ancient egypt land of the pharaohs some vocabulary cataracts – strong rapids delta – triangle...
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Ancient Egypt
Land of the Pharaohs
Some Vocabulary• Cataracts – strong rapids
• Delta – triangle shaped area of land made of soil deposited by a river
• Pharaoh – title used by the rulers of Egypt; pharaoh means “great house”.
• Dynasty – series of rulers from the same family
• Nobles – people from rich and powerful families
• Afterlife – life after death
• Mummies – specially treated bodies wrapped in cloth
• Pyramids – huge stone tombs with four triangle-shaped walls that met in a point on top.
• Trade routes – pathes followed by traders
• Hieroglyphics – the Egyptian writing system
• Papyrus – long-lasting, paper-like material made from reeds
• Sphinxes – Imaginary creatures with the bodies of lions and the heads of other animals or humans
• Obelisk – tall, four-sided pillar that is pointed on top
• Merchants – traders
• Exports – items sent out to other regions
• Imports –goods brought in from other regions
Egypt was called the
“GIFT OF THE NILE.”
Geography
played a key
role in the
development
of the
Egyptian
civilization.
Ancient Egypt: Geography• Egypt is known as “The Gift of the Nile”• The Nile River is the longest river in the
world and dominated the Egyptian world/thought
• Surrounded by desert with occasional oasis– Permits some trade – Defense from invasion
• Contributes to feeling of safety
– Dry environment preserves artifacts
• Egypt was a river valley civilization that formed along the Nile River.
• The Nile delta, triangle shaped area with soil deposited by a river, provided Egypt with 2/3s of its farm land.– The Nile flooded each year providing Egypt with
life.
The Nile flooded each year providing a
13 mile wide river valley (around the
river) which was filled with rich silt.
This rich soil was great for farming
and gave Egypt life Without the flooding they would not have survived
there..
Nile - O – Meter
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/middleeast/video/nileometer.html
Measures the water
level in the Nile River.
The Nile
delta,
triangle
shaped area
with soil
deposited
by a river,
provided
Egypt with
2/3s of its
farm land.
Irrigation
Shaduf
They built basins to collect water during the
yearly floods and to store this precious
resource long afterward. They also built a
series of canals that could be used in the dry
months to direct water from the basins to the
fields where it was needed.
People Settle in Egypt
• People started settling along the Nile 12,000 years ago, developing irrigation and canals for agriculture.
• Egypt was a perfect place for civilization to develop: a large food supply and easily defensible against enemies.
Egypt is
divided into
two parts.
-Upper Egypt
-Lower Egypt
Ancient Egypt: History
Pharaohs, Dynasties and Kingdoms
Video Clip: Introduction to Ancient Egypt
Click Here to See the Video Clip
3 Parts of Ancient Egyptian History
• Old Kingdom (2700-2150)– Hieroglyphics and religion develop
in Egypt– pyramids built
• Middle Kingdom (2040-1786)– extension of Egyptian control into
Nubia
• New Kingdom (1570-1075)– militaristic - Hebrews enslaved– mummification perfected
*Dynasties existed throughout Ancient Egypt’s history and within each dynasty.
MENES, Egypt’s First Pharaoh
• Menes united Egypt in 3100 B.C. Before him Scorpion tried, but failed.– Menes claimed the title Pharaoh, which
means “great house”– He created the first dynasty, a series of
rulers from the same family.– His dynasty lasted for 200 years, then a rival
family took over, creating a second dynasty.
Double Crown worn by
Menes to represent
the joining of the two
kingdoms.
A mural of Narmer or Menes
conquering Lower Egypt
(c.a. 3100 B.C.)
Menes (the new pharaoh)
established their capital at
the strategic site of
Memphis, just south of the
delta, and over the next
several centuries
consolidated their rule.
