The Old Kingdom: Age of the pyramids

Page 56-58

1. Under what King was Egypt unified?

• King Menes in 3100 BCE.

2. What is a dynasty?

• A series of rulers belonging to the same family.

3. Where were the three pyramids built?

• Giza, Egypt

4. Who was Imohtep?

• Chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser. He was the architect of the Step Pyramid, a high priest, a builder, and practiced medicine.

The Middle Kingdom: Age of Nobles

Page 58-59

1. What happened at the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt?

• Central government broke down as local and provincial officials became increasingly powerful. This led to civil war.

2. Why did Egypt experience two centuries of peace and stability during the middle

kingdom?

Economic and political boundaries expanded, and increased social mobility of the middle class decreased the power of local princes.

This led to less internal strife and peace.

3. Who invaded Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom? What did they have which gave them the advantage?

• The Hyksos invaded Egypt. They had improved bows, horse-drawn chariots and bronze weapons which gave them the advantage.

4. How did the Egyptians emerge from the second intermediate period?

• They mastered the new weapons and drove the Hyksos out.

Political, Legal, and Economic structures

Page 59-63

1. What was the pharaoh?

• Central to the government of Egypt, the Pharaoh was a god-king.

• The Pharaoh was the earthly embodiment of the god Horus, son of Osiris.

2. Did the pharaoh have absolute power? Explain.

• Yes, the pharaoh had absolute power, but they did have to rule in accordance to Ma’at, the equilibrium goddess of the universe.

• They were not to disturb that balance by altering society.

The New Kingdom: Age of the Empire/Golden Age

Page 63-68

1. Who do historians call the first powerful female leader?

• Hatshepsut

2. How is Hatshepsut depicted often in statues? Why?

• Wearing a beard. • This was to symbolize

her power and authority, given that pharaohs are the son of the god Re.

3. Who is known as the Napoleon of Egypt?

• Tuthmosis III

4. What was Akhenaton’s original name?

• Amonhotep IV

What did Akhenaton do?

• He opposed th worship of Amon-Re, the traditional supreme god of the Egyptians. He wanted Egyptians to worship one god, Aton.

5. Was Akhenaton considered a strong pharaoh?

• No, he did not pay much attention to traditional pharaoh duties, leading to the beginning of the end of the New Kingdom.

6. Who was Tutankhamun?

• He was the young child who began pharaoh after Akhenaton’s death.

7. Did Tutankhamen accept his fathers religious revolution?

• No, he reversed Akhenaton’s changes to the religion of Egypt. He changed his name from Tutankhaton to Tutankhamun, rejecting the Aton cult.

8. Where did Tutankhamun move the capital of Egypt back to?

• Thebes.

9. Why was his tomb not discovered by grave robbers?

• He died so young, that he was placed in a tomb of the nobility, which was not advertised as a typical pharaoh tomb.

10. What did Ramses II construct during his 67 year reign of Egypt?

• He created the greatest monuments, buildings and colossal statues, including Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings.

11. When did national gods begin to emerge in Egypt?

• During the Middle Kingdom, Amon, the local god of Thebes began to emerge as a national god of Egypt.

Who were the gods of the dead?

• Osiris, Anubis, Horus, and Thoth.

Intellectual Life

Page 68-74 (not 70-71)

1. Explain the Ka, ba, and akh.• The Ka was a spiritual duplicate of the

human. It was stored in the heart, and at death, it was separated from the body. The ka would inhabit the tomb of the individual to be near the body after death. The ka would need food, clothing, perfume and furniture in the afterlife.

• The ba was a non-physical element unique to each person. It was the person’s character or personality, and depicted as a human headed bird.

• The Akh was the transformed mummy of the human, through the use of magical spells said over the mummy.

2. Why did the Egyptians begin to mummify their dead?

The natural rainless climate and dryness of the sand prevented the body from decomposing, leading to mummies in the sand. Yet, as the Egyptians moved to more elaborate burial practices, the bodies would decompose because they were not in the sand.

Consequently, they developed artificial ways to duplicate the mummification process that had initially happened naturally in the desert.

3. Who built the great pyramid

• Khufu, during the age of the Pyramids/Old kingdom.

Review…Recall…Reflect

(page 63)

1. List & describe three ways that the environment shaped Egyptian culture and society.

The Nile, Western and Eastern Deserts, and the Mediterranean Sea were environmental factors which shaped Egypt.

The Nile provided transportation, irrigation, and communication networks.

The desert protected Egypt from invasion and allowed it to remain isolated.

The Mediterranean Sea provided the transportation route to Egypt’s trading partners.

2. Explain the meaning and significance of the double crown of Egypt.

The double crown of Egypt signifies the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt in 3100 BCE, under the reign of King Menes.

Review…Recall…Reflect

(page 74)

1. With the concept of a god-king, the importance of having a strong Pharaph was crucial to Egypt’s stability. Respond to this statement using the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom to support your answer.

Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis III, Akhenaton, Tutankhamen, Ramses II were all pharaohs of the New Kingdom considered strong.