Download Ancient Egypt

• 9/30 Focus:
– Pharaohs established governments in Egypt
where they had absolute power
– The Nile River helped unite the upper and
lower kingdoms of Egypt
• Do Now:
– List geographic characteristics of the Nile
River Valley
• 10/1 Focus:
– The Egyptians viewed their pharaohs as a
living god
– Historians divide the history of ancient
Egypt into three periods
• Do Now:
– What effect did the desert and
cataracts on the Nile have on the
development of Egyptian culture?
Protected by natural
barriers
Floods were
predictable
Rivers used for
transportation
No natural barriers
allows cultural
diffusion
Warm Climate
Long Growing Season
Unpredictable flooding
Fertile Soil
Ancient Egypt
History and Government
Unification
• Early Egypt was divided
into two kingdoms
– Upper Egypt
– Lower Egypt
• Egypt was united in
3100 BCE by Menes
– Made Memphis the
capital
– Established the first
dynasty
Ancient Egyptian History
Periods
Time Frame
Nile Culture Begins
Archaic
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
3900 B. C. E.
3100 – 2650 B. C. E.
2650 – 2134 B. C. E.
2040 – 1640 B. C. E.
1550 – 1070 B. C. E.
Late Period
Greek Ptolemaic
Era
Roman Period
750 – 332 B. C. E.
332 – 30 B. C. E.
30 B. C. E. – 395 C. E.
Old Kingdom
• The Old Kingdom
– Begins 2650 BCE
– Time of Growth and
Prosperity
– Pyramids constructed
– Pharaohs with absolute
power establish strong
governments
Middle Kingdom
• Difficult and
turbulent time
• Pharaohs began to
lose power to local
nobles
• Invasions, famines,
civil wars
• Built fortress up and
down the Nile
• Traded with Greeks,
Phoenicians, and
others around the
Mediterranean
• Conquered by the
Hyksos in 1650 BCE
The New Kingdom
• Hyksos defeated
• Egyptians realized they
needed a strong army
• Took lands around them
to serve as a buffer
from invasion
The Pharaoh
• The King
• Had absolute power
• Pharaohs established
dynasties
– 31 dynasties
• Was believed to be a god
in human form
– Had to perform religious
rituals along with priests
to ensure positive
outcomes in daily life
• Gov’t in Egypt was a
theocracy:
– a state ruled by religious
figures
Flashback:
Were Sumerian rulers seen As
Gods?
No, their power came from the
gods
Some Famous Egyptian
Pharaohs
Tutankhamon
1336-1327 B. C. E.
Thutmose III
1504-1450 B. C. E.
Ramses II
1279-1212 B. C. E.
Some Famous Egyptian
Pharaohs
• Hatshepsut
• 1503-1482 BCE
Egyptian Social Classes
• 10/3 Focus:
– Ancient Egyptians believed in many gods
which they believed were responsible for the
annual flooding and other natural events.
– The ancient Egyptians had a much more
positive view of the afterlife then the
civilizations in Mesopotamia
• Do Now:
– Explain how the Sumerians viewed their gods
and their view of the afterlife
Egyptian Social Classes
• Class system
was hierarchal
– People with
most power at
the top
– Least power on
the bottom
Flashback:
Was the social structure in
Mesopotamian civilizations such as Sumer
organized in a similar manner ?
Yes
Hieroglyphics
• Used picture symbols
to represent objects,
sounds, and ideas
• Wrote on papyrus
– Plant that grew along
the Nile
• The Rosetta Stone
– Discovered in 1799
– Used to translate
hieroglyphics
Flashback:
What was the Sumerian form of
writing and what did they write
on?
Cuneiform was written on clay
tablets
Hieroglyphics “Alphabet”
24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols
Egyptian Religion
• Egyptians were
polytheistic
– Believed gods
controlled natural
events
Egyptian Religion
• Built temples and obelisks to
honor the gods
– Tall, thin pillar with a pyramid
shaped top
Egyptian Gods & Goddesses:
Osiris
Isis
Horus
The Afterlife
• Egyptians view of
the afterlife was
positive
• Believed that when
someone died the Ka
(spirit) escaped and
journeyed to the
land of the dead
The Afterlife
• Egyptian Book of the Dead
– Contained magic spells and rituals to assist
the dead enter the afterlife
Mummification
• Designed to protect the dead body
from decay and keep the Ka alive
Materials Used in Mummification
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Linen
Sawdust
Lichen
Beeswax
Resin
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Natron
Onion
Nile Mud
Linen Pads
Frankinsense
Pyramids
• Tombs built for Egyptian rulers
Plan of the Great Pyramid
of Khufu
Routes of the “Sea Peoples”
Closure
• Why did Egyptians have a positive
view of the afterlife?
• What form of writing did the
Egyptians use?