Download Sumerian, Egyptian, and Hebrew Literature

Egyptian Culture and Literature
c. 3100 BCE – 100 BCE
Source: Literature: World Masterpieces. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.
EGYPTIAN ORIGINS: “The gift of the Nile” (p. 8)
 Egyptian civilization rose on the banks of the Nile, a
river in North East Africa.
 The Nile flooded every July, replenishing farmland
 The Nile was also used for travel and trade, as well as
fishing
HISTORY: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms (p.8)
 At first Egypt was divided into upper Egypt in the south
and lower Egypt in the north
 c.3100 BCE Menes, king of upper Egypt, conquered
lower Egypt, creating one country
 The period of the pharaohs can be divided into:
 Old Kingdom (2700-2200 BCE)
 Middle Kingdom (2050-1800BCE)
 New Kingdom (1570-1090 BCE) [Empire Age]
 Between periods, Egypt was vulnerable to invasions
and civil wars though its topography (mainly desert and
with a sea border) did somewhat protect it
 Unlike the Mesopotamian kings, the Egyptian pharaohs
were looked upon as gods
 Pharaohs made peasants/slaves build them pyramids,
which would house their bodies after death
EGYPTIAN SOCIETY: A Pyramid (pp. 8-9)
Pyramid = Symbol of the afterlife
Egyptian Social Ladder (highest to lowest):
 Pharaoh
 Priests (connection between Egyptian gods and people)
This class originally developed hieroglyphics at around
the same time that Sumerians developed cuneiform
(c.3100 BCE), though it was written on papyrus.
 Nobles (same social level as priests, but worked in
government; had both privileges and money)
 Middle class – more numerous than above classes
(artisans, merchants, physicians; served those above)
 Peasants and slaves – most numerous class. Had to
pay much of their crop yield to pharaohs and served on
pharaohs’ construction gangs)
CULTURE (pp. 9-10)
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Religion was a key aspect of Egyptian culture
Many of the gods were associated with nature
Amon-Re (sun god) was chief deity
Osiris (god of the Nile) also god of the underworld:
death and rebirth is linked with rise and fall of the Nile
All Egyptians very concerned with life after death (see
“Egyptian Book of the Dead” pp. 36-37)
Amenhotep IV (ruled during New Kingdom) changed
religion by only worshiping one god: Aton (monotheism)
After Amenhotep IV, Egyptians reverted to polytheism
Development of geometry (to help with surveying land)
 Creation of 12 month, 365 day calendar (created to
predict yearly floods)
 Old Kingdom literature was characterized by sacred
hymns which were cold and formal.
 Middle Kingdom literature began to reflect personal
feelings
 New Kingdom literature continued the trend with
flowering of graceful writing and freedom of speech
(see pastoral poetry pp. 31-34).