Probably no other dynasty
in history has been so
successful in creating an
effective yet apparently
timeless form of
government. For
thousands of years
Egyptian pharaohs were
able to convey to their
subjects a sense of
permanence and eternity
while constantly adjusting
the system to meet new
needs. (Nagle, 23)
Rule by Pharaohs
• The creation and expansion of an empire led to more trade and wealth.
The ancient Egyptians believed that Egypt
belonged to the gods. They believed that the
pharaoh had come to earth to manage Egypt
for the rest o the gods. As a result, he had
absolute power over all the land and peole in
Egypt.
Rule by Pharaohs
• Another major Egyptian Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom was:
Khufu:
began building
Egyptian
monuments –> the
pyramids
Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.E.)-4th Dynasty (2613-2493 B.C.E.) --Old Kingdom-- pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
-Although the Great pyramid has such fame, little is
actually known about its builder, Khufu.
-Ironically, only a very small statue of 9 cm has been
found depicting this historic ruler.
-According to various inscriptions, Khufu probably did
lead military into the Sinai, and raids into Nubia and
Libya.
Rule by Pharaohs
• Some Major Egyptian Pharaohs:– Menes: First pharaoh– Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.): began building
Egyptian monuments– Hatshepset (or Hatshepsut): Ruler who
became pharaoh in the 1400s B.C. and worked to increase Egyptian trade
– Ramses the Great : Ruler who had one of the longest reigns in Egypt, fought the Hittites and built many monuments and temples
– Tutankhamen (or Tutankhamon): Iconic remains found in the Valley of Kings
– Cleopatra: Last Pharaoh; Romans take over
Egyptian Culture: Social Structure
• Social hierarchy:– Pharaoh– Priests and Nobles– Scribes and
Craftsmen– Soldiers– Farmers– Servants– Slaves
By 2200 BC, Egypt had 2 million people and had
established a social pyramid.
Ancient Egyptian Social Hierarchy
Social Hierarchy• Pharaoh
– Egyptian kings of a centralized state– Claimed to be gods living on earth in human form
• Bureaucrats– Because the pharaoh was an absolute ruler there
was little room for a noble class as in Mesopotamia– Instead professional military forces and an elaborate
bureaucracy of administrators and tax collectors served the central government
• Patriarchal– Vested authority over public and private affairs in
men– However, more opportunities for women than in
Mesopotamia as evidenced by Queen Hatshepsut reigning as pharaoh
• Peasants and slaves– Supplied the hard labor that made complex
agricultural society possible– Among the slaves were the Hebrews
Egypt and TRADE (During the Old Kingdom)
Although well-protected by its geography, Egypt was
not isolated. Other cultures had influenced it for
centuries. For example:
Sumerian designs are found in Egyptian art. Egyptian
pottery also reflects styles from Nubia, a region south
of Egypt.
Traders returned from Nubia with gold, ivory, slaves,
and stone.
Traders traveled to Punt, an area on the Red Sea, to
acquire incense and myrrh.
These two items were used to make perfume and medicine.
Trade with Syria provided Egypt with wood.
Ancient Egyptian Culture
Egyptian Culture: Religion
• Egyptians were polytheistic and had gods for nearly everything, including the following gods:– Anubis– Amon-Re– Osiris– Isis– Horus
Early on – in the Old Kingdom – Egyptian officials tried to give some
structure to religious beliefs.
Everyone was expected to worship the same gods, though
how they worshipped the gods might differ from one region of Egypt
to another.
Over time, certain cities became centers for
worship of certain gods and worship became
more standardized.
Temples were built all over the kingdom and
payments were collected from both the
government and worshippers.
Religion in the Old Kingdom
Some Major Egyptian Gods include:
Anubis – god of the dead
Re, or Amon-Re – the sun god
Osiris – god of the underworld
Isis – the goddess of magic
Horus – a sky god, god of the
pharaohs
AFTERLIFE
Egyptians believed
that the afterlife was a
happy place. Paintings
from
Egyptian tombs show
the afterlife as an ideal
world where all the
people are young and
healthy.
a person’s life
force
When a person died, their KA would leave their
body and become a spirit. The KA
would remain linked to the body and would
not leave its burial site. The KA had the same
needs that the person had when he or she was
living.
