Download Stable Civilization: Ancient Egypt

STABLE CIVILIZATION:
ANCIENT EGYPT
The Nile River
• Egypt’s geography: northernmost 750 miles of the Nile
• Egypt depended on a cycle of flooding
• Egypt = “Kemet” (“Black Land”) b/c of the dark soil around the Nile
• Unified the Egyptian people
The Old Kingdom (2647-2124 BCE)
• Ca. 3150 BCE = King Menes unified Upper and Lower
Egypt
• Old Kingdom era established by King Djoser ca. 2670 BCE
• Importance of pyramids
• Focused on death/afterlife
• the “ka” (life force) & the “ba” (soul)
• Stepped Pyramid of Djoser = first monumental architecture ever
• Designed by Imhotep
• “stepped style”
• Pyramids at Giza
• Khufe’s Pyramid = 479 feet high, 755 sq. ft. base
• Covered in polished limestone sheath
The Old Kingdom (2647-2124 BCE)
• The Great Sphinx at Giza (ca. 2500 BCE)
• Largest statue of the ancient world
The Old Kingdom (2647-2124 BCE)
• The Great Sphinx at Giza (ca. 2500 BCE)
• Largest statue of the ancient world
• Importance of sculpture
• Meant to guarantee existence after death
• Not just for Kings! Scribes too!
• Ca. 2124 = collapse of the Old Kingdom
• Drought, weak leadership, stronger local
governments
• 150 year-long civil war b/t North and South
The Middle Kingdom (2040-1648 BCE)
• Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II reunited Egypt
• Significant changes in literature
• Hieroglyphs = pictograms, phonograms,
determinatives
• Shift from only religious writings to broader themes
• Changes in sculpture and religion
• The cult of Osiris
• The cult of Amun (local god of Thebes)
• Massive public works projects required lots of labor . . .
• Egyptians recruited foreign workers = Hyksos
• 1648 BCE = Hyksos leader declares himself King of Egypt
• Egypt in disarray for ca. 100 years
The New Kingdom (1540-1069 BCE)
• 1540 BCE = Ahmose reunites Egypt
• Justified power based on Middle Kingdom
• Modeled architecture & religion on predecessors
• Hatsheptus (ruled from 1479-1457 BCE)
• A woman who ruled as king
• Emergence of “pharaohs”
• “pharaoh” = “great house”
• Great Temple of Amun at Karnak =
largest temple in Egypt
The New Kingdom (1540-1069 BCE)
• Crisis of religion: Amenhotep IV (ruled 1353-1336 BCE)
• Rejected polytheism
• Established the cult of Aten (the sun disk)
• Changed name to Akhenaten (“The Shining Spirit of Aten”)
• 1336 BCE = Tutankhaten becomes Pharaoh
• Changes name to Tutankhamun
• Reinstates polytheism
• Ramses II (1278-1213 BCE) =
ruled for 66 years
• Added obelisks to Great Temple of Amun
Ancient Egypt’s Decline & Collapse
• Egypt’s important neighbor: Nubia
• Lots of trade!
• Kush = capital of southern Nubia
• Adopted Egyptian culture
Ancient Egypt’s Decline & Collapse
• Egypt’s important neighbor: Nubia
• Lots of trade!
• Kush = capital of southern Nubia
• Adopted Egyptian culture
• 700s BCE = Assyrians invade eastern Egypt
• Egyptians beg Nubians for help
• Nubian Dynasty of Egypt established for ca. 100 years
• 664 BCE = Assyrians defeat Nubians/Egypt
• 525 BCE = Persians invade from the north!
• 343 BCE = Persians invade from the north . . . AGAIN!
• 332 BCE = Alexander the Great invades Egypt
• 304 BCE = Ptolemaic Dynasty
• 30 BCE = Romans invade Egypt