile River itself. It

was the lifeblood of ancient

Egypt, and still makes life

possible in the otherwise barren

desert of Egypt. The longest

river in the world (over 4,000

miles),




Egypt is said to be a "gift of the Nile" because the

river provided irrigation water, fertile soils due to

annual floods, and easy transportation by boat.

• Living beside the river Nile meant the Egyptians fared better than

many other civilizations. The warm climate plus irrigation methods

that utilized the Nile, enabled food to be grown relatively easily.




Civilization in Nile valley of Egypt

• The first inhabitants of this area were the Ethiopians, a blackskinned people whose descendants entered the valley throughNubia following the Nile River.

• Thebes and Moroe were among the first cities established andbecame the religious centers of Upper Egypt

• Prior to the invasion of the Greeks in 325 B.C., Egypt was calledChem (kmt) or Ta-Merry.

• A very high level of civilization existed in Chem, the foundation of allof the arts and sciences of today were perfected at that time:astronomy, music, medicine, chemistry, geometry, calculus, art,rhetoric,




Administration..

• For administrative purposes,Egypt was divided up intoprovinces, or nomes. Agovernor, or nomarch, was at thehead of each nome and wasresponsible to the pharaoh.

• Of special importance to theadministration of the state was avast bureaucracy of scribes whokept records of everything.

• Armed with the knowledge ofwriting and reading, they werehighly regarded and consideredthemselves a superior class ofmen. Their high standard ofliving reflected their exalted

status.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/2civilization-in-nile-valley-of-egypt-1 7/61Dr. Nidhi L Sharda, Associate Professor, NIFT, Bangalore

Egyptian Social Structure



Growing Flex




......Pharaohs were thekings of ancient Egypt who

were worshipped as gods.

Their wealth came from the

bountiful agriculture made

possible by the Nile.

The best-known

pharaoh is

Tutankhamen, or

King Tut his tombcontained fantastic

riches: over 5,000

objects in four rooms

including a

spectacular life-like

mask of solid gold

that covered the

head and shoulders

of his mummy.

King Tut's tomb is

one of the mostimpressive

archeological

discoveries of all

time.



The Middle Kingdom (2050-1653 B.C.) was characterized by a new

concern of the pharaohs for the people. The primary duty of the pharaoh

was to uphold this order by maintaining the law and administering justice.

In the Old Kingdom, the pharaoh had been viewed as an inaccessible

god-king. Now he was portrayed as the shepherd of his people.

PHARAOHS CROWNED WITH

SHEPHERD’S CROOK AND FLAIL



Sphinxes of Egypt

• The sphinxes of Egypt are mythical creature, seen asguardians in Egyptian sculpture. Sphinxes are depictedin one of these three forms:

• Androsphinx - body of lion with head of person.• Criosphinx - body of lion with head of ram.

• Hierocosphinx - body of lion with head of hawk.



EGYPTIAN BUILDING STYLE:

Pyramids Were Pharaohs' Tombs, Their Homes For Eternity

One of the SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, the pyramids defy

21st-century humans to explain their greatest secrets. How could a

civilization that lacked bulldozers, forklifts, and trucks build suchmassive structures




The most famous burial tombs of ancient Egypt are the

great pyramids at Giza near Cairo. These and other tombs

were built to house the bodies of pharaohs for the afterlife.

Standing guard over the pyramids at Giza is the Sphinx, a

great rock sculpture with the head of a pharaoh and the body

of a lion. The age of pyramid building in Egypt lasted from

about 2700 BC to 1000 BC.




Temple of Egypt




Religion was a central theme in ancient

Egyptian culture and each town had its

own deity. Initially, these deities were

animals; later, they took on humanappearances and behaviors. Seated here

is Thoth, the god of learning and wisdom,

carrying a scepter symbolizing magical

power.




Osiris Isis Set Anubis Horus Hapi

Ptah Hathor Ra Sobek Thoth Ma'at

Beliefs




• Legend claims that Osiristaught agriculture to theancient Egyptians.

• After being murdered by hisbrother Seth, Osiris became

even more influential as rulerover both the dead and theunderworld. His his sister andwife, Isis, buried his scatteredremains.




Ma’at (or Maat) was the god of order, justice and truth. A

woman wearing a crown surmounted by a huge ostrich

feather.

Anubis was the ancient Egyptian god associated withmummification and burial rituals;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Anubis_attending_the_mummy_of_Sennedjem.jpg




A typical Naqada jar

decorated with gazelles.