To fulfill the KA’s needs, people filled the
tombs with objects for the afterlife.
Objects
included
furniture,
clothing,
tools, jewelry,
and weaponsRelatives of the dead were expected to
bring food and beverages to their loved
ones’ tombs so the KA would not be hungry
or thirsty.
King Tut’s Tomb
Mummification
Egyptian Culture: Afterlife and Burial
Practices• Egyptian religion focused on
the afterlife, believing that after a person died, their Ka moved on.
• To help keep the Ka safe in the afterlife, Egyptians mummified the bodies of the dead– Only royalty and the elite could
afford mummification
Mummification
• In order to prepare a person for the long and hazardous journey before they could enjoy the pleasures of the afterlife, the body of a dead person was preserved by a process called mummification.
Only royalty and other member of Egypt’s
elite (people of wealth and
power) could afford to have
mummies made.
Peasant families buried their dead in shallow
graves at the edge of the desert. The hot dry
sand and lack of moisture preserved the
bodies naturally.
RICH vs. POOR
POOR
RICH
First, his body is taken to the tent
known as 'ibu' or the 'place of
purification'. There the embalmers
wash his body with good-smelling
palm wine and rinse it with water
from the Nile.
Preparation for Mummification
Mummies• Not known when it started in Egypt• Perfected by time of New Kingdom• How to make a mummy: 70 steps
– 1) Removal of the brain through the nostrils 2) Removal of the intestines through an incision in the side 3) Sterilization of the body and intestines 4) Treating, cleaning, dehydrating the intestines 5) Packing the body with natron (a natural dehydrating agent) and leaving for 40 days 6) Removal of the natron agent 7) Packing the limbs with clay or sand 8) Packing the body with linen (soaked in resin), myrrh and cinnamon 9) Treating the body with ointments and finally wrapping with a fine linen gauze, not less than 1000 square yards .
Canopic Jars made of alabaster for storage of heart,
stomach, intestines and liver which were also treated
Inner coffinMummy
Second inner
coffin lid
Second inner
coffin
Video Clip on the Mummification Process
Click Here To See the Video Clip
The Judgment
• The Egyptians viewed the heart as the seat of intellect and emotion.
• Before entering the pleasures of eternity, the dead person had to pass a test in which Anubis, the god of the dead, weighed the person’s heart against Ma’at, the goddess of justice and truth, who was represented by a feather.
The Judgment
• If the deceased’s good deeds outweighed the bad, then his heart would be as light as the feather (heavy hearts bore the burden of guilt and evil), and Osiris would welcome the newcomer to the next world.
• If the deceased fell short in his judgment, his body would be eaten by a monster that was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.
Osiris• Patron of the underworld, the
dead, and past pharaohs• Cult of Osiris demanded
observance of high moral standards– As lord of the underworld,
Osiris had the power to determine who deserved the blessing of immortality and who did not
Egyptian Daily Life
• Cosmetics, cleanliness (bathe 3 times a day), shaved bodies, wigs
• main food is beer and bread– Grow many crops: emmer, barley, flax,
lentils, onion, beans, and millet
• common building made of sun-dried mud bricks - up to three stories in height
• Four social classes - slaves on the bottom
• Most common job … farming
Daily Life of Workers
The poor worked long hours for goods that they could exchange in the marketplace for the products they needed.
Agriculture was a major trade and many workers were farmers.
Boys learned a trade from their fathers, and girls were taught to care for the home and family by their mothers.
Women and girls wore straight, sheath-like dresses of rough, unbleached linen.
Men and boys wore short cloth kilts. Their homes were usually one-story made out of sun-
dried brick. There would be a basement and four rooms. They had little furniture. Stairs led to the flat rooftop so that the family could enjoy the cool night air after the sun went down.
