Download Chapter 4.2 - Elmwood Park Public Schools

THE OLD KINGDOM
YouTube: The Old Kingdom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSKB
OilYBiY&sns=em
The Old Kingdom

Egypt was first made of two kingdoms
 Upper and Lower
 Upper-Southern Nile River Valley
 Lower-Northern Delta

Menes was king of Upper Egypt
 He led his army from the Southern Valley
into Lower Egypt
 Conquered the Lower Kingdom and married
a princess
The Old Kingdom
His marriage united the kingdoms
 He wore two crowns, the Upper and
Lower crowns

 High White one from the south (Upper)
 Low red one from the north (Lower)

Menes declared a new capital of Egypt
in Memphis
 Border city
The Double Crown
Map
Old Kingdom

2600 BCE, the Old Kingdom arose (500
years)
 Cities were centers of religion and
government
 City centers housed Kings, priests,
government officials, and artisans

Many Egyptians did not live in the city,
but large estates on the Nile banks.
 Rich owners had gardens and pools
Home of the Rich
The homes had many paintings
depicting daily life
 Family, servants and artisans lived there

 Artisan were hired to build boats, weave
linen, and make tools/pottery
Egyptian Farmers

Most Egyptians did not live in the center
of the city or on the banks of the Nile.
 Most lived on the rich estates as farmers
Homes made of reed and mud, and later
sun-baked brick.
 Had one room, palm leave roof and built
on high ground to avoid flood waters
 Worked fields, built monuments, dug
ditches, and repaired roads

The Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a king
 Meaning “great house”
Pharaoh was ruler, priest, and a god
 Center of life and ruled on earth as
god’s ruled in heaven
 Owned all land, often gave as a gift to
the rich
 Maintained the land, kept up with it to
make sure it could produce

The Pharaoh
Made sure canals were made and
repaired
 Developed granaries to house the grain
so people would not starve if a bad
harvest
 Elected all officials
 Taxed and issued building permits, trade
went through Pharaoh first
 Word of Pharaoh was law

The Pharaoh
People believed fate of Egypt depended
on Pharaoh’s actions
 Carried out rituals to ensure good
harvest
 Treated with respect, flutes were played
when he appeared
 Bowed and smelled the earth, or
brought head to ground

YouTube Video: The Pyramids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUbk
jfW1Xc&sns=em
The Pyramids
Pyramids were built out of respect for
the Pharaoh’s.
 Pyramids were great tombs built for
Pharaoh’s as “Houses of Eternity”
 Built in west to avoid flood waters
 Built to protect Pharaoh and his
belongings
 EVERYTHING was placed in tomb

The Pyramids
Making the Pyramids
Farmers worked on them for the 3
summer months (flooded fields)
 Used copper tools to cut granite and
limestone blocks that were shipped
down the Nile from the quarries
 After unloaded workers brought them to
building site and dragged the blocks up
ramps to create the layers

YouTube Video: Making the
Pyramids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cpj
MxXG52s
Making the Pyramids
Religious Beliefs
Believed in many god’s
 River God Hapi and Sun God Re were
most important

 River brought water and fertile soil and sun
grows crops

Osiris is god of harvest and eternal life
The God: Re (Sun God)
The God: Hapi (River God)
The God’s: Osiris (God of
Harvest)
Mummification

Egyptians used the technique of
embalmment to preserve the bodies of
the dead.
 First only used with Pharaoh to preserve the
body so the soul could live on and watch
over Egypt

Body placed in wood box and covered
with natron
 Natron dried up water in body and shrunk it
Mummification
Body was wrapped in linen
 Poor people were buried in sand, while
rich in tombs
