Download ANCIENT EGYPT: OLD, MIDDLE, AND NEW KINGDOM Outline I

ANCIENT EGYPT: OLD, MIDDLE, AND NEW KINGDOM
Outline
I. Thesis: Ancient Egyptians were the b
asis for many western traditions. Their
influences are noticable in art, architecture
, and religion.
II. The Old Kingdom A. Zoser, the first pharaoh.
1. built the fame
d Step Pyramid
2. brought unity to Egypt B. Religion
1. creation
2. gods C. Art D. Downfall of the Old Kingdom
III. The Middle Kingdom A. Pyramids B.
Middle Kingdom religion
1. Myth of Osiris
2. Similarties between the
myth of Osiris and Christian beliefs C. Middle Kingdom art D. Downfall of the Middle Kingdom
IV.
The New Kingdom A. Valley of the Kings B. Shift in religion 1. Aton
2. Akhenat
on C. New art form, naturalistic D. Downfall of the New Kingdom
V. Conclusion
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The ancient
Egyptians are considered among many to be the civilization upon which much of the western world's v
iews and attitudes are based. Everything from religion, to architecture, to art has been handed dow
n, generation by generation, to us in the present day. Although many of the ancient Egyptians' trad
itions have been modified or altered, the majority of their core principles remains constant. Yet,
despite the ancient Egyptians' conservative nature, there were some changes within the infrastructur
e of their society. Throughout the ages known as the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom,
there has been alterations to their religion, art, and architecture. Internal forces, as well as ou
tside influences, have molded ancient Egyptian civilization. This paper will attempt to determine t
hese forces which changed the Egyptians. Modifications of Egyptian life were subtle, but noticeable
and significant nonetheless. Art, architecture, and religion will be the focus of this paper. Let
us begin at the beginning, with the Old Kingdom.
The Old Kingdom began in the year 27
00 B.C. and ended 2200 B.C. The pharaohs, or kings, of this time include the third through the sixt
h dynasty, beginning with Djoser and ending with Pepi II. Djoser, who ruled from 2700 B.C. to 2650
B.C., changed his name to the more commonly known Zoser. It was Zoser who made the famed Step Pyram
id, the first pyramid to be constructed.
Pyramids were erected for the pharaoh in the
belief that it would serve as a stairway to the heavens, and allow the divine pharaoh to reach the M
ilky Way, or the Nile river in the sky. The pharaoh's afterlife was extremely dependent on a proper
burial, as were the afterlives of those who served him; therefore, it was imperative that the pyram
ids be erected. These pyramids could not have been built through coercion or slavery, for such an a
rchitectural feat could only have been accomplished by a labor force of 70,000, and there is no poss
ible way for a small group of rulers to force the people to labor day in and day out without some ki
nd of reward in the afterlife.
Previously, no such architectural feat had ever been dr
eamed of, let alone actually thought out and complete. The properties of stone, massiveness, streng
th, and durability, had not even be contemplated by masons and architects, yet under the guidance of
Imhotep, the royal architect of the pharaoh Zoser, this magnificent structure was erected (David 14
). It is of little wonder why the Greeks, when they listed the seven wonders of the world, placed t
he great Step Pyramid at the top.
By the fourth dynasty, the pharaohs were buried in t
rue pyramids, that is, all sides were flat planes meeting at some certain point, and the angle of ea
ch corner was 52 degrees. The three built at Gizeh, for Cheops, Chephren, and Mycenrinus, were the
peak of achievement of this field. The pyramids were of better architecture, more advanced design,
and longer durability; however, by the fifth dynasty, the pyramids were significantly smaller and th
e construction was of a lower quality, the result of which can be seen today; the pyramids of the fi
fth dynasty are little more than mounds of rubble (David 14). The reason for the decline in the py
ramids has to do with the shifting of power due to new religious attitudes.
The religi
on of the ancient Egyptians was rather complex. Creation was believed to have been made out of dark
ness and chaos. With the physical creation of earth, mankind, and gods came the abstract concepts o
f law, religion, ethics, and kingship. Those were to last for eternity, which solidifies the notion
that ancient Egyptians were very conservative. They believed there was no change; the universe work
ed according to a certain pattern governed by principles laid down at the beginning of time. Ancien
t Egyptians took the seasons to mean life was a cylindrical process, and that there was life after d
eath (David 81).
