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EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
References: World History: Patterns of Interaction
and Panapanahon Kasaysayan ng Daigdig
Egyptian Civilization’s highlights
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Farming
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Creation of Jewelries and pots
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Economics
Farming
Farming
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Farming in Egypt was very essential because it
provided people food.
Ancient Egyptian farmers usually planted barley,
wheat, and vegetables in the area near the Nile
River.
The Nile River, the longest river in the world,
provided water for Egyptian farmers.
Egypt as the Gift of the Nile
Egypt as the Gift of the Nile
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July- rainy season in east central Africa.
 In
this month, Nile River normally rises and spills over its
banks- leaving behind a fertile strip of land around
October.
 The
rising and spilling over of the Nile River actually
remarks the start of a productive farming and harvest.
Nile River
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The phrase: Egypt the Gift of the Nile is coined by
ancient Greek historian, Herodotus
Egyptians valued the Nile River for its use in making
their lands fertile.
Because of the river’s significant role in the lives of
Egyptian people, the latter regarded the former as
a god. In fact, Egyptians worshipped it as a god of
life.
Nile River
Nile River
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The Nile River was also instrumental in the Egyptian
Trade.
Some of the objects Egypt had imported were
cedar (Phoenicia and Lebanon), Ostrich feathers
and gold (Ethiopia).
Egyptian Trade and the Exchange of
Cultures
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3,200 BC
 Egypt
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and Mesopotamia were trade partners.
Egyptians were in search of GOLD, IVORY, CATTLE, and
GRANITE BLOCKS for their massive temples and tombs.
Mesopotamia apparently had an abundant supply of such
materials.
Other than this kind of exchange, Egypt and Mesopotamia
shared ideas with each other as well.
 Some ideas of Mesopotamia in the early development of
cities were borrowed by the Egyptians.
 System of writing is an example. (Sumer: Cuneiform)
However, Mesopotamian influence over the Egyptians didn’t last long.
Union of Egypt as a Kingdom
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Firstly, let’s identify the four social classes which
emerged in the ancient Egyptian civilization:
 Nobility
 Soldiers/Warriors
 Common
 Slaves
people
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500 BC (even earlier, as suggested by other
scholars) Egypt was composed of many farming
villages.
And each farming village had its own rituals, gods,
and chieftain.
3,200 BC the villages of Egypt were under the rule
of two separate kingdoms- the Lower Egypt and
Upper Egypt.
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One distinction between the two Egyptian kingdoms
is the crown of their respective kings.
Lower Egypt King wore red crown
Upper Egypt King wore a tall white crown shaped like
a bowling pin.
Who is Menes?
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Menes – pronounced as MEE-neez, is
a strong-willed of Upper Egypt who’s
said to have united all of Egypt.
The double crown, from the red and
white crowns, became suymbol for his
united kingdom.
His capital was found in Memphis and
was said to have started the Egyptian
dynasty.
 This
would consist of 31 dynasties and
span over 2,600 years.
PHARAOHS
Pharaoh
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Hari ng Ehipto
Pharaohs were, to Egyptians, gods-as splendid and
powerful as the gods of heavens.
Not only did he serve as the head of government, the
Pharaoh also headed religion, army, and justice.
THEOCRACY- in this type of government, the ruler is
being thought of as a divine figure as well.
Egyptians believed that the pharaoh bore full responsibility
for the kingdom’s well being.
 Said to have caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flood, and
the crops to grow.
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Assignment #1 Egyptian Kings
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Is Menes a fictional king of the united Egypt? Explain your
answer in 3-5 sentences.
Who are Snefru and Khufu/ Cheops?
Menkaure?
Amenemhet III?
Hyksos Period?
Ahmose?
Thutmose?
Hatshepsut?
Thutmose III?
Amenhotep IV?
Pyramids
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This immense structure served as the “resting place
after death”.
Egyptians believed that their king ruled even after
his death.
Ka (kah)- is the eternal spirit of the pharaoh which
continued to take part in the governing of Egypt.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
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It is the largest of all Egyptian pyramids.
It includes the following:
 King’s
chamber
 Airshaft
 Grand gallery
 Queen’s chamber
 Ascending passage
 Escape passage
 And an unfinished chamber
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The pyramids are very impressive that many people
from around the globe come and witness their
majestic beauty.
Who were the pyramid builders?
 The
ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, claimed that
the pharaohs worked an army of laborers to death.
 Some scholars would refute his claim, stating that it was
actually the peasants who provided most of the labor.
 In return of their service, the country provided the
workers with food and housing during this period.
Egyptian Culture
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POLYTHEISTIC
 Belief
 Ra
in many gods.
Sun god
 Horus God of Light
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Iris was also an
important
Egyptian goddess.
She was regarded
as the ideal
mother and wife.
Osiris, on the other
hand, was known
as the powerful
god of the dead.
Osiris, Judge of Dead’s deeds
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Test for purity and truth
Osiris
Heart
Eternal Life
(Heart must be no heavier than a feather)
Souls devoured
Mummification
Mummification
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It is the Egyptians’ way of preserving a dead
person’s body.
Egyptians would normally embalm and dry the
corpse to prevent it from decaying.
Why do you think Egyptians mummified their dead?
Herodotus’ description of mummifying
the dead
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1st – Drawing out of the brains through the nostrils with an
iron hook.
2nd – Using sharp stone, they would cut a side of the body and
take out all the bowels.
3rd- Fill the body with pure myrrh, cassia, and other perfumes.
4th- sewing up of the body.
5th- steep the dead body in natron (mineral salt), leaving it for
70 days
6th and last- Wash the corpse and wrap the whole body in
bandages of waxen cloth

BOOK OF THE DEAD- is a collection of texts which contained
declaration intended to prove the soul was mostly of eternal life.
HIEROGLYPHICS
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Term from the Greek words hieros and gluphe meaning
“sacred carving.”
Crude pictographs- earliest form of writing in Egypt, but
scribes quickly developed a more flexible writing system.
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Hierogyliphics
Stone and clay
Stalks of papyrus reed (which were abundant in Nile)
Assignment #2
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What is the significance of the Rosetta Stone in the
early Egyptian civilization?