Download EGYPT 2012

EGYPT
THE GIFT OF THE NILE
Geography
• Egyptian civilization emerged in the Nile River
Valley
• The Nile is the longest river in the world, 4,000
miles long
• The Nile flows from Lake Victoria, located in east
central Africa, northward to the Mediterranean
Sea
– The river splits into two branches, the White Nile and
the Blue Nile, which join together in the Sudan which
in ancient times was known as Nubia
• Three main regions of Egypt:
– Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt, and the Nile Delta
• The richest and most fertile soil found anywhere
in Africa is found in the Nile Delta
– Delta = a triangular region formed at the
mouth of a river by deposits of silt
• Water from the Nile was used for:
– Irrigation (farming), drinking, bathing,
transportation
• Yearly flooding left silt which made rich soil and
was controlled by dams
• Known as the Bread Basket of the Mediterranean
• Egypt also had natural barriers that gave protection
from invaders and a sense of security
– Deserts to the east and west (especially the Sahara)
– Red Sea to the east
– Mediterranean Sea to the north
– Cataracts on the southern part of the Nile
• Cataracts = rocky stretches marked by swift
currents, rapids, and waterfalls
• There are six cataracts
• The First Cataract marked the ancient boundary
between Egypt and Nubia
• Egyptians call their fertile lands the Black Land and
the surrounding desert the Red Land
Religion
• Had no word for religion, the ideas were inseparable
part of the world order
• Egyptians were polytheistic, had many important
gods and goddesses
– Key god was the god of the sun = Re or Amon-Re
(father of the pharaohs)
– Anubis = protector of the dead
– Osiris = introduced civilization into Egypt, also
became a judge of the dead
– Isis = goddess of nature and protector of women
– Horus = god of the sky, pharaohs are human
forms of this god
• Believed that gods controlled all natural events
• Priests performed rituals to fulfill the needs of
the gods
– Believed that the rituals refreshed the gods
and kept them alive
– In return the gods would grant the pharaohs
immortality and bring prosperity to Egypt
Mummification
• Central belief of the Egyptians was a belief in the
afterlife
• Egyptians believed that people had two bodies, a
physical one and spiritual one they called the ka
– When a physical body died, the ka escaped
– The ka was essentially an individual’s personality
separated from the body
– If the physical body is preserved, the ka could
return
– If the body decomposed, the ka would shrivel and
vanish
• Practice of mummification = slowly drying a dead
body to preserve it and stop it from rotting
– Run by priests primarily for wealthy families
who could afford it
• Discovered after early Egyptians buried their
dead in the desert, found that the bodies were
being preserved, unfortunately jackals were
eating the dead bodies
• Steps of mummification
– Remove all internal organs
– Brain was liquefied and drawn out the nose
– The heart was left inside – controlled
emotions and intelligence
– Organs were placed in canopic jars to be buried
with the mummy
– Body was packed with various materials to help
keep its shape
– Salts were placed on the body to dry it out
– Finally the body was wrapped in strips of linen
• Dead Egyptians were buried with their material
possessions and sometimes loved ones or pets and
servants
• Rooms were stocked with supplies and material
goods for the return of the ka
– Also believed that people in paintings on the wall
would come to life as well
• Pyramids were first built during the Old Kingdom
– Pyramids were tombs for dead pharaohs
• The Great Pyramid was constructed at Giza by
King Khufu
– Took 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build it
– The Great Sphinx guards the Great Pyramid
• Most pharaohs started building their pyramid as
soon as they began their rule
• Workers built the pyramids from the inside out
• Most of the workers were peasants, not slaves,
who were required to work for the gov’t one
month out of the year
Society
• Simple social structure
– Pharaoh and royal family
– Gov’t officials, priests, military leaders, scribes,
landowners, doctors
– Artisans and merchants
– Peasant farmers – made up 90% of the population
– slaves
• Lived in family units
– Patriarchical society, husband in charge, but wives
well-respected
– General rule was one marriage at a time
• Women kept property and inheritance even after
marriage
• There were divorces, with compensation for the
wife
• People married young and had arranged
marriages
• Pharaohs often married their sisters to keep the
royal blood pure
• Many upper class people shaved their heads and
wore wigs, for both fashion and sun protection
• Also wore dark eyeliner as a form of sun
protection
Advancements
• Main writing system was hieroglyphics
– Used picture symbols to represent objects, sounds,
and ideas
– Carved into stone and written on papyrus
– Developed in 3200 BC, considered one of the world’s
first writing systems
• Only Sumerian cuneiform is older
• In 1799 a French soldier found a granite slab,
now called the Rosetta Stone, which enabled
historians to read hieroglyphics
• Math
– Used geometry to survey flooded land
– Used math to build monuments and could
calculate volume and area
• Developed an accurate 365 day calendar
• Mummification led to medical expertise in
human anatomy
– Doctors set broken bones, treated wounds,
performed simple surgical procedures, and
even removed some types of tumors
– Doctors also encouraged regular bathing