There were two distinct groups of gods: local and state, and househ
old. The household gods were the gods of the people; they protected the poor, who worshipped them i
n their own humble surroundings (David 78). These deities possessed no temples of their own and had
no religious doctrines, but it was to these gods the people offered their prayers to. The local go
ds were usually animal, such as Bastet, the cat goddess, or Sobeck, the crocodile god. When the chi
ef of a particular village came into state power, it was his local god that became a nationally-reno
wned state god. The first god to do this was Re, the sun-god. He had a steady rise in power beginn
ing in the second dynasty, and by the fifth dynasty Re was considered the chief god of state.
It was believed that the pharaoh was a god himself, and that his power was to be revered and
worshipped. Such was the case with Zoser, and the pharaohs of the preceding dynasties. But the pr
iesthood that worshipped Re began a slow steady usurpation of power from the pharaohs in the fifth d
ynasty. The divinity of the pharaoh was reduced in magnitude; he was no longer a god himself, but m
erely the son of the god Re (David 16). The decline in the quality as well as the size of pyramids
were the result of this shift in power.
The art of the time flourished nowhere else li
ke it did in Egypt. Art in the Old Kingdom was not simply for beauty, but for utility as well. Eve
rything was to have a purpose. For that reason, statues were not erected in marketplaces, but rathe
r in a temple where they might serve some practical purpose in the afterlife (Breasted 102).
Eventually, the pharaohs themselves became a major contributor in their own downfall. There
were marriages of non-royal women, as was the case with Pepi I. This led to the belief that the div
inity of the royal line was diluted, thereby reducing the pharaoh's power. In addition, the royal t
reasury was rapidly being depleted due to maintenance costs of pyramids, the construction of new pyr
amids, and numerous gifts to the priesthood and nobles. It wasn't long before the priesthood and th
e nobles were as wealthy as the pharaoh himself (David 16).
After Pepi II, central gov
ernment was completely lost, and anarchy reigned. It wasn't until the Middle Kingdom that Egypt beg
an to recapture the glory it once held. This era endured from 2050 B.C. until 1800 B.C., and include
d the twelfth dynasty (Wilson vvi).
Pyramids were once again being used to bury the ph
araohs, after a lapse, where kings were buried in rock-hewn tombs during the first intermediate peri
od, but were never anywhere near the size and splendor of those built in the Old Kingdom. There wer
e new pyramids at Lisht, Dahshur, El-Lahun, and Hawara. There were also a great number of temples e
rected, most of which were later dismantled and incorporated in the structure of other temples (Davi
d 20).
The once-absolute sun god, Re, was replaced by the god Osiris. The appeal of O
siris was that he promised a more democratic afterlife; the common man could look forward to his own
life after death. Osiris began as an obscure local god and rose to great power due to the wide pub
lic appeal.
The myth of Osiris has its root in mortality. Supposedly, King Osiris was
a human king who established order and brought the elements of civilization to his people. His jea
lous and evil brother Seth had murdered him to gain Osiris' throne, a plot not unlike that of Shakes
peare's Hamlet. Isis, Osiris' wife, fled to the delta of the Nile and gave birth to Osiris' son, Ho
rus, posthumously. There she trained Horus to extract their revenge upon Seth. When the confrontat
ion between Seth and Horus occurred, both were severely injured, but it was Horus who finally defeat
ed Seth. Through powerful charms placed by Isis, Osiris was restored to life, albeit as a king of t
he dead and judge of the underworld.
The charm that Osiris had over other deities was
the fact that he was once human, and had triumphed over death. This bears striking resemblance to C
hristian's beliefs that Jesus had died and was resurrected. Isis had become the symbol for a loving
and devoted wife, Horus was the embodiment of a courageous and righteous son, whereas Seth became t
he symbol of absolute evilness. This, too, bears an uncanny resemblance to many Christian beliefs;
Isis could be compared to the Virgin Mary, and Satan to Seth. Although great changes were made in r
eligion, even greater advances in Egyptian art were evident.
The Middle Kingdom bore w
itness to the finest pieces of jewelry ever crafted in Egypt. Craftsmen used semi-precious stones i
nlaid in gold and laden with numerous designs to grace the crowns, armlets, and collars worn by the
royal princesses (David 20). Once again, the pharaoh was supreme, and this is reflected in the sculp
tures of them, as there is a grim determination and disillusionment about the features, perhaps to g
uard against such mistakes that were made in the Old Kingdom.
In addition, the Middle
Kingdom was renowned for it's literary masterpieces. The Shipwrecked Sailor was the first literary
piece to have a story within a story. In addition, the hieroglyphic language of the period is today
regarded as the classical form, and 'Middle Egyptian' is the first stage of the language which woul
d-be Egyptologists learn.