Daily Life of the Wealthy Men were busy all day as merchants, trading along the Nile
River. Others supervised the daily workings of gigantic farms.
Many of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Egypt were priests.
Boys were taught to read and write. Women could own land, run businesses, testify in court, and
bring charges against men. Women oversaw the running of the households and gave
the servants instructions for daily menus and child care. Children were allowed much playtime. Girls practiced
singing and dancing. Boys wrestled and played army. Women and girls wore straight dresses of beautiful lined and
a lot of jewelry. At parties, they wore cones of incense on their heads that melted slowly giving off a pleasant smell.
Men and boys wore linen kilts Both men and women wore eye make-up made from black
ashes. Their homes were brick and wood, containing many rooms,
including a walled garden and a shrine for a favorite god.
Some Important New Kingdom (1570-1075 B.C.)
Pharaohs
Hatshepset or Hatshepsut (1479-1458
B.C.E.)• Queen Hatshepsut was the first great woman in
recorded history: the forerunner of such figures as Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Elizabeth I.
Hatshepsut• Her rise to power went against all the conventions
of her time. She was the first wife and Queen of Thutmose II and on his death proclaimed herself Pharaoh, denying the old king's son, her nephew, his inheritance.
• To support her cause she claimed the God Amun-Ra spoke, saying "welcome my sweet daughter, my favorite, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare, Hatshepsut. Thou art the King, taking possession of the Two Lands."
• She dressed as a king, even wearing a false beard and the Egyptian people seem to have accepted this unprecedented behavior.
Hatshepsut• She remained in power for twenty years and
during this time the Egyptian economy flourished, she expanded trading relations and built magnificent temples as well as restoring many others.
• Eventually her nephew, Thutmose III, grew into a man and took his rightful place as pharaoh. The circumstances of this event are unknown and what became of Hatshepsut is a mystery.
• Thutmose III has become known as “the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt.”
Queen Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el Bahri
Etchings from Dier el Bahri
‘The Parade' and 'The Army' are etchings made from drawings done at
Deir el Bahri. ‘The Army' represents a trading expedition to the Land of
Punt (thought to be somewhere on the coast of Somalia) and shows Nehsi
the Nubian general.
King Tutankhamen (or Tutankhamun)
- Ruled c.1333 BC – 1323 BC • Nickname = “King Tut”
• An 18th dynasty pharaoh who inherited the throne at a young age (probably 8 or 9).
• His reign was short-lived and upon his death he quickly faded into the sands of Egypt.
• Once forgotten, King Tut now the most famous of all the kings found in the Valley of the Kings and remains one of Egypt’s greatest icons.
• A pharaoh who accomplished little in his life. He did not expand Egypt’s borders nor enjoy triumphant victories like the many pharaohs before him
• He died in mid-January, 1343 B.C. It is thought that he was murdered by an official because his skull was bashed in and only a person of great importance could get near enough to harm him.
• Why is he so famous? This answer can be attributed to the discovery of his tomb and his elaborate treasure.
Tutankhamun
Tut’s Tomb Tut’s Scarab
Tutankhamun• King Tut’s tomb was a major discovery of the 19th century. It
was discovered November 4, 1922 in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter. Up until the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, it was believed that all royal tombs had been robbed and drained of their treasure.
• For the first time, a tomb, which was almost intact, had been discovered and remained hidden from robbers for thousands of years. The tomb revealed an elaborate lifestyle that many people could only dream about as well as providing clues and insight into King Tut’s life and how he lived.
Video Clip: King Tut (2007)
Click Here to See the Video Clip
Curse of the Mummy??
Click on this picture to read about the “Curse” of King Tut
Video Clip: King Tut????
Click Here to See the Video Clip
Rameses II The Pharaoh Who Made a Name for Himself
(1279-1213 BCE)
• Greatest New Kingdom ruler
• Military leader of Egypt
• Expanded into southern Turkey
• Built many monuments to himself
• Last gasp of Egyptian power.
