Download EGYPT

EGYPT
THE GIFT OF THE NILE
Geography
Egyptian civilization emerged in the Nile River Valley
The Nile is the longest river in the world - 4,000 miles long
The Nile flows from Lake Victoria, located in east central Africa,
northward to the Mediterranean Sea
Three main regions of Egypt:
Upper Egypt
Lower Egypt
Nile Delta
The richest and most fertile soil found anywhere in Africa is found
in the Nile Delta
Delta = a triangular region formed at the mouth of a river by
deposits of silt
Water from the Nile was used for: - Irrigation, drinking, bathing,
transportation
Yearly flooding left silt which made rich soil
The Nile was controlled by dams
Known as the Bread Basket of the Mediterranean
Egypt also had natural barriers that gave protection
from invaders and a sense of security
Deserts to the east and west (especially the Sahara)
Red Sea to the east
Mediterranean Sea to the north
Cataracts on the southern part of the Nile
Cataracts = rocky stretches marked by swift
currents, rapids, and waterfalls
There are six cataracts
History
First farming villages appeared in 5000 BC
Consolidated into two kingdoms
Kingdom of Lower Egypt – worshipped a cobra
goddess
Kingdom of Upper Egypt – worshipped a vulture
goddess
Spoke different dialects and had different customs
Dynasty = a series of rulers from the same family
There were a total of 31 dynasties
Egyptian history is divided into three major periods
which are characterized by long-term prosperity and
strong leadership
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
Between these periods were times of chaos and
invasion known as Intermediate periods
Old Kingdom 2700 - 2200 BC
• Age of prosperity and splendor
• Powerful rulers took the title of pharaoh
• Kingship was a divine institution and pharaohs had
absolute power
– Belief that the pharaoh was a god in human form
– Pharaohs and his priests had to perform elaborate
rituals everyday
– Egypt was a theocracy, a state ruled by a religious figure
• Surrounded by a well-established bureaucracy
– Bureaucracy = a highly structured organization, often
governmental, managed by officials who did what the
pharaoh wished.
Pyramids were first built during the Old Kingdom
Pyramids were tombs for dead pharaohs
The Great Pyramid was constructed at Giza by King
Khufu
Took 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build it
The Great Sphinx guards the Great Pyramid
Most pharaohs started building their pyramid as soon as
they began their rule
Workers built the pyramids from the inside out
Most of the workers were peasants, not slaves, who
were required to work for the govt one month out of the
year
Religion
• Egyptians were polytheistic, had many important gods and
goddesses
– Key god was the god of the sun = Re or Amon-Re – Father
of the pharaohs.
– Anubis = protector of the dead
– Osiris = introduced civilization into Egypt, also became a
judge of the dead
– Isis = goddess of nature and protector of women
– Horus = god of the sky, pharaohs are human forms of this
god
Believed that gods controlled all natural events
Priests performed rituals to fulfill the needs of the gods
Believed that the rituals refreshed the gods and kept them
alive
In return the gods would grant the pharaohs immortality
and bring prosperity to Egypt
Society
Simple social structure
Pharaoh and royal family
Gov’t officials, priests, military leaders, scribes,
landowners, doctors
Artisans and merchants
Peasant farmers – made up 90% of the population
slaves
Lived in family units
Patriarchical society, husband in charge, but wives
well-respected
General rule was one marriage at a time
Women kept property and inheritance even after
marriage
There were divorces, with compensation for the wife
People married young and had arranged marriages
Pharaohs often married their sisters to keep the royal
blood pure
Many upper class people shaved their heads and wore
wigs, for both fashion and sun protection
Also wore dark eyeliner as a form of sun protection
Advancements
Main writing system was hieroglyphics
Used picture symbols to represent objects, sounds, and ideas
Carved into stone and written on papyrus
Developed in 3200 BC, considered one of the world’s first writing
systems - Only Sumerian cuneiform is older
In 1799 a French soldier found a granite slab, now called the Rosetta
Stone, which enabled historians to read hieroglyphics
Math
Used geometry to survey flooded land
Used math to build monuments
Could calculate volume and area
Developed an accurate 365 day calendar
Mummification led to medical expertise in human anatomy
Doctors set broken bones, treated wounds, performed simple surgical
procedures, and even removed some types of tumors
Doctors also encouraged regular bathing
Mummification
Central belief of the Egyptians was a belief in the afterlife
Egyptians believed that people had two bodies, a physical one
and spiritual one they called the ka
When a physical body died, the ka escaped
The ka was essentially an individuals personality separated from the
body
If the physical body is preserved, the ka could return
If the body decomposed, the ka would shrivel and vanish
Practice of mummification = slowly drying a dead body to
preserve it and stop it from rotting
Run by priests primarily for wealthy families who could afford it
Discovered after early Egyptians buried their dead in the desert,
found that the bodies were being preserved
Unfortunately jackals were eating the dead bodies
Steps of mummification
Remove all internal organs
Brain was liquefied and drawn out the nose
The heart was left inside – controlled emotions and intelligence
Organs were placed in canopic jars to be buried with the mummy
Body was packed with various materials to help keep its shape
Salts were placed on the body to dry it out
Finally the body was wrapped in strips of linen
Dead Egyptians were buried with their material possessions and
sometimes loved ones or pets and servants
Rooms were stocked with supplies and material goods for the
return of the ka
Also believed that people in paintings on the wall would come to
life as well
FAMOUS PHARAOHS
• Hatshepsut
– Took power after her husband the pharaoh died
• Officially she was only regent for her young son
– However she proclaimed herself pharaoh, the first
woman to do so
– She dressed like a man and wore a false beard
• All statues of her made her out to be a man
– Best known for a successful trading expedition that
went to a kingdom on the Red Sea
– After her death, her nephew became pharaoh and
destroyed almost all of the statues of his aunt
Amenhotep IV
Took the name Akhenaten
Tried to make Egyptians monotheistic by only
worshipping one god, Aten the sun god
Banned the worship of all other gods and goddesses
Tutankhamon
Son of Amenhotep, restored the worship of Egypts
traditional gods
Ramses II the Great
Great military leader, stopped the Hittites from invading
and married a Hittite princess
Ramses ruled for 60 years and brought much wealth to
Egypt
Built more temples and monuments than any other
pharaoh
Most admired pharaoh