The Middle Kingdom came to an end when the Hyksos invaded Eg
ypt and took over. It wasn't until 1465 B.C. that Egypt regained control of their country. The en
suing era, known as the New Kingdom, lasted from 1465 B.C. until 1165 B.C.
The New Kin
gdom included the eighteenth through twentieth dynasty. It was the eighteenth dynasty that produced
a series of active, able pharaohs who conquered many lands and brought prosperity back to Egypt. P
yramids were no longer used as burial grounds; instead, the famed Valley of Kings is the final resti
ng place for the pharaohs of this age. The tombs were hewn out of the native rock; sadly, with the
exception of Tutankhamun, many of them fell victim to grave-robbers.
The religion of t
his period would take a drastic turn. The god Re came back into power when he was unified with anot
her god called Amun. This new god was known as Amun-Re, and was once again the focus of the priesth
ood. This priesthood was gaining great strength, as they did at the end of the Old Kingdom, by sell
ing magic charms and elixirs to the common people with promises that it will aid in their passage to
a favorable afterlife. The pharaoh Amenhotep IV made a revolutionary change in the whole religious
system by disbanding the priesthood, defiling all of the old temples, and placing in power a new go
d, Aton. Amenhotep would change his name, which meant 'Amun rests,' to Akhenaton, which meant 'Aton
is satisfied.'
The significance of such a movement was that it was the earliest form
of monotheism. All previous ages practiced one form or another of polytheism, with room for an unli
mited number of gods and goddesses. With this new religion, the only supreme powers were Aton and A
khenaton himself. Aton was not embodied in an animal or human form, but rather in terms of the life
-giving, warming rays of the sun. Aton was not simply the god of Egypt, but a god of the entire uni
verse. This god was to be thought of a benevolent father, overseeing all of his followers from high
above in the heavens. He was the source of all truth and justice, and he would reward those who fo
llowed his laws.
This new form of religion did not last, for Akhenaton disappeared fif
teen years after the beginning of his reign, and the old beliefs came back.
Akhenaton
did more than simply form a new religion, he started the art form of naturalism. This was partly be
cause he wished to break all ties with the former religion, and partly because it was the teaching o
f Aton which stated that all things must be admired as they appear, in Aton's desired state. The ar
twork of this period of time is also the most sought-after, for therein lies the clearest picture of
an ancient Egyptian possible (David 18).
Eventually, internal struggles led to the we
akening of Egypt, until they were finally conquered by the Greeks. But the legacy of ancient Egypt
lives on in a great number of our beliefs today. We base much of our culture upon the lives of anci
ent Egyptians, from art, to architecture, to the basis of western religion, that being Christianity.
Ancient Egypt's glorious reign lasted two and a half millennia, and that fact alone makes Egypt a
remarkable and notable society, for we are all sobbing babes compared to the longevity and stability
of ancient Egypt.
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Bibliography
Breasted, James Henry, History of Egypt. New York: Charles Scribner's Son
's, 1905.
David, A. Rosalie, The Egyptian Kingdoms. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1975.
Wilson, J
ohn A., The Burden of Egypt. Chicago " London: The University of Chicago
Press, 1951
.ancient egypt middle kingdom outline thesis ancient egyptians were basis many western traditions th
eir influences noticable architecture religion kingdom zoser first pharaoh built famed step pyramid
brought unity egypt religion creation gods downfall kingdom middle pyramids middle religion myth osi
ris similarties between myth osiris christian beliefs downfall valley kings shift aton akhenaton for
m naturalistic downfall conclusion ancient egyptians considered among many civilization upon which m
uch western world views attitudes based everything from architecture been handed down generation gen
eration present although many egyptians traditions have been modified altered majority their core pr
inciples remains constant despite conservative nature there were some changes within infrastructure
their society throughout ages known there been alterations architecture internal forces well outside
influences have molded egyptian civilization this paper will attempt determine these forces which c
hanged modifications egyptian life were subtle noticeable significant nonetheless will focus this pa
per begin beginning with began year ended pharaohs kings this time include third through sixth dynas
ty beginning with djoser ending with pepi djoser ruled from changed name more commonly known zoser z
oser made famed step pyramid first pyramid constructed pyramids erected pharaoh belief that would se
rve stairway heavens allow divine pharaoh reach milky nile river afterlife extremely dependent prope
r burial afterlives those served therefore imperative that pyramids erected these could have built t
hrough coercion slavery such architectural feat could only accomplished labor force there possible s
mall group rulers force people labor without some kind reward afterlife previously such architectura
l feat ever dreamed alone actually thought complete properties stone massiveness strength durability