(Predynastic Period)

A mural of Narmer

depicts conquering

Lower Egypt (c.a.3100 B.C.)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/NarmerPalette_ROM-gamma.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egypte_louvre_316.jpg




The ancient Egyptians maintained a rich cultural

heritage complete with feasts and festivals

accompanied by music and dance

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/%C3%84gyptischer_Maler_um_1400_v._Chr._001.jpg




The ancient Egyptian writing system is known as "hieroglyphic" and is

composed of some 500 symbols called hieroglyphs (pictographic

writing systems).

This ancient Egyptian system of writing that used pictures to

represent words or syllables. Hieroglyphics preserved records of

ancient Egyptian culture for thousands of years.Egyptians carved hieroglyphics into stone, and they wrote on

papyrus made from a reed plant that was pressed and dried to

make a paper-like material. Paper gets its name from papyrus.

Papyrus was rolled onto scrolls, which made written records

lightweight, compact, and portable.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Hieroglyphs_from_the_tomb_of_Seti_I.jpg




Clothing• Under the Old Kingdom free men and

women went naked to the navel, and

covered themselves from waist to kneeswith a short, tight skirt of white linen.

• Only mild clothing was necessary for themild climate.

• Originally, all levels of society dressed thesame but later it became indicator ofsocial standing and wealth.

• Preferred material was white linen.

• Early linens were coarser than later finelinen fabrics.

• Later linen materials could be spungossamer fine and made sheer, or semisheer like fine lawn fabrics. Wool, cotton

and leather was also used.`




• In old kingdom men and women woresimilar type of clothing. The loin clothor Shenti

• The dress of the ancient Egyptiansconsisted not only of the clothes they

wore but also of the elaboratecostume jewelry that served toembellish the usually plain garments.

• Garments were draped around the

body rather than tailored, and sewingwas kept to a minimum.

• Colored or patterned cloth was rarelyused.

http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/images/life31b.jpg




Women’s clothing

• Originally women wore simplelinen cloth around the lower bodyand upper body remaineduncovered.

• Members of upper class worecape

• The Kalasiris appeared later wasworn in many different ways. Was

up to calf or ankle length.

• Close fitting garment leavingbreast uncovered was secured bybroad bands richly decorated.




Kalasiris pleated

and tight

• Prior to the New Kingdom,

women wore simple sheath

dresses falling from the breast

to just above the ankle.

• New Kingdom dresses

became much more elegant.

The sheath dress was worn,

but only as an undergarment.

A heavily pleated fringed robe

was worn on top.




Women costume: kalasiris: Decoration in Egyptian

dress was mostly on the collar




CLEOPATRA became the most famous of

Egypt's female leaders. She was extremely

intelligent, and ambitious and spoke several

languages — she even studied astronomy. At

18, she became queen of Egypt.




Elaborate gown; jewelry; plaited wig, hair ornaments and scented

cone.

• Except for a long, braided side lock an integral part of the Egyptian costume

was a wig or a hairpiece attached to the natural hair .

• Because of the intense heat, many Egyptians shaved their heads or cut

their hair very short, although some kept their hair very long and elaborately

coiffed.

M i ld ki d Th b i d f kilt ( h ti)




Men in old kingdom: The basic dress for men was a kilt ( shenti),

which fell just above the knee. It was made from a rectangular

piece of linen wrapped around the body and tied at the waist with

a knot or fastened with a buckle.

http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/images/geog06b.jpg




Men’s clothing

• In the New Kingdom men usually wore a short under kilt overwhich hung a long, heavily pleated skirt that was knotted at

the hips with a fringed sash.

• Also worn was a short, wide cape covering the upper part of

the body and hanging from the shoulders.




Peasant class

• Tomb relief depicts workers

plowing the fields, harvesting

the crops, and threshing the

grain under the direction of an

overseer wearing simple linen

Shenti

• Servants and peasants limited

their everyday wardrobe to a

loin-cloth.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Tomb_of_Nakht_(2).jpg






Rich Egyptian men were able to afford the

best quality linen which was very fine and

almost see-through. Rich Egyptian men

also wore as much jewellery as they could

afford and decorated their clothes. They

also wore headdresses for special

occasions.



When wealth increased, clothing increased; the Middle Kingdom added

a second and larger skirt over the first, and the Empire added a

covering for the breast, with now and then a cape.





