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Transcript
EGYPT: GIFT OF THE NILE THE NILE RIVER VALLEY The Nile River, at 4,000 miles long, is the world’s longest river, and flows from south to north, starting in Central Africa Pages 45-46 Before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile splits in two; this forms a fertile, triangular area known as the delta The area around the delta was known as Lower Egypt, while lands upstream--to the south--were known as Upper Egypt THE MIRACLE OF THE NILE Every summer, the Nile would serge from heavy rains in Central Africa, and deposit fertile mud on the land around its banks--the “miracle” of the Nile The Egyptians called this fertile area the “Black Land”, while the deserts further from the river were known as “Red Land” The Nile became a big part of Egyptian identity and pride THE NILE & ECONOMIC POWER The Nile River was Egypt’s transportation highway, with boats following the current from the south, and pushed south from the delta Egyptians grew extremely rich by selling the extra food provided by the fertile Nile mud GEOGRAPHY = POWER Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt’s geography protected it from outside threats Surrounded by deserts to the east and west, Egypt’s enemies found them hard to cross River rapids in the southern Nile blocked invaders from the south The Mediterranean and Red seas also provided a natural defense against invading armies EGYPTIAN RELIGION Religion in Ancient Egypt was everything Like the Mesopotamians, Egyptians were Polytheists Page 46 gods belonged to one of two groups: sun gods land gods SUN GODS Egyptians worshiped the sun as the source of all life The sun god took on different forms: Worshiped as Atun, in human form, and Re, the falcon headed sun god Egyptian rulers were “Sons of Re” LAND GODS The Nile and its surroundings were also worshiped for their bounty Land and River gods included: Osiris, god of rebirth & the Nile Isis, bringer of the flood & fertility Horus, son of Isis, protector of Egypt Anubis, god of the afterlife Cats were also worshiped as agents of the gods ERAS OF EGYPTIAN HISTORY Three periods of Egyptian History: Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 These eras were marked by peace, prosperity, building projects and intellectual activity Around 3100 B.C. Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were united by a king named Menes, kings who followed wore a double crown OLD KINGDOM (2700-2200 B.C.) Egyptian kings were known as pharaohs Pharaohs were considered god-kings and ruled with absolute power Egyptians believed as long as they pleased the gods, their pharaoh would be powerful; yet, if royal power faltered, it was the fault of the people. THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT The Old Kingdom’s greatest achievement may have been the burial pyramids of pharaohs Page 48 Pyramid complexes were cities of the dead, made up of smaller pyramids for the pharaoh’s family and mastabas-rectangular, flat roofed tombs for chief bureaucrats Bureaucracy is an administrative organization of governing procedures viziers, officials who controlled the bureaucracy, answered only to pharaoh THE EGYPTIAN AFTERLIFE Egyptians believed humans had two bodies, a physical body and a spiritual body called the ka, which could return to life if the tomb was comfortable and a preserved body Pyramids were equipped with everything the pharaoh might want in the afterlife Mummification preserved the body by slowly drying it so it would not rot MIDDLE KINGDOM (2050-1652 B.C.) The Old Kingdom collapsed in 2200 B.C., and chaos swept the land for 150 years Then a new era of peace and expansion ushered in the golden age of the M.K. Egypt conquered Nubia, to the south, and built fortresses to protect their territory M.K. Pharaohs sent armies and traders to Palestine, Syria, Kush, Crete and Mesopotamia Pharaohs were no longer gods, but shepherds of his people Canals were built b/w the Nile and the Red Sea, and delta swamps were drained for more farms THE HYKSOS INVASION In 1652 B.C., the Middle Kingdom ended, as Egypt was invaded by an Asian people they called the Hyksos Hyksos horse-drawn chariots were too fast for the Egyptian donkey carts, and they quickly conquered Egypt From the Hyksos, Egyptians learned military strategy and how to work with bronze to make farming tools and weapons Eventually, the Egyptians used what they learned to re-conquer their land from the Hyksos NEW KINGDOM (1567-1058 B.C.) With its improved military, Egypt creates the biggest, most powerful empire in Africa & Southwest Asia Pharaohs showed their vast wealth by building temples and palaces, like the temple of Hatshepsut--Egypt’s 1st woman pharaoh Thutmose III, her son, conquered Palestine, Syria and Libya, even reaching the Euphrates River NEW KINGDOM PROBLEMS Pharaoh Amenhotep IV forces worship of one god, Aton, the sun-disk god; and changes his name to Akhenaton “It is well with Aton” Egyptians saw this religious shift as the destruction of Egypt itself, start rebelling King Tutankhamen (Tut, the boy king) restores order and worship of old gods Ramses II restores most of territory lost during unrest, until the “sea people” return them to their old frontiers, ending the empire. After 1085 B.C. Egypt entered a period of being dominated by other empires for next 1,000 years EGYPTIAN SOCIETY Egyptian society organized from the top-down; with pharaohs on top, followed by nobles and priests Page 51 a middle class of merchants, scribes and bureaucrats existed to service the nobility the majority of people worked the land, giving a share to the pharaohs as taxes slaves were kept for hard work like construction Artisans made beautiful goods from stone, gold, silver, copper and wood; while rope and paper were crafted from papyrus--clothing was linen. EGYPTIAN LIFE Egyptians family practices monogamy, marrying just one person, and were patriarchal in nature while women had the right to own property, and their inheritances were theirs even if married, most jobs were off limits only sons carried on the family name Egyptian could divorce, and wives were usually compensated Love poems of the time show a culture rooted in the family, with deeply loving marriages--even though most marriages were prearranged by families EGYPTIAN EDUCATION Around 3000 B.C., Egyptians began using a system of writing with pictures and shapes called hieroglyphics, or “sacred writings” Eventually, this system was simplified into hieratic script in business and daily life At 10 years old, boys went to school to learn how to write from scribes, and girls stayed home to learn housekeeping skills WORLD CHANGER: SCIENCE & MATH Egyptians made many advances in mathematics, measuring volume and mastering the use of geometry in surveying flooded land Mummification lead to medical expertise in human anatomy Egyptian doctors also used splints, bandages and compresses for treating fractures and wounds. Egyptians shared their knowledge of medicine with other ancient peoples