even contemplated masons architects under guidance imhotep royal architect magnificent structure er
ected david little wonder greeks when they listed seven wonders world placed great step fourth dynas
ty pharaohs buried true that sides flat planes meeting some certain point angle each corner degrees
three built gizeh cheops chephren mycenrinus peak achievement field better more advanced design long
er durability however fifth dynasty significantly smaller construction lower quality result which se
en today fifth little more than mounds rubble david reason decline shifting power religious attitude
s rather complex creation believed made darkness chaos physical creation earth mankind gods came abs
tract concepts ethics kingship those last eternity solidifies notion very conservative they believed
change universe worked according certain pattern governed principles laid down beginning time took
seasons mean life cylindrical process life after death david distinct groups gods local state househ
old household people they protected poor worshipped them humble surroundings these deities possessed
temples religious doctrines people offered prayers local usually animal such bastet goddess sobeck
crocodile when chief particular village came into state power local became nationally renowned state
first steady rise power second fifth considered chief believed himself revered worshipped case phar
aohs preceding dynasties priesthood worshipped began slow steady usurpation from divinity reduced ma
gnitude longer himself merely decline quality well size result shift time flourished nowhere else li
ke egypt simply beauty utility well everything purpose reason statues marketplaces rather temple whe
re might serve practical purpose afterlife breasted eventually themselves became major contributor m
arriages royal women case pepi belief divinity royal line diluted thereby reducing addition treasury
rapidly being depleted maintenance costs construction numerous gifts priesthood nobles wasn long be
fore priesthood nobles wealthy himself after pepi central government completely lost anarchy reigned
wasn until began recapture glory once held endured until included twelfth wilson once again being u
sed bury after lapse where kings buried rock hewn tombs during intermediate period never anywhere ne
ar size splendor those lisht dahshur lahun hawara also great number temples most later dismantled in
corporated structure other temples once absolute replaced osiris appeal promised democratic common c
ould look forward death obscure rose great wide public appeal myth root mortality supposedly king hu
man king established order brought elements civilization jealous evil brother seth murdered gain thr
one plot unlike shakespeare hamlet isis wife fled delta nile gave birth horus posthumously trained h
orus extract revenge upon seth when confrontation between seth horus occurred both severely injured
finally defeated through powerful charms placed isis restored albeit king dead judge underworld char
m over other deities fact human triumphed over death bears striking resemblance christian beliefs je
sus died resurrected isis become symbol loving devoted wife embodiment courageous righteous whereas
became symbol absolute evilness bears uncanny resemblance christian beliefs compared virgin mary sat
an although changes made even greater advances egyptian evident bore witness finest pieces jewelry e
ver crafted craftsmen used semi precious stones inlaid gold laden numerous designs grace crowns arml
ets collars worn princesses again supreme reflected sculptures them grim determination disillusionme
nt about features perhaps guard against mistakes addition renowned literary masterpieces shipwrecked
sailor literary piece story within story addition hieroglyphic language period today regarded class
ical form stage language would egyptologists learn came hyksos invaded took over wasn until regained
control country ensuing known lasted included eighteenth twentieth eighteenth produced series activ
e able conquered lands brought prosperity back longer used burial grounds instead famed valley final
resting place tombs hewn native rock sadly exception tutankhamun them fell victim grave robbers per
iod would take drastic turn back into unified another called amun amun again focus gaining strength
selling magic charms elixirs common promises will passage favorable amenhotep revolutionary change w
hole religious system disbanding defiling placing aton amenhotep change name meant amun rests akhena
ton meant aton satisfied significance movement earliest form monotheism previous ages practiced anot
her polytheism room unlimited number goddesses only supreme powers akhenaton embodied animal human r
ather terms giving warming rays simply entire universe thought benevolent father overseeing follower
s high above heavens source truth justice reward followed laws last disappeared fifteen years reign
back than simply started naturalism partly because wished break ties former partly because teaching
stated things must admired appear desired artwork also most sought therein lies clearest picture pos
sible eventually internal struggles weakening finally conquered greeks legacy lives number today bas
e much culture upon lives basis western being christianity glorious reign lasted half millennia fact
alone makes remarkable notable society sobbing babes compared longevity stability bibliography brea
sted james henry history york charles scribner rosalie kingdoms york peter bedrick books wilson john
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