Download Ancient Egypt - Mr. Ellers 6th Grade Social Studies Website

Ancient Egypt
Part 2
The Old Kingdom
(2700 BCE to 2200 BCE)
• People saw their kings as gods
• Called a theocracy = same person is the
political AND religious leader
• King gave many responsibilities to a
bureaucracy = groups of government
officials
• King controlled trade & taxes
• King supervised building of canals,
dams, grain storehouses
The Old Kingdom
(2700 BCE to 2200 BCE)
• Egyptians built pyramids
as burial places for their
kings
• Great Pyramids in Giza
• King’s bodies were
mummified for
preservation
Pyramids
The Great Pyramid
∆ The Pyramids were considered "Houses of Eternity“.
∆ Tallest human-made structure until the Eiffel Tower
in the 1800's
∆ Took approximately 23 years to build
∆ All pyramids had to have a North-facing entrance, to
align with the North Star.
∆ Built by farmers and other laborers during the
Inundation (flood season)
∆ Most stones weigh 2.5 tons, but some weigh up to 80
tons
∆ Laborers used mud-slicked ramps to move the stones.
Egyptian Pyramid
The Great Pyramid
Contributions of Egypt
• Language: Hieroglyphics
• Architecture: Pyramids
• Inventions: 365 day calendar, papyrus (paper),
irrigation system, mathematics, medicine, weapons,
chariots,
• Art: statues, paintings, jewelry
A System of Writing
• The Ancient Egyptians had no
separate word for “art”, their
word for “art” was the word
for “writing”.
• This Egyptian “alphabet” was
made up of about 800 picturesymbols called HIEROGLYPHS.
• The word HEIROGLYPHICS
means “sacred writing”
Other Symbols of Egypt
King Tut
Queen
Hatputshut
amulets
Scarab Beetle
Eye of Horus
The Sphinx
Cartouche
A System of Writing
• The Egyptians considered
HIEROGLYPHS sacred and
believed that they conveyed
the words of the gods.
• HIEROGLYPHICS also helped to
preserve the memory of
deceased people.
• In order to keep track of
government records, taxes,
and the passage of time, the
Egyptians developed a system
of writing called
HIEROGLYPHICS.
A System of Writing
PAPYRUS:
• The earliest form of
paper
• Made from the
papyrus reed that
grew in the Nile
• The reeds would be
criss-crossed and
pounded down to a
paper-like thickness.
A System of Writing
Not all Egyptians could read or write hieroglyphics:
SCRIBES:
∆ Pharaoh’s record keepers
∆ Very Educated in reading, writing & math
∆ Highly respected
∆ Only boys could become SCRIBES
∆ A SCRIBE’S training started at the age of 10
∆ SCRIBES used rolls of PAPYRUS to write on
Only the SCRIBES used HIEROGLYPHICS.
A System of Writing
• The Common people of Egypt
used a form of writing called
“hieratic”, a form of script
writing.
• Eventually, the responsibility of
reading & interpreting the
HIEROGLYPHS fell to the priests.
Even SCRIBES lost the ability to
read the ancient symbols.
• By 400 AD, no one could read
the HIEROGLYPHS anymore.
The Rosetta Stone
• The Rosetta Stone was the key that unlocked the
mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
• Napoleon's troops discovered it in 1799
• The inscription is written on the stone three
times, once in hieroglyphic, once in hieratic, and
once in Greek.
• Jean Francois Champollion, a French
Egyptologist, deciphered the hieroglyphic and
hieratic texts by comparing them with the
known Greek text.
• From this meager starting point, a generation of
Egyptologists eventually managed to read most
everything that remains of the Egyptians'
ancient writings.
Return
The End of the Old Kingdom
• The economy began to be strained by huge
government building projects.
• People became unhappy with the pharaoh's demands
for taxes to pay for these projects.
• Pharaoh Pepy III ruled for 92 years, he eventually lost
control over the central government - local governors
took over.
• This period without any pharaohs lasted about 150
years - there were foreign invasions and disorder
during this time.
The Middle Kingdom
(2050 BCE to 1800 BCE)
• Old Kingdom ended with violence & a new dynasty reunited Egypt
• Capital moved to Thebes
• Theben kings = seized new territory & added thousands of acres to
their civilization
• Built canals and irrigation systems
The Middle Kingdom
(2050 BCE to 1800 BCE)
• Local leaders began to challenge
the kings’ power, which
threatened peace
• At same time = 1st real threat to
Egypt = invasion by Hyksos (people
from western Asia)
• Hyksos swept through with new
tools for war --> bronze weapons
& horse-drawn chariots
• Easily conquered the Egyptians &
set up a new dynasty (for about
110 years)
The Middle Kingdom
2100BC - 1700BC
• Order was restored by
Mentohotep:
• strong military leader
• restored unity to Egypt
• moved the capital to Thebes
• took control of Nubia
• Nubian gold brought
increased prosperity
(economy improved)
The Middle Kingdom
2100BC - 1700BC
• Egypt's contact with other parts of
the world increased, bringing foreign
goods and foreign ideas to the
Egyptian civilization.
• Egyptian trade increased with
Western Asia, creating a new
wealthy class of "common people" Middle Class
• Outside groups began moving into
Egypt - Hyksos
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