Download Chapter 4: Egypt

Chapter 4:
Ancient Egypt-Land of
Abundance
3100 BC - 671 BC
Section 1: The Nile
The Nile River
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Flows from south to
north, 4,145 miles
Last 600 miles of the
Nile is in Egypt
Cuts a green valley
through desert in
Egypt
Ancient Egyptians
and the Nile
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Lived in the Nile deltaa fan-shaped area of
fertile land
Protected by the
desert, sea, and
cataracts- waterfalls
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The Nile would flood every July and leave rich soil
good for growing crops
Used shadoofs to lift water to their fields
Section 2: The Old Kingdom
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Made up of two kingdoms:
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Upper Egypt (white) in the south
Lower Egypt (red) in the north
Menes united both kingdoms
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Called “Wearer of Both Crowns”
Created capital at Memphis
Daily Life in the Old Kingdom
2600 BC - 2100 BC
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Cities were centers for government and
religion
Most lived among the banks of the Nile
Rich lived in brick and wood houses
surrounded by gardens and pools
Poor lived in villages on the estates of the
rich in one room houses
The Pharaoh
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Ruler, priest, and king
the center of Egyptian life
owned all of the land
built granaries to store grains
chose all government officials
his actions decided their fate
The Pyramids
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tombs for the pharaohs
“Houses of Eternity”
placed pharaoh’s personal belongings
inside for a happy afterlife
Worked on by pharaohs during the summer
months when their fields were flooded
Made out of granite and limestone
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
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polytheistic- believed in many gods
Hapi- river god: brought them water and
fertile soil
Re- sun god: helped their crops grow
Osiris: god of the harvest and afterlife
Isis: wife of Osiris; helped rule over dead
Book of the Dead: magic spells
Pharaoh Afterlife
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Used embalming to preserve the body
and protect the soul of the dead
believed soul could not live without the
body
Mummification
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1.
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3.
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6.
Took 70 days
Remove the organs
Organs dried out with natron, a chemical
Organs preserved in jars for afterlife
Remove brain
Wash body in wine and spices: natron
Wrapped in strips of linen
Section 3: The Middle Kingdom
2300 BC - 1786 BC
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Government officials took power from
pharaohs
1786 BC- Hyksos, from western Asia,
invaded using chariots and bronze and iron
weapons
1550 BC- Ahmose, an Egyptian prince, used
the Hyksos weapons and drove them out of
Egypt
Section 4: The New Kingdom
1570 BC- 1070 BC
Hatshepsut- Powerful Leader
Interested in trade and building temples
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traded metal tools and weapons for ivory, ebony,
monkeys, incense, hunting dogs
Never seen before items
Thutmose III Succeeds Hatshepsut and
Erases Her Name
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Warrior-pharaoh
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army of 20,000 archers,
throwers, charioteers
conquered Syria and
Palestine
spear-
Religion
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Began to worship new god – Amon
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Amon was god of Thebes
Thebes became capital and main god
became Amon-Re
Most powerful god of all to Egyptians
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Temples built
Work to sculptors and artisans
Also served as schools
Hieroglyphics
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Egyptian picture writing
One of three types of Egyptian writing
Used on monuments
Decline of Egypt
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1370 B.C. Amenhotep IV came to power –
didn’t agree with power of the priests
Closed temples of Amon-Re
Set up new religion
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Worshiped Aton – changed Amenhotep’s name to
Akhenaton (“Spirit of Aton”)
Not accepted by Egyptians
Decline of Egypt (continued)
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Tutankhamen took over after his death
(only 9 years old)
By 1150 B.C. Egypt’s empire was gone
Taken over by the Assyrians in 671 B.C.
Section 5: Contributions
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Papyrus- used for paper, baskets, sandals
Mathematics
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number system based on 10
geometry- to survey (measure) land
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Calendar
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based off Nile
three seasons of 120 days
five feast days
First specialists in medicine
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first to use bandages and splints
used castor oil for indigestion