Warrior King Costumes




Ancient Egyptian King, Egyptian

Commoners

Th h h diff t h dd d di h t




The pharaoh wore many different headdresses, depending on what

occasion it was.

The Pharaoh was usually depicted wearing symbols of royalty and

power Sphinx head dress -KHAT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egypte_louvre_231_visage.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SFEC_EGYPT_ABUSIMBEL_2006-003.JPG



The pharaoh wore several

different headdresses, such

as:


White crown

The White Crown symbolised the

pharaoh's control over Upper

Egypt,and was worn on

occasions involving Upper Egyptonly.

Red crown The Red Crown

symbolised the pharaoh's

control over Lower Egypt,

and was worn on

occasions involving

Lower Egypt only.

Double crown

The Double Crown was a combination

of the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and

the White Crown of Upper Egypt. It

symbolised the joining of the two lands,

and the pharaoh's control over the two

lands.




Blue crown

The Blue Crown (the Khepresh) was a blue cloth or

leather headdress decorated with bronze or gold

discs. The Blue Crown was worn in battles, as well

as on ceremonial occasions.

Nemes Headdress

The Nemes Headdress was a blue

and gold striped head cloth

Atef crown

The Atef Crown was a white headdressdecorated with ostrich feathers. It was

worn during some religious rituals.




Noblewoman, Egyptian Queen/Egyptian Court Official,

Egyptian King, Fanbearer




Ancient Egyptian Soldiers, Egyptian King in

Battle Attire, Charioteer




• Although garments were mostly white, there was no lack of color.

• Men and women wore decorative collars-tightly hued bands made of

embroidered materials and beads and set around the neck and shoulders

on the bare skin or on top of a white cape or gown.

• In the New Kingdom, embroidery, influenced by Syrian culture, made its

debut. A certain group of decorative motifs show up in embroidery on

collars, belts and sashes--the lotus flower, papyrus bundle, birds in flight

and many geometric forms.

• Children and those participating in rigorous exercise frequently wore no

clothes at all. Both boys' and girls' heads were usually shaved




Cosmetics were not only animportant part of Egyptian dress butalso a matter of personal hygieneand health.

Many items related to cosmeticshave been found in tombs and areillustrated in tomb paintings.




To color their cheeks, the Egyptiansused red ocher mixed with a base offat or gum resin; ocher may have also

been used as lipstick. Henna, areddish-brown dye, was certainly usedto color hair and perhaps also thepalms of the hands, soles of the feet,and nails.




• Oils and creams were of vital

importance against the hot Egyptiansun and dry winds. Eye paint, bothgreen and black, is probably the mostcharacteristic of the Egyptiancosmetics.

• The green pigment was malachite, an

oxide of copper. The black paint,called kohl, was a sulfate of lead and,in the late Middle and New Kingdoms,was soot.

• Kohl was usually kept in a small potthat had a flat bottom, wide rim, tinymouth, and a flat, disk-shaped lid.Many kohl pots have been found inEgyptian tombs.




• Although the Egyptians spent much of theirtime barefoot, both men and womensometimes wore sandals made from papyrus,palm leaves, or leather fastened by leatherthongs. The standard sandal had a thong that

passed between the first and second toes andattached to a bar that went across the instep.

• Sandals were always removed in the presenceof a superior.




• The civilization of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steadydecline, during which Egypt was conquered by a succession offoreign adversaries.

• The days of Egyptian empire were ended, and the New Kingdomexpired with the end of the twentieth dynasty in 1085 B.C.

• For the next thousand years, despite periodic revivals of strength,Egypt was dominated by Libyans, Nubians, Persians, andMacedonians.

• The power of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the earlyRoman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province.




http://www.daz3d.com/i/shop/popup/jpg?item=6248&num=0&h=675&_m=d




Flounces, embroideries and a

thousand frills appeared, and

fashion entered like a serpent

to disturb the paradise of

primitive nudity.




Bibliography

• Baines, John, and Jaromir Malek. Atlas of Ancient Egypt. New York:Facts on File, 1987. (Adult)

• James, T.G.H.An Introduction to Ancient Egypt. NewYork: Harper &

Row, 1979. (Grade 7-adult)

• Kristensen, Preben, and Fiona Cameron. We Live in Egypt. New

York: Bookwright Press, 1987. (Grades 3-6)

• Percefull, Aaron W. The Nile. New York: Franklin Watts, 1984.

(Grade 6-adult)

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