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ANCIENT EGYPT
A FERTILE VALLEY CIVILIZATION
VOCABULARY
Dynasty: a family that hands down power from one generation to the next
Mummification: a ritual where all internal organs are removed from the body,
which is dried in salt and wrapped in cloth
Sarcophagus: a lavish coffin
Hieroglyphics: pictorial script composed of hundreds of signs that represent
objects, ideas and sounds
Papyrus: a plant early paper was created from
THE NILE: A SACRED RIVER
THE NILE
• Without the Nile all of Egypt would be a desert and it’s soil infertile
• Thus Egyptians believed the Nile to be the source of life and revered it
above all things
• With a dessert on either side of the Nile and cataracts in the river,
ancient Egypt had natural defences that allowed their culture to flourish
POWER AND SOCIAL HIERARCHY
• Over a period of 25 centuries the pharaohs
ruled Egypt
• There were over 30 different dynasties
CREATION MYTH
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTy49JlgJZEn
SOCIAL HIERARCHY: THE ELITE
• The pharaoh and the vizier
• The pharaoh is on the top of the social hierarchy
• He was king and high priest of Egypt
• He was considered the son of the sun God
• The pharaoh was responsible for many parts of society:
irrigation, agriculture, trade , temples, religion, justice,
public works and leader of the army
• He gave some of this power to the Vizier who aided him
in his work
ELITE CONT’D: NOBLES
• Lords, High Officials and Priests made up the class of Nobles and the
privileged
• They were very wealthy and influential
• During time of war or crisis high ranking military officials were included in this
class
MIDDLE CLASS: SCRIBES , ARTISANS AND MERCHANTS
• Scribes held a privileged place in society
• Because they were so necessary to the nobles that they lived in the royal
palace or temple
• They did not have to partake in manual labour
• They kept records, transcribed laws, and composed hymns
• Artisans could live well as they made jeweller, furniture and clothes sought
after by the rich
• Merchants sold artisan products and gave them a certain status as well
PEASANTS
• Most Egyptians were peasants
• Even though they were very important to running Egypt they lived in very
poor conditions
• They paid high taxes and had to do chores such as the maintenance of
irrigation channels and working in the fields
SLAVES
• Slaves were the bottom of the social hierarchy
• most were prisoners of war
• Some toiled in mines while others worked in households