Ancient Egypt

Nile River

• 4160 miles long
• Empties into the Mediterranean Sea
• Flows from South to North
• Lower Egypt lies at the Mediterranean Sea, mainly the Nile Delta
• Higher land to the south was considered Upper Egypt
• Southern Nile River runs between a series of six cataracts, or waterfalls

Geography/Natural Boundaries:

• North: Mediterranean Sea
• East/West: Deserts
• South: Cataracts (boats could not sail through)

“Giver of Life”:

• Every mid July river flooded leaving rich fertile soil (helped farming)
• To predict the floods, Egyptians developed the solar calendar!

Aswan High Dam:

• -World’s largest embankment dam (made of earth and rock)
• -10 years to build, $1 billion cost
• -Advantages: electrical power, water for agriculture, supports
• fishing industry, prevents floods
• -Disadvantages: Riverbanks have lost nutrients, 120,000 Nubians
• were forced to resettle, water polluted by fertilizer

Suez Canal:

• -Separates Africa from Asia, cuts through Egypt
• -Longest ship canal in the world
• -Links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea

Ancient Egypt Civilization:

• -Lasted for over 2500 years
• -Dated from 3100 B.C. to about 395 B.C.
• -Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt become one country
• -Kings were the leaders of “monarchy” type of government
• -King Narmer of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt
• -Built the city of Memphis as the new capital
• -World’s first “nation-state”= united people and a single
• government
• -Marks Egypt’s first “dynasty”= a series of rulers from the same
• family

Three Kingdoms:

• -The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.)
• -Kings were considered to be living gods
• -“Vizier”= chief of advisors, carried out the king’s orders
• -Old Kingdom known as the “Pyramid Age”
• -Pharaohs (kings) were buried in pyramids ONLY in this time
• period
• -The Middle Kingdom (2100-1800 B.C.)
• -Began with the reuniting of Egypt after a “civil war” =war between
• two groups in the same place
• -Trade, arts and literature became very popular =became known as
• the Egypt’s “Golden Age”
• -Southwest Asians called the Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt
• brining the Middle Kingdom to an end.
• -The New Kingdom (1500-1000 B.C.)
• -Began with Dynasty 18
• -Egyptian king took the title as “Pharaoh”
• -Empire reaches its largest size
• -Pharaohs were buried in the “Valley of the Kings” near Thebes

Religion:

• Polytheistic Religion = many gods and goddesses controlled nature

Gods and Goddesses:

• Ra: Sun God
• King of the Gods
• Head of a Falcon
• Hapi: God of Fertility
• God of the Nile
• Anubis: God of Embalming
• Head of a Jackal
• Determined if your heart was as light as a feather
• Ammit: The Destroyer
• Demon who would eat the “heavy” hearted
• Osiris: God of the Dead
• Ruler of the Underworld
• Horus: God of the Sky
• Was a special protector of the pharaohs
• His eye was the symbol of healing and protection
• Head of a hawk

Animal Gods:

• jackal, snake, crocodiles

Afterlife:

• -Believed in a heavenly place called the “Land between Two Fields”
• -Osiris opened the door of afterlife for everyone
• -Requirements:
• 1) You had to pass the test of heart in the Hall of Maat (weighing of the heart)
• 2) Your name had to be written somewhere in your tomb
• 3) Your body had to be preserved
• -Everyone had two souls, “Ba” and “Ka”

Hieroglyphics:

• -Egyptians developed a writing system called hieroglyphs
• -3100 B. C.
• -Hieroglyphic means= “holy carving”
• -First used for religious purposes
• -Made up of pictures that represent ideas, words, or sounds

Rosetta Stone:

• -In 1799, the stone was found in a town of Rashid (Rosetta)
• -It was named the Rosetta Stone
• -It held three types of writing: Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek
• -Today it is in the British Museum
• -In 1822, Jean Francois Champollion was able to figure out the translation
• -It is made of a piece of volcanic rock

Papyrus

• paper like material used for writing

What was a Pharaoh?

• Pharaoh= ancient Egyptian ruler who was believed to be both human being and a
• god

Pyramids:

• -Pyramids=stone structures used as tombs for Egyptian rules
• -80 pyramids known today from Ancient Egypt
• -Step Pyramid at Saqqara: first pyramid built, named for its step like stones, built
• for Pharaoh Zoser
• -Bent Pyramid: built for Pharaoh Snefru, gets its name from the change in the
• angle halfway up its side
• -Red Pyramid: also built by Pharaoh Snefru, was the first pyramid built with
• smooth sides
• -Great Pyramids of Giza: 2 millions blocks of stone weighing between 2 -15 tons,
• covered 13 acres and 40 stories high

Sphinx:

• -A sphinx is a mythological creature that has a body of a lion but the head of a King
• Believed to built by Kahfre, the son of Khufru
• -Believed to have once been quite colorful

Mummy:

• a preserved body

Mummification:

• a process that preserves the bones and soft tissue of a body after death

Canopic Jars:

• -All major organs are removed during the process
• -The heart was “home of the soul” and was left in the body
• -Liver, Lungs, Intestines, and Stomach were placed in a canopic jar
• -Jackel Jar: stomach
• -Human Jar: Liver
• -Baboon Jar: Lungs
• -Falcon Jar: Intestines

Mummification:

• -They removed the brain through the nose with a metal tool
• -Bodies were covered in Natron Salt to dry the body out and then
• covered in linens

The Book of the Dead:

• Not a book
• Nickname for different magical spells
• Helped Egyptians reach their afterlife
• Were written on papyrus sheets and buried with the body

Pharoahs

• King of Narmer: -Unifier of Egypt
• -Wearing both the white (upper) and red (lower) crown
• -Became Egypt’s first Pharaoh
• Snefru: -Ruled from 2613 B.C. to 2589 B.C.
• -His son was Khufu
• -Had the Red and the Step Pyramid built
• Akenaten: -“The Rebel Pharaoh”
• -Ruled 1350-1334 B.C.
• -Started a new religion
• -Supposed to worship only ONE God, the Sun God
• -We believe King Tut was his son
• Hatshepsut: -“The Chosen One”
• -One of very few women that became a Pharaoh
• -Ruled from around 1498 B.C. to 1483 B.C.
• -Buried in the Valley of the Kings
• -Spread rumors that she was a daughter of the God Amun
• -Wore male clothing and a fake beard to try and convince people she was
• worthy
• King Tut: -“The Golden Pharaoh”
• -Around 1334 B.C., the nine-year- old Tutankhatun was given the throne.
• -Chanced his name to Tutakhamen
• -Died at around 18
• -1922 Howard Carter discovered his tomb
• -Theories of how did he die:
• -- Some believe he was hit in the back of his head (huge crack in his skull)
• -- Some believe he had malaria from a mosquito bite
• -- He broke his leg and died a few days later from infection
• Ramses II: -“Ramses The Great”
• -Ruled from 1279 B.C. to 1212 B.C.
• -He ruled from 25-92 years old
• -Had over 100 children in his life
• -Over 50 wives during his life
• -Led Egypt into the world’s largest chariot battle (5000 chariots)

Egyptian Social Classes:

• -Pharaohs
• -Viziers
• -Highest Priests and Nobles
• -Officials, Scribes
• -Craftsmen
• -Scribes

Roles of Men and Women:

• -Men mostly craftsmen
• -Women raised children and were highly respected

Children:

• -Considered “gifts of gods”
• -Board games called “Senet” and “Dogs and Jackles”
• -Egyptians were married between the ages of 17-20, maybe as young as
• thirteen

Housing of Egyptians:

• -most lived in villages in “rural” or country areas, only 5
• percent lived in cities