Download Egypt`s Early Rulers

Chapter 5 Lesson 2
Life in Ancient Egypt p. 108
EQ : What makes the Egyptian culture
unique? In other words, how is this culture
different from the Mesopotamian empires
we have already studied?
Culture – ways of life; beliefs (government and
religions) and interests (skills, artwork, and
inventions)
Unique – being the only one of its kind; not like
any other
Egypt’s Early Rulers p. 108
A. c. 2600 BC began the Old Kingdom, lasting for about
400 years.
c.3100 BC
c.2600 BC
____???_____
Narmer
unites Egypt
Old Kingdom
began
Middle Kingdom
began
During the Old Kingdom:
B. Trade increased, causing a unified government
and building of cities
C. First Egyptian rulers were kings, later called
pharaohs. Pharaoh means “great house”
Turn and Talk: Make connections between the
terms: pharaoh, great house, Narmer, & dynasty
Pharaoh as Political Leader
p. 108 - 109
A. Theocracy is when the political leader and the
religious leader are the same.
• Egyptians were fiercely loyal
to the pharaoh because they
believed that a strong ruler
unified their kingdom.
• The pharaoh held total
power!
• He issued commands that
had to be obeyed
• Wisdom and far-reaching
leadership would help their
kingdom survive disasters
like war and famine
B. Pharaoh appointed government
officials, bureaucrats to
oversee his commands.
1.
2.
3.
C.
•
Supervised construction and repair of dams
Irrigation canals
Brick granaries
Pharaoh owned all the land, so
Taxes of grain were collected
to pay for building projects
Distributed land to officials, priests, and
wealthy Egyptians whom he favored
Pharaoh as Religious Leader
p. 109-110
Theocracy is when the political leader and the religious
leader are the same.
D. Egyptians believed the
pharaoh was the son of
Re, Egyptian sun god.
•
Believed their pharaoh
was a god on earth who
protected Egypt.
•
To honor him in public,
people played music on
flutes and cymbals and
bowed their heads
E. They had to make laws, fight
battles, and carry out religious
ceremonies to help the kingdom
thrive.
F. They were blamed if crops did not
grow or disease spread.
Example ceremonies:
The pharaoh rode a bull around
Memphis because the Egyptians
believed that this would help
keep the soil fertile.
The pharaoh also was the first person
to cut the ripened grain at
harvest time to produce
abundant crops.
Religion in Egypt: The Gods of Egypt p. 110
A. Religion played a major role in Egyptian daily life.
•
At first each city-state had their own god but eventually it became more organized.
•
Temples were built to honor the gods.
B. Egyptians were polytheistic (like the Mesopotamians, but Egyptians thought theirs
were more powerful)
Deities – gods and goddesses that controlled natural forces and human activities
•
Egyptians depended on the sun to grow crops and the Nile River for fertile soil – so,
most important gods were the sun god Re and the river god Hapi
•
Deity appearance resembled both human and animal forms
•
Other Important and Famous Egyptian gods include:
Osiris- god of the underworld;
Isis- goddess of magic and life; his wife; representing faithful wife and mother
Thoth – god of learning
Horus- god of the sky; child of Osiris and Isis; is thought to have a
connection to Narmer -- go falcons!!
Religion in Egypt
pp. 110-112
Burial Practices
Emphasis on the Afterlife
C. Egyptians believed in the
afterlife.
•
•
They believed that life after
death would be even better
than the present life.
After a long journey, the dead
arrived at a place of peace.
D. They believed every person
had a life form called “ka”
(similar to a soul)
•
When a person died the spirit
or “ka” left the body but lived
at the burial site.
E. When people died they were
buried with things they
thought they would need in
the afterlife, like furniture,
art, jewelry, clothes and
food.
Thoughts about the afterlife shaped burial practices.
F. In order to keep the “ka” happy the body had to be well
preserved.
•
They believed that the body needed to be protected in order for
the “ka” to complete the journey to the afterlife.
•
If the body decayed after death, the “ka” would not have a place
to live and would not survive in the afterlife.
G. They embalmed the bodies and made them into mummies.
•
Priests removed the organs, stored them in jars buried with the
body. Then the priests covered the body with a salt called
natron which dried up all the water in the body causing it to
shrink. The body was then filled with spices and tightly wrapped
with long strips of linen (mummy). The mummy was sealed in a
coffin and placed in a decorated tomb.
•
This took weeks to do but was suppose to keep you happy in
the afterlife.
•
Only Egyptian elite, rich people had nice tombs or pyramids.
Poor was buried in caves or in the sand.
•
Even animals were embalmed – pets were sacred creatures
that honored their gods and goddesses.
Anubis is the
Greek name for
a jackalheaded god
associated
with
mummification
and the
afterlife in
Egyptian
mythology.
A. Book of the Dead p. 111
• One of the most
important writings of
ancient Egypt
• contained prayers
and magic spells to
prepare for the
afterlife.
• After a long journey,
the dead arrived at a
place of peace
• Osiris would greet
you at the gate to
the afterlife. If you
knew the spell and
lived a good life, you
got in.
Medical Skills p. 112
• Turn and Talk
• What do you think
Egyptians learned
about the human
body by embalming?
•
•
•
•
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Medical Skills p. 112
• Turn and Talk
• What do you think
Egyptians learned
about the human
body by embalming?
•
•
•
•
anatomy
internal organs
blood circulation
other?
Medical Skills p. 112
• Sewed up cuts and
set broken bones
• First to use splints,
bandages, and
compresses
• First medical books
-- Used papyrus
scrolls to write down
medical
information/records
The Pyramids
A. Burial sites played an important part in the Egyptian afterlife.
B. Egyptians built amazing tombs to honor their rulers.
C. Most pyramids and temples were built (with taxes collected
from people) during the Old Kingdom, about 2000 years
before Christ was born.
D. Some are still standing today, The most famous are the
Pyramids at Giza built for Khufu pharaoh from the 4th dynasty
in the Old Kingdom.
E. The Egyptians were considered among the best engineers of the
ancient world.
F. They wanted to keep their pharaohs happy in the afterlife
because they believed the pharaoh controlled everyone else’s
afterlife.
3-2-1 Turn and Talk
EQ : What makes the Egyptian culture unique?
Culture – ways of life; beliefs (government and religions) and interests (skills, artwork, and
inventions)
Unique – being the only one of its kind; not like any other
Religion:
*
3 *
*
Skills, Artwork, Inventions:
2 *
*
Government:
1 *
History Mystery
Case No. 605 Egyptian Culture
Name ______ #_____
You are a dead Ancient Egyptian pharaoh that has led a good,
respectable life. You, like so many pharaohs before you, want
to make it to the place of peace to live happily ever after. You
have memorized your spell so that when Osiris greets you at
the gate, you will be prepared. You have built a beautiful
pyramid, that at this very moment contains all your worldly
possessions that you hold dear. The only step left is to preserve
your body for your ka. To solve this history mystery, label and
describe several steps of the medical process that will prevent
your body from decomposing. When the bell rings, please
place your history mystery in the case file on the door.
History Mystery
Homework: Web of 12
On your own, make a web that summarizes all you have learned so far about the Egyptian culture
What makes the
Egyptian culture
unique?
Pharaoh/ gods,
pharaoh’s wife and
family
Vizier – the most important court
official and advisor to the pharaoh,
Priests, nobles – rich, important
families, bureaucrats –gov officials,
army officers, doctors
Traders, merchants, artisans,
engineers, architects, scribes,
teachers, shopkeepers
Farmers, herders,
fishers, foot soldiers
Unskilled
workers , tomb
builders, slaves,