Download Ancient Egypt 16

On what continent is Egypt located?
Can you find Egypt?
Another view: Where is Ancient Egypt?
Mediterranean
and Red seas
The Nile Delta
Area were Nile
empties into
Mediterranean Sea
Largest piece of
fertile land
Desert
“Redlands”
Natural barriers to invasion
Nile River
•Nile River
•“Blacklands”
•Unlike Mesopotamia, river serene and
predictable
•River was everything to Egyptians: life and
communication
In ancient Egypt, the flooding of the Nile was
predictable enough for the Egyptians to plan their
yearly crops around it. It flooded annually some time
from June to September
The annual flooding of the Nile created rich
fertile land for farming and herding.
Natural Barriers
The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected
Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient
Egypt from neighboring countries and invading
armies.
The desert also provided the ancient
Egyptians with a source for precious
metals and semi-precious stones.
More Natural Barriers…
•The cataracts hinder navigation of the Nile
Trade - Economy
•The ancient Egyptians depended on trade as their way of
money
•The economy is a traditional economy based on farming and
trade.
Trade via the
Mediterranean/north
and south on the
Nile/
Mesopotamians/
Indus Valley using
the Red Sea
•Trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture,
art, ideas and technology (Western calendar was
taken from the Romans who borrowed it from the
Egyptians)
•Trade eventually grew and expanded, bringing
economic prosperity, new ideas, and goods into
Egyptian society
Egyptian Calendar
The Ancient Egyptians created the first known
365-day Calendar. They created it in order to
mark the passage of years and to record special
or significant events.
Their calendar was originally
based on the phases of the
moon until they found the
Sirius star (“Dog Star”) rises
up every 365 days. This was
also about the time the Nile
river flooded the Egyptian
valley.
Egyptian Calendar
Akhet
Proyet
Shumo
Inundation –
Flooding
June – September
Nile receded
Cooler – Sow crops
November - May
Summer time
Harvest time
March - June
Egypt
Hieroglyphics
• Sacred Carvings
•Egyptians wrote in
pictures called
hieroglyphics
•There are over 700
pictures in
hieroglyphics.
• The Egyptians wrote
on paper made from
papyrus.
Religion
•Polytheistic
•Pharaohs were considered
gods on earth. If the gods were
pleased then the people would
be happy
•Afterlife – Mummification
Religious roots were in the worship of nature
deities – their first gods were in animal forms
Religion was
instrumental to stability
of Egypt (life, social
structure, education,
laws, rule of Pharaoh,
economy, death,
afterlife)
Social Pyramid
Politics (Government)
Pharaohs
•absolute rulers of the land
•believed to be the earthly
embodiment of the god Horus
who was the son of Amon-Re
•Therefore they had the divine
right to rule (?)
•People followed their
orders because they
believed they were
from god
•No one would
challenge the King’s
authority and he
could rule in relative
peace
Priests:
performed the
mummifications
Laborers: provided
the food, built the
buildings and
pyramids
Ancient Egypt
Products and Trade
•Papyrus
•Egyptians grew crops such as wheat, barley,
vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates, and flax.
•Linen
•The south, especially Nubia, was rich in gold and
mineral deposits
Papyrus
Ancient Egypt vs Mesopotamia
Similarities
•Polytheistic.
•Very fertile land.
•Climate
•People were farmers
Ancient Egypt vs. Mesopotamia
Differences
•The Nile river’s flooding was predictable
•Mesopotamia had city-states
Archetecture of Ancient Egypt
•Magnificent monuments made from
limestone and granite.
Pyramids and the
Sphinx.
Notable Examples of Ancient Egypt
Rosetta Stone
Canal of
Pharaohs
Ancient Egypt