Rameses II
Each time a new pharaoh came to power,
each neighboring civilization sent an army or
two to test the new pharaoh.
The neighbors hoped that perhaps this time they
could steal a piece of Egypt for themselves.
Rameses II When Rameses II became pharaoh, the neighbors sent warriors to see what would
happen. Rameses II was a brave man, a
good husband, and a loving father. But
he was a terrible general.
Some people remember him today because
he was such a poor general. Luckily, he
had great helpers.
Rameses II Some remember Rameses as the Pharaoh who had 111 sons, 51 daughters, and
many wives. Others recognize his name because he ordered
the construction of the temple of Abu Simbel, the huge temple that
is 180 feet long, 90 feet high, and decorated with four 60 foot high
statues of
Rameses II.
Rameses II
But in ancient Egypt, people knew his name
because Rameses ordered his name
chiseled on everything.
He even had his name put on statues that
were not statues of himself. He did this to
bolster people’s confidence in his
leadership abilities.
Rameses II Today, his name is still found in Egypt on
ancient buildings. But it was not
his chiseling that kept Egypt safe. Egypt was
strong enough to survive his 60-year rule.
Egypt was an ancient world power.
Her reputation, supported by capable leaders in
the military, kept Egypt safe.
After the New Kingdom
Invasion of the Invasion of the “Sea Peoples” “Sea Peoples” around 1200 B.C.around 1200 B.C.
Egyptian Drawings of Two Different Tribes of
Sea People
The days of Egyptian empire were ended, and the New Kingdom expired 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, and Macedonians.
Cleopatra VII
(b. 69 B.C.-d. 30 B.C.)The LAST Pharaoh of Egypt
Click the picture above to learn more about Cleopatra
Some Achievements of
Ancient Egypt
Achievements• Pyramids There were about 80 along the banks of the Nile River. The largest is the Great Pyramid, built by King Khufu in about
2600 B.C. It stands about 481 feet high and covers 13 acres. The pyramids functioned as huge burial tombs for the
Egyptians’ dead pharaohs and queens.
• Ship-building They used the Nile River like a highway to transport people and
goods to foreign lands. The first ships were made out of bundles of papyrus reeds tied
together to make a canoe-like vessel. As the ship trade flourished, the hulls of the ships were made
of cedar, and oars and sails were added for greater speed.
• Hieroglyphics These were pictures and symbols that served as one of the first
written languages in the world.
• Calendar Calendars were developed in 4241 B.C. with 365 days in a
year. It was based on the flooding of the Nile River. New Years was on June 1, not January 1!
The Pyramids
The Pyramids• Pyramids were created is giant
tombs for pharaohs.• The ancient Egyptian monuments are the
earliest forms of engineering, the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
• In addition to the Pyramids, temples were created that had sphinxes and obelisks.
The Pyramids• Pyramids
– Symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and divine stature; royal tombs
– Pyramid of Khufu involved the precise cutting and fitting of 2,300,000 limestone blocks with an average weight of 2.5 tons
– Estimated construction of the Khufu pyramid required 84,000 laborers working 80 days per year for 20 years
The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu
at Giza.
New Technologies used on the Pyramids
Ramps and stone-cutting
required to build pyramids
The Pyramid of Meydum The Bent Pyramid
The Great Pyramids of GizaThe Great Pyramids of Giza
The three large pyramids at Giza: From left to right, Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu. The far
pyramid is the "Great Pyramid" and the largest structure on the site. The middle one
may look larger, but only because it is built on higher ground.
The Giza complex as it looked in 1904
from Eduard Spelterini's balloon.
Video Clip about the Great Pyramid
Click Here to See the Video Clip
Hieroglyphicshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqyjoaPUXAI&feature=related
Egyptian Achievements: Hieroglyphs
• Egyptians created hieroglyphics, which means “to teach”, as a form of writing.
