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A
NCIENT EGYPT
BY DEVIN T., MERA C., CHRIS L.
UNIFIC
A
3100 B.C.
TION OF EGYPT
King Menes unites Upper and
Lower Egypt
Egypt's first capital was created
at Memphis
The Nile was used as a highway
that connected Upper and Lower
Egypt
2686-2181 B.C.
THE OLD KINGDOM
Pharaohs ruled by bureaucracy
Pharaohs held absolute power,
and were key roles in religion and
government
Great pyramids were built
The Old Kingdom fell due to
power and crop struggles and the
cost of building the pyramids
2040-1786 B.C.
THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
The Nile didn't flood as usual
Rebellion and corruption was
common
Strong rulers created a drainage
project that opened more farmable
land
The regional aristocrats lost their
power to the central states
Invading people called the Hykos
took over Egyptian government.
However, both sides got along.
Egyptians learned how to use
horse-drawn chariots, and the
Hykos adopted Egyptian customs
1570-1090 B.C.
THE NEW KINGDOM
Powerful pharaohs created a new,
stronger empire that grew from
Syria all the way down to the
Euphrates River
This expansion allowed more
contact with people such as
southwestern Asia and Africa
Many noticeable figures appeared
during this age, such as the first
female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and
Ramses II
Egypt conquered Nubia, their
southern rival
1100 B.C.
EGYPT F
A
DES
Many invasions and a constant
power struggle for the Nile region
led to Egypt's slow loss of power
SOCI
A
L HIER
This triangle at the right
illustrates the Social Hierarchy of
Ancient Egypt with pharaoh being
the the top of society and
peasants being the bottom of
society.
As trade and warfare increased
during the New Kingdom social
classes become more fluid which
represented change to the social
structure.
Foreign conquests brought riches
to Ancient Egypt, which in turn
meant more business for artisans
thus reforming that level of
society.
Ancient Egyptian women had
higher status and greater
independence than women
elsewhere in the ancient world.
Most people in Ancient Egypt
were peasants or farmers. Many
people were also slaves. The
bottom part of society was also
the largest part of society.
A
RCHY
A
DV
A
NCES IN KNOWLEDGE
This Ancient Egyptian Pyramid layout
illustrates how Ancient Egypt made many
advances in knowledge and more specifically
how advanced Ancient Egypt was in art.
Ancient Egyptian medicine was very advanced
for its time. It included simple non-invasive
surgery, knowledge of the human anatomy,
and even some appropriate diagnosis and
treatment.
Ancient Egyptians made advances in writing
as they developed their own form of writing
and created papyrus to write on.
Ancient Egyptians made advances in time
telling as they developed the first 12 month
calendar.
Obelisks were a prominent part of Ancient
Egyptian architecture.Obelisks were placed in
pairs in the front of important buildings,
various monuments, such as temples.
Geographic Influences
on civilization
most Egyptians were peasant farmers
Without the Nile river, Egypt would be complete desert
desert around Egypt protected them from invasions
farmers grew wheat and flax from the fertile soil near the Nile
controlling the Nile's floods taught the people cooperation skills
The Great pyramids
each pyramid took around 20­30 years to build
construction workers, carpenters, water carriers and potters all worked on the pyramids
they were mostly made of limestone and granite
the pharaoh Khufu built the first and largest pyramid in Giza
RELIGION &
When an Egyptian died, their body would be
mummified. The process was long and was
originally only done by the upper class. The
first step was the removal of the internal
organs, which were removed from a small
cut made in the left side of the stomach.
The heart would be put back in because it
was believed to be the center of a person’s
intelligence and self. After preserving and
separating the organs into different jars,
the body would be dried and treated to
withstand decay. Then the body would be
wrapped with 100 yards of linen and buried
along with their internal organs and
belongings. When a body was buried, there
were a lot of religious processes needed to
be done. Egyptians saw Afterlife as life on
Earth, so the mummy was often buried with
belongings and other essential materials
that would be needed forever. During the
funeral, magical rites would be performed.
The Egyptians’ belief in their mythology
truly powered their religion. The very idea
of preserving the body was the belief that
without it, the person’s soul would become
lost.
A
FTERLIFE
The Egyptians believed that each soul would
travel across the lake of fire in the underworld
to be judged by the god Osiris. They would be
tested against the feather of truth; if they were
deemed worthy, they would spend eternity in
the Happy Fields of Flood. If they sinned too
much though, their heart was eaten by Ammit
the Devourer. While there were many gods and
goddesses in Egypt, the main god was the Sun
God, Ra. The pharaohs were seen to receive
their right to rule from Ra. The story of Osiris
and Isis was more emotional and more Egyptians
felt connected to it; Osiris once ruled Egypt until
his jealous brother Set killed him and cast pieces
of him across the Nile. Isis retrieved all the
pieces and resurrected him. But because Osiris
was partially dead, he could no longer rule the
living and became the god of death. Osiris was
also important because he was also seen as the
god of the Nile and made the annual flood.