Download Geography and Early Egypt - dale

Egypt
Main Idea
Egypt was one of the most stable and long-lasting civilizations of the
ancient world.
Objectives
• Students will discover how geography influenced Egypt’s early
history.
• Students will apply the six themes of history when studying Egypt.
• Students will explore the contributions of the Egyptians to Math,
Science, arts and trade.
Geography and Early Egypt
• The Nile
– Most important physical feature in Egypt
– 4,000 miles long; flows through the
Sahara Desert
• Without the Nile’s waters, no one could live
there.
Geography of Egypt
• The Nile flooded every year
– Predictable floodwaters with spring rains
– Left rich, black silt
• Narrow band of fertile soil
• Became home of Egyptian civilization
Theme 1: Government of Egypt
Unification of Egypt
• Two kingdoms unified around 3100 BC
• Upper Egypt ruler Menes conquered north
– Founded capital city of Memphis
– Adopted both symbols, the snake and the vulture
• First of 31 dynasties
The Pharaohs
• The head of the government was the king
• Became known as pharaoh (“means great house”)
• Had great power because he was believed to be a god
• Egypt a theocracy, a state ruled by religious figures
Egyptian Bureaucracy
• Pharaoh could not rule Egypt alone
• Aided by bureaucracy, many of whom were pharaoh’s relatives
• Most powerful official was the vizier
• Hundreds of lesser officials kept Egypt running smoothly
• Old Kingdom collapsed around 2100 BC
• New dynasty began Middle Kingdom 2055 BC
– Strong leadership brought stability
– Trade with surrounding lands encouraged
• Trade routes not always safe
– Fortresses built along the Nile
– The Hyksos invaded, conquered around 1650 BC
– Pharaohs built army to protect Egypt from invasion ***ADD TO NOTES
Ramses the Great
Egypt expanded empire
• Fought campaigns in Nubia and Syria
• A new foe around 1250 BC
• Hittites invaded from Mesopotamia
Confrontation with Hittites
• Ramses the Great led army
• Accounts of battle vary, but two armies signed truce
• Ramses married Hittite princess and conflict ended
Ramses’ rule
•
•
•
•
Reign marked with extravagant splendor
Built more temples and monuments than other pharaohs
Many political and artistic achievements
After Ramses' rule Egypt began to decline because of
massive spending on war and temples ****Add to NOTES***
Theme 2: Egyptian Religion
Egyptians worshipped many gods
“polytheism”
• Some from the earliest days of the Old Kingdom
• Believed that gods controlled all natural events
Monotheism in Egypt
• Amenhotep IV, 1353 = (Akhenaton)
– Worshipped only one god, Aten
– Banned worship of all other gods
• Built temple to Aten at Akhetaten
• The next pharaoh, Tutankhamen, restored worship of
traditional gods
• Tried to remove all traces of Amenhotep
• Engineering an Empire: 101:14 – 1:11:00
Temples built to honor, provide
homes for gods
Ruins can still be seen in Egypt
• Features
– Decorated with massive
statues
– Elaborate paintings,
detailed carvings
• Obelisks
– Tall, thin pillars with
pyramid-shaped tops
– Made from single piece
of stone
– Carved with intricate
designs
Mummification and Burial
Central to Egyptian religion was the belief in an afterlife, a land of the dead where
souls would go to live. Because of this belief, Egyptians developed elaborate rituals
regarding death and burial.
Teachings
• Physical body dies,
releases ka
• Ka was individual’s
personality
• Ka needed food and
drink to survive
• Sought to prevent
decomposition so ka
would not vanish
Mummification
• Developed process to
prevent breakdown of
body
Process
• Internal organs
removed
• Heart left in body
• Mummification only for
kings, royal family at
first
• Body wrapped with
linen strips
• Process available later
to any who could afford
• Features painted on
mummy to help ka
recognize its body
Theme 3: Egyptian Writing
Hieroglyphics
• The main Egyptian writing system
• Uses picture symbols to represent objects
• formal writing, stone monuments, religious texts
• Difficult to learn, time consuming
Egyptians used the pulp of the papyrus plant that grew along the Nile to make paper
like sheets. Many papyrus scrolls are still readable today.
Egyptian Writing
Historians could not decipher hieroglyphs
• Rosetta Stone
– Discovered near Nile Delta village of Rosetta in 1799
– Long passages of writing on the broken stone
• Same text in hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek
– Using Greek as guide, hieroglyphs and demotic meanings
revealed
– Unlocked the mystery of Egyptian writing
Theme 4: Egyptian Math and Science
Math
• Egyptians had thorough understanding of basic arithmetic
• Also understood basic principles of geometry
• This along with grasp of engineering helped them build pyramids
• Buildings still standing, so skills were great
Science
• Greatest scientific advances were in medicine
• Egyptians masters of human anatomy
• Doctors treated wounds, performed surgery, used medicines made
from plants and animals
• Prescribed regimens of basic hygiene to prevent illness
Theme 5: Egyptian Art
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted more than 2,000 years and made many
tremendous advances, particularly in art, literature and science.
Egyptian Art
• Very distinctive and easily
distinguished from art of other
ancient civilizations
• Paintings
–
–
–
–
–
Detailed and colorful
Stories of gods
Pictures of daily life
Most on walls of tombs, temples
Some in manuscripts
Egyptian Statues
• Statues
– Large, imposing
– Most show gods, pharaohs
– Show power and majesty
• Great Sphynx, the largest and most
famous
King Tutankhamen's Tomb
• Valley of the Kings
The Pyramids
• Most famous symbols of Egypt
• Largest located near Giza
• Built as tombs for rulers
– Hollow chamber for burial
– Treasures buried with them
– Deadly traps within
• Design changed to smooth-sided over
time
Building Pyramids
• Took great planning and skill
• Ordered when kings took the throne
• Built from the inside out
• Not built by slaves
– Peasants required to work
one month per year
– Professional craftspeople
like architects, artists
Engineering an Empire: 31:09-41:30
Theme 6: Egyptian Trade
• Pharaohs
encouraged sailors
and merchants to
import goods from
surrounding lands.
• Historians have
found evidence that
Egyptians traded
with Nubians,
Phoenicians, the
Minoans of Greece.