– The Egyptians had over 600 symbols.
– 3300 B.C. the Egyptians developed papyrus, which is a paper-like material made from reeds
Hieroglyphs• Hieroglyphs
– Pictures that were used to write the ancient Egyptian language
– Originally used to keep records of the king’s possessions. Scribes could easily make these records by drawing a picture of a cow or a boat followed by a number.
• As the language became more complex, more pictures were needed. Eventually the language consisted of more than 750 individual signs.
The Rosetta Stone• Today we are able to translate Hieroglyphics into
English because of the discovery of Rosetta Stone.
Hieroglyphs
Greek
Demotic
<----------------
<----------------
<----------------
Video Clip: The Rosetta Stone
Click Here to See the Video Clip
The Book of the Dead
Many texts are still available today,
including the famous The Book of the
Dead, which is about the afterlife.
Art and WritingEgyptian scribes wrote and recorded just about everything , except the steps to mummification
Egyptian Achievements: Art
• Much art and many paintings have been discovered in recent years.
• Egyptians were also stoneworkers and developed jewelry.
Other New Technologies
• Papyrus– The raw material came from the
plant Cyperus papyrus which grew along the banks of the Nile
– Used not only in the production of paper but also used in the manufacture of boats, rope and baskets
• Shipbuilding– Wooden boats– Multiple-oars– Sails– Rope trusses to strengthen hulls
AncientKush
Ancient Kush
• The Kingdom of Kush started in Nubia, south of Egypt. – Today Nubia is a
desert, but thousands of years ago it was very fertile.
Ancient Kush
– Kush and Egypt became trading partners, creating a trade network of imports and exports.
– Kush exported the following items:• Gold• Slaves• Ebony• Ivory• Copper• Stone
Ancient Kush
• Egypt conquered Kush around 1500 B.C. and ruled them for over 400 years.
• When the Egyptian empire declined, the Kushites began to invade Egypt.
• Piankhi completed the invasion of Egypt before he did in 716 B.C.
Ancient Kush
• Kush did not remain in power long and turned to agriculture and trade in place of conquest.
• Kush developed the first iron industry, leading to improvements in tools, weapons, and more.
• The trade network expanded to Greece, India, and China.
Ancient Kush
• Kush combined many other cultures into their own culture.
• The Kushite developed Meroitic as their written language.
• Women had more rights in Kush than in many of the ancient civilizations.
• The Kush disappeared completely by 500 A.D.
Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia Egypt
Agriculture +“Land between the rivers” (Tigris and Euphrates forms Fertile Crescent
+Artificial irrigation
+”Gift of the Nile”
+Artificial irrigation
Specialization +Pottery, textiles, woodworking, leather, brick making, stonecutting, masonry
+Pottery, textiles, woodworking, leather production, stonecutting, masonry
Cities -Numerous, densely populated city-states (Ur and Babylon)
-Fewer cities with high centralization (Memphis and Thebes)
Social Hierarchy -Noble class
-Patriarchal
+Slaves
-Absolute authority of the pharaoh made a noble class unnecessary (had bureaucrats instead)
-Patriarchal, but the presence of Queen Hatsheput may indicate greater opportunities for women
+Slaves
Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia Egypt
Religion and Education -Polytheism
-No afterlife
-Polytheism, but brief period of monotheism under Akhentan
-Afterlife and judgment (mummification)
New Technologies -Superior in metallurgy -Papyrus, shipbuilding, pyramids
Economic exchange -Trade by land and water -Trade principally by water along the Nile
-Trade more important because Egypt lacked natural resources beside the Nile
Art and Writing -Cuneiform -Hieroglyphs (more pictorial than cuneiform)
Farewell Students
and Beware
the Curse of
the Mummy!
Goodbye Video Clip: “It’s The Mummy”
Click Here to See the Video Clip