Download IV. ANCIENT EGYPT A. Geography 1. The Nile River – the

IV. ANCIENT EGYPT
A. Geography
1. The Nile River – the longest river in the world (4,187 miles)
i. Source – Lake Victoria and the mountains of East Africa
ii. Flooding – each year the river overflows when the snow melts in mountains. The
river picks up bits of soil and plant life called silt, which is rich in nutrients. The
silt is deposited along the banks of the Nile from June to October, leaving a rich
topsoil for planting crops. The Greeks called this annual flooding “the gift of the
Nile.”
iii. Delta – just before the Nile enters the Mediterranean Sea it fans out into several
smaller rivers which deposit rich soil into a lowland area called the Nile Delta.
This region in called Lower Egypt.
2. Natural Borders – Egypt begins at the northern most rapids along the Nile at Syene
(modern Asswan). The protection of natural borders allowed the Egyptians to develop
their civilization in isolation, undisturbed by foreign invaders.
i. Deserts – surround the Nile valley to the east and west
ii. Mountains – guard the south; several waterfalls limit transportation of large
armies along the river from the south.
iii. Mediterranean Sea – not many people ventured into the sea before 1500 B.C., so
the sea formed another natural border
iv. Isthmus of Suez – Enemies had to cross this narrow isthmus to the east.
3. Natural Resources
i. Fertile land – for growing crops and raising animals
ii. Water – (both Nile and Mediterranean) provided for fishing, drinking, irrigating
and transporting
iii. Papyrus – tall grass used to make baskets, sandals, boats, and writing paper
iv. Limestone – quarried in the mountains and cliffs for building monuments and
pyramids
v. Gold and copper – from desert mines
B. History
1. Predynastic Egypt (ca.5000-3100 B.C.)
i. Villages – As ancient Egyptians became farmers, they were forced to work
together to build dykes, reservoirs, and irrigation canals to farm the otherwise arid
land.
ii. Chiefdoms – Gradually authority becomes more centralized as projects increase in
scale.
iii. Kingdoms – Through war and marriage, chiefdoms eventually combined into two
large kingdoms.
a. Lower Egypt – Nile Delta up to Memphis; kings wore red crown
b. Upper Egypt – central Nile Valley (over 600 miles from Syene to Memphis);
kings wore white crown
2. Archaic Period (ca.3100-2700 B.C.) – a period of constant civil war
i. Menes (ca. 3100 B.C.) – He united Upper and Lower Egypt under double crown
and founded Egypt 1st dynasty. He set up his capital at Memphis, between Upper
and Lower Egypt.
ii. Pharaohs – rulers, believed to be living gods, who had unlimited power. The
pharaoh wore two crowns, a sign of his rule over both Upper and Lower Egypt.
He was also called Horus, the falcon god. As a divine ruler, he had the duty to
guard his people.
3. Old Kingdom (ca.2700-2100 B.C.) – a period of peace and prosperity.
i. Great Pyramids – These were monument tombs built to honor the pharaohs. The
three Great Pyramids are at Giza, built for the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty (ca.
2500 B.C.). This was the height of Old Kingdom wealth and prosperity.
(According to Herodotus (484-425 B.C), it took 100,000 slaves 20 years to build them; however,
new finds suggest that perhaps 20-30,000 citizens built them during a period of 80 years and were
paid with food and beer. Also, being deeply religious and concerned with the afterlife, workers
believed they were toiling to assure their pharaoh’s rebirth, as well as their own and that of Egypt
overall. )
a. Khufu – pharaoh who had the largest of the three pyramids built for him
during his lifetime. The Great Pyramid covers thirteen acres, is 481 feet high
and comprised of 2.5 million blocks.
b. Khafre – pharaoh also had a pyramid as well the Great Sphinx. (The nose of the
Sphinx is believed [erroneously] to have been shot off by Napoleon’s troops in 1798;
however, sketches from that time period reveal that it was already missing. It was actually
Ottoman Turks who shot the nose off the Sphinx sometime before.)
4. First Intermediate Period (ca.2100-2000) – Towards the end of the Old Kingdom, the
rule of the pharaohs was challenged by powerful nobles and priests. Egypt fell into
political and social disorder with many rivals competing for the throne.
5. Middle Kingdom (ca.2000-1780 B.C.) – Order was restored when nobles recognized
the advantage of a single ruler for maintaining order and preventing invasion; they
now shared power with the pharaohs. This was period known as the “Age of Nobles.”
i. Expansion – Foreign trade increases throughout Mediterranean. Borders expand
to the east and South. Tribute from distant lands increases pharaoh’s income.
ii. Invasion of the Hyksos (ca.1780 B.C.) – The origins of the Hyksos are unknown,
but they were most likely a nomadic tribe from western Asia. They had horses,
chariots and stronger bows than the Egyptians.
6. Second Intermediate Period (ca.1780-1570 B.C.) – Hyksos pharaohs ruled Egypt for
about 200 years. This time period was a great humiliation for the Egyptians, so they
destroyed all records of their rule after they were expelled.
7. New Kingdom (ca.1570-1100 B.C.) Resistance to the Hyksos rulers grew strong
around the city of Thebes. Nobles from Thebes succeeded in expelling the Hyksos
ca. 1570, returning Egypt to rule under the Pharaohs. The New Kingdom would
become the empire period of Egyptian history. Pharaohs returned quickly took power
away from priests and nobles, and in order to prevent future attacks, they built larger
armies, complete with horses and chariots.
i.
