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HOW DO CONTACTS AND CONFLICTS CHANGE SOCIETIES? TRADE Egypt established a wide network of trade contacts throughout its history. These new markets boosted Egypt’s economy and helped her to prosper. Trade also gave the Egyptians access to exotic goods from faraway lands. Evidence from tomb paintings, artefacts and written texts prove that Egyptians were trading from early in their history. Ancient Egyptians used the Nile to carry out trading journeys, as well as the Red Sea. They also travelled over land. Egypt had many natural resources to trade: grain, dates, flax, stone, fish, oxen and salt. Most trade was conducted by barter. If you look at the map below, you will see the types of goods the Egyptians received. Foreign trade also had other benefits, such as its influence on art, religion and culture. Egyptians regarded all foreigners as inferior, however there were migrants living in Egypt, such as Sumerians who brought ideas about writing, wheels and irrigation to Egypt. Source: Oxford Big Ideas History 7 (Saldais, Taylor, Young) Trade Routes and Commodities Traded in Ancient Egypt Use the map to answer the following questions. 1. List three items the Egyptians obtained from Nubia and three from Retenu (Syria/Palestine.) 2. Choose four different types of commodity. Using the table below, explain why Egyptians might have wanted/needed this commodity. COMMODITY OBTAINED FROM POSSIBLE USE? Some “trade” with other countries was more like an exchange of gifts. A less powerful nation (that probably feared Egypt) might give better goods than they received. This was a way foreign rulers showed respect to the pharaohs. At the height of its power, Egypt had vassal states. These were usually weaker countries or regions that the Egyptians had conquered and now protected. These states paid tribute to Egypt, in return for that protection. The Egyptians used some of these goods for trade as well. The tribute collected by the Egyptians increased the country’s wealth considerably! In 1887 some tablets were found at Amarna. The majority of the tablets are letters. These letters were sent to the Egyptian Pharaohs Amenophis III and his son Akhenaten around the middle of the 14th century B.C. The correspondents were the kings of the Near East at that time, and vassals of the Egyptian Empire. The Amarna tablets reveal the nature of the diplomatic relationship between Egypt and these other societies. The letter below shows that some kings weren’t afraid to ask for more “gifts” from Egypt! “When my father and your father had dealings in good friendship, they sent each other beautiful presents, and nothing they refused. Now, my brother has sent me only two mines (about 1kg) of gold. But this is a very small amount: send, then, as much as your father did! And if you have little (gold), send half of what your father sent! Why have you sent me only two mines of gold?” (A letter from Burnaburiash, king of Babylon, to Pharaoh Akhenaten) Source: Website “Facts and Details” http://factsanddetails.com Source: From “The British Museum” http://www.britishmuseum.org The two pictures are tomb paintings depicting the trade of goods. 1. List any items you can identify 2. Using the map, can you work out where they may have come from? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ CASE STUY: QUEDEN HATSHEPSUT’S EXPEDITION TO PUNT One of ancient Egypt’s most famous trading exercises was carried out by a female pharaoh – Queen Hatshepsut, around the year 1493BCE. She sent Chancellor Nehesy and the army to Punt ( It was the first time in hundreds of years that possibly modern-day Somalia) where they obtained luxurious and exotic goods. The Egyptians had gone to Punt and we know it was a significant expedition for Hatshepsut as she had reliefs carved depicting the voyage in a prominent location in her mortuary temple. Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple Source: www.123rf.com Hatshepsut organised the expedition to Punt to: Obtain myrrh and frankincense trees: thirty one trees provided resin and incense needed for temple ceremonies and everyday use (e.g. mummification, medicinal aids and perfumed oils). Establish a trade route: Punt was rich in exotic products (ivory used for making amulets, inlays for furniture and headrests; woods such as ebony for temples and tomb furniture; live animals such as the sacred baboon, monkeys and apes; animal skins; and metals such as gold used for making electrum and jewellery). Honour the god Amun: the products obtained were dedicated to Amun. The scenes from Hatshepsut’s temple are broken into five main parts. Five fully loaded ships under the command of Nehesy are seen departing with a small contingent of soldiers. The ships arrive at Punt. The Puntites, led by their king Parahu and his obese wife Eti, greet the Egyptians fearfully with their hands uplifted. The people are shown to be living in small conical huts close to shore. Tables are set up covered with daggers, axes, bangles, necklaces and rings. The Puntites bring forward monkeys, panthers and resin. Trade seems brisk and definitely in the Egyptians’ favour. The inscription refers to the Egyptian items as offerings to Hathor and the Puntites’ goods as tribute. The products are then carried into the ships. The ships return to Thebes. Native chieftains present themselves to Hatshepsut along with the products of Punt. Incense is weighed and recorded by treasurer Thutiy for Hatshepsut and Thoth on behalf of Amun-Re. Hatshepsut, followed by her ka, dedicates the products to Amun. She then announces to her court the success of the expedition and her fulfilment of Amun’s commands. She orders to plant the thirty one myrrh trees in Amun’s temple precinct. Source: “Nile Muse” website http://www.nilemuse.com Source: New Kingdom Egypt (Demovic & Baker) ACTIVITY Use the template on the next page to write a front page news story describing this amazing journey. Nehesy has just returned from Punt with all these wonderfully exotic goods and your readers want to know all about the voyage. Remember, Hatshepsut may read this story too, so make sure you do not displease the pharaoh! Extra activities: This website allows you to click on different sections of the Punt reliefs for more information about them. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/expedition-punt.html