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Unit 1: Ancient Civilizations
Four River Valley Civilizations
Ancient Egypt
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
The Nile River
“All of Egypt is the Gift of the Nile”
- Herodotus
Cool Etesian Winds stay near the ground
as they blow southward to fill the void
Hot desert air rises
The Etesian Winds blow from May to October and
reach gales of 40 MPH which allows boats to sail
against the Nile’s currents
ANCIENT EGYPT
GOVERNMENT
AND
SOCIETY
EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT
Egyptian government, society,
and religion was dominated by a
king who was called Pharaoh.
The pharaoh was considered to
be a god. He headed an
elaborate civil and religious
bureaucracy.
 Therefore, the government of
Egypt was both a monarchy and
a theocracy
MONARCHIES
Monarchy
A government headed by a single ruler. Usually a king
or queen.
Absolute or Unlimited Monarchy
The leader has total control and his/her power can’t be
checked
Limited Monarchy
The leader has some restraints and his/her power is
checked by others in the government
Dynasty
A sequence of rulers from the same family in which the
leader is chosen by heredity
–The oldest son inherits the throne
–If there is no son, the oldest daughter becomes queen
–If there is no child, a new dynasty is formed
 Theocracy
- A government in which a god or
representative of a god is considered to be
the civil ruler
 Bureaucracy
- A large body of officials and
administrators who run the daily
government
SOCIETY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
PHARAOH
Nobles, Priests,
Large Landowners,
Bureaucrats
Artisans, Merchants, Scribes,
Professionals, Small Landowners
Peasants, Farmers
SLAVES
1. Captives 2. Debtors 3. Criminals
Hieroglyphics
Rosetta Stone
Jean-François
Champollion
ANCIENT EGYPT
Neolithic Culture
Archaic Period
Old Kingdom
First Intermediate Period
(Age of Nobles)
Middle Kingdom
Second Intermediate Period
(Hyksos Control)
New Kingdom
Age of Decline
Roman Conquest
6000 BC
3100 BC
2700 BC
2181 BC
2000 BC
1780 BC
1550 BC
1085 BC
30 BC
Ancient Egypt
Archaic Period
(3100 BC - 2700 BC)
 Upper and Lower Egypt are united
 Hieroglyphic writing develops
 Trade with other civilizations expanded
 Memphis established as Egyptian capital
 Heavy emphasis on polytheistic religion
Important Rulers
Menes – United upper and lower Egypt. He
became Egypt’s first king and established its
first dynasty.
Ancient Egypt
Old Kingdom
(2700 BC - 2181 BC)
 Strong class of nobility developed
 Rise of sun god RA as supreme god
 Mummification developed to preserve bodies
for the afterlife
 First and largest pyramids built
Important Rulers
Zoser (Djoser) - Ordered first step pyramid built.
First king to be considered a god.
Khufu - First king called Pharaoh. He built the
largest of the pyramids at Giza.
Egyptian Religion
Polytheistic (Multiple gods)
Mummification
Mummification
Embalming the body
First, his body is taken to the tent
known as 'ibu' or the 'place of
purification'. There the embalmers
wash his body with good-smelling
palm wine and rinse it with water
from the Nile.
One of the embalmer's men
makes a cut in the left side of the
body and removes many of the
internal organs. It is important to
remove these because they are
the first part of the body to
decompose.
Mummification
The liver, lungs, stomach and
intestines are washed and
packed in natron which will dry
them out. The heart is not
taken out of the body because
it is the centre of intelligence
and feeling and the man will
need it in the afterlife.
A long hook is used to smash
the brain and pull it out
through the nose.
Mummification
The body is now covered and stuffed with natron which will
dry it out. All of the fluids, and rags from the embalming
process will be saved and buried along with the body.
Mummification
After forty days the body is
washed again with water from the
Nile. Then it is covered with oils to
help the skin stay elastic.
The dehydrated internal organs are
wrapped in linen and returned to the
body. The body is stuffed with dry
materials such as sawdust, leaves and
linen so that it looks lifelike.
Mummification
Finally the body is covered
again with good-smelling
oils. It is now ready to be
wrapped in linen.
In the past, when the internal organs were removed from a body
they were placed in hollow canopic jars. Over many years the
embalming practices changed and embalmers began returning
internal organs to bodies after the organs had been dried in natron.
However, solid wood or stone canopic jars were still buried with the
mummy to symbolically protect the internal organs.
Mummification
Wrapping the mummy
First the head and neck are
wrapped with strips of fine
linen. Then the fingers and
the toes are individually
wrapped
The arms and legs are wrapped
separately. Between the layers of
wrapping, the embalmers place
amulets to protect the body in its
journey through the underworld.
Mummification
A priest reads spells out loud while
the mummy is being wrapped. These
spells will help ward off evil spirits
and help the deceased make the
journey to the afterlife.
The arms and legs are
tied together. A papyrus
scroll with spells from the
Book of the Dead is
placed between the
wrapped hands.
Mummification
More linen strips are wrapped
around the body. At every layer,
the bandages are painted with
liquid resin that helps to glue the
bandages together.
A cloth is wrapped around
the body and a picture of
the god Osiris is painted
on its surface.
Mummification
Finally, a large cloth is wrapped around the entire mummy. It is attached
with strips of linen that run from the top to the bottom of the mummy,
and around its middle. A board of painted wood is placed on top of the
mummy before the mummy is lowered into its coffin. The first coffin is
then put inside a second coffin.
Mummy of Ramesses II
Ancient Egypt
First Intermediate Period
(Age of Nobles)
(2181 BC - 2000 BC)


Civil wars among nobles
Power was divided among
nobles who ruled as governors
of various regions of Egypt.
Ancient Egypt
Middle Kingdom
(2000 BC - 1780 BC)
Pharaohs reunified Egypt
Egyptian borders were expanded
Egyptian capital moved to Thebes
Pyramids were replaced by cliff tombs
Important Rulers
Amenemhet I - Re-established control by
Pharaoh. Expanded Egyptian wealth
through conquest and trade
Ancient Egypt
Second Intermediate Period
(Hyksos Control)
(1780 BC - 1550 BC)
Invaders called Hyksos from the south of
invaded and took control of Egypt
Hyksos leaders controlled the Egyptian
throne for two centuries
Introduced bronze weapons and new
military techniques to Egypt
Ancient Egypt
New Kingdom
(1550 BC - 1085 BC)
Pharaohs established a powerful military
using new military weapons & techniques
Egypt expanded its empire to Mesopotamia
and reached its greatest size
Dominated land and sea for 500 years
Egyptian culture reached its pinnacle
Ancient Egypt
New Kingdom
(1550 BC - 1085 BC)
Important Rulers
Ahmose I - Drove Hyksos from Egypt
Hatshepsut - First female ruler in history
Thutmose III - Greatest Egyptian military leader.
Expanded Egypt to its greatest size
Ramesses II – Strong military pharaoh. He built
magnificent cities and structures. Pharaoh who
dealt with Moses during the Hebrew Exodus
Ancient Egypt
Age of Decline
(1085 BC - 30 BC)

A series of weak rulers gradually lost
power and territory
575 BC - Egypt conquered by Persians
332 BC - Egypt conquered by Alexander the
Great and the Greeks
30 BC – The last Pharaoh Cleopatra dies and
Egypt is added to the Roman Empire