Hatshepsut (ruled ca. 1500-1470 B.C.) – The only women pharaoh, she helped
rebuild Egypt after the expulsion of the Hyksos by restoring temples, erecting
monuments and encouraging trade. She had been appointed successor by her
father Thutmose I, who had trained her as a son when her two younger brothers
died. She ruled Egypt by herself for a time, but society demanded that she
produce an heir, so she agreed to marry Thutmose II, a half brother. (It was
customary for siblings to marry each other to keep bloodlines pure. Her title became Great Queen
and Great Royal Wife, but Thutmose II was passive and she was still in control.) When
Thutmose II died, she assumed the double crown and the role of pharaoh.
ii. Thutmose III (ca.1470-1436) – He was the son of Thutmose II and a lesser wife.
He is sometimes called the “Egyptian Napoleon.” He was a brilliant general who
led a series of military expeditions in Syria. Egypt prospered through the wealth
of tribute from conquered territories and from the increase in slave labor from
captives.
iii. Amenhotep IV (ca.1380-1350) – When he came to the throne, he demanded that
Egyptians worship only one god, Aten, the sun disk. He changed his name to
Akhenaten – “the glorified spirit of Aten.” He built a new capitol halfway
between Memphis and Thebes at Armana and dedicated it to Aten. After his
death, his successors blamed him for Egypt’s hardships during that time (foreign
policy failures), and they destroyed his temples.
iv. Ramses II (ca.1300-1230) – Ramses II expanded Egypt’s empire to its greatest
size. He was known for his bravery: at the Battle of Kadesh in 1287 B.C., he
apparently saved his army from annihilation against the Hittites. He eventually
drew up a famous treaty with the Hittites.
8. Period of Decline (ca.1200-332 B.C.) – Soon after the death of Ramses II, Egypt
began to weaken. Priests replaced pharaohs as the real source of power. There was
an increase in feuding between royal families, as well as a series of invasions
(beginning ca. 1200 B.C.) from Libyans and Sea Peoples. The Assyrians and
Persians would later conquer Egypt. Alexander the great removed pharaohs of the
last dynasty in 332 B.C.
C. Egyptian Life
1. Social Class Structure – There were two main divisions to Egypt’s social class
structure: the privileged and the unprivileged. Within these divisions there was an
additional hierarchy of social classes. By far, the vast majority of Egyptians belonged
to the unprivileged division.
i.
Privileged – A small minority, they enjoyed a luxurious life of ease. Their meals
were large and varied. Their houses were roomy and set amidst ponds and
gardens. They hunted and fished. Men shaved their heads and faces and wore
jewelry.
a. Pharaohs – living gods, absolute rulers charged with preserving order and
justice
b. Nobility – often related to the pharaoh, forming the administrative
network of officials, includes the royal court run by vizier.
c. Priests – they served as advisors, managed temples, ran schools, dealt with
religious matters
ii. Unprivileged – The majority of Egyptians, most of them were poor. They lived in
crowded mud huts. Food was simple, bread, water, beer.
a. Freeman – scribes, merchants, artisans
b. Peasants – farmers
c. Slaves – criminals, prisoners of war, manual laborers who worked on public
projects.
2. Economy
i.
Agriculture – formed the basis of economic life. The Nile was used for irrigation,
and its annual overflow was trapped and held in reservoirs. Crops included
wheat, barley, flax (used to make linen). The Egyptians also raised sheep and
cattle.
ii. Trade
a. Exports – Egypt’s artisans produced glassware, metal goods of gold and
copper, linen cloth and pottery
b. Imports – they traded for ivory, spices, timber
iii. Taxation – Egyptians paid heavy taxes to the pharaohs in the form of goods and
manual labor.
3. Religion
i.
Polytheism – Egyptians worshipped a variety of gods. Each town had its own
deities. Gods had human weaknesses like jealousy, hate, revenge, etc. At times
certain gods won national recognition.
a. Horus – falcon god, god of kings
b. Re – the sun god
c. Osiris – god of the afterlife
ii. Afterlife – Egyptians believed their soul or ka lived on after their death. It was
important to preserve the body so that it might exist in the afterlife along with a
person’s treasured possessions.
a. Mummification – an expensive and time consuming process for the bodies of
pharaohs and the very rich only. The insides of the body were removed and
all the fluids were drained. This took forty days. The body was wrapped in
linen and placed in a coffin. Poorer people tried to substitute mummification
by wrapping the deceased in a linen cloth and placing them in a coffin.
b. Tombs – monuments to the dead that served as bridges between the two lives.
D. Contributions to Civilization
1. Architecture and Engineering
i. Masonry – Egyptians perfected the art of moving and shaping huge limestone
blocks.
ii. Projects – Engineers learned to build canals, dams, reservoirs, etc. The Fayum
allowed the Egyptians to reclaim thousands of acres south of Memphis.
iii. Mathematics – knowledge of arithmetic, geometry and surveying allowed them to
construct huge projects.
2. Art – In statues, wall paintings and limestone reliefs, Egyptian art was primarily
concerned with religion. It was more important to deliver religious messages than
experiment with artistic ideas. Little interest in perspective. In their paintings and
sculptures they tried to show balance and harmony.
3. Hieroglyphics – a system of writing that included picture symbols that represented
objects and ideas written on papyrus paper.
i. Rosetta stone –The Egyptian civilization was a total mystery to modern people
before scientists could decipher hieroglyphics. Napoleon’s soldiers found the
Rosetta stone in 1799 in the Nile Delta. It was inscribed with a law made in 196
B.C. written in two forms of hieroglyphics and in ancient Greek.
4. Science
i. Solar calendar – Egyptians were excellent astronomers who created the first
calendar that divided a year into 365 days.
ii. Medicine – they understood little of causes, but they were able to prescribe drugs,
perform basic surgeries, set bones, etc.