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UNIT 2A: ANCIENT EGYPT
“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.”
– Herodotus
Greek Historian
“Father of History”
Ancient Egypt
“Hymn to the Nile”
 “The bringer of food, rich in provisions,
creator of all good, lord of majesty, sweet of
fragrance… He who… fills the magazines,
makes the granaries wide, and gives things to
the poor. He who made every beloved tree to
grow…”
 What does this primary source reveal about
the ancient Egyptians?
Geography of the Ancient Nile Valley
People settled and established farming villages along the Nile.
Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and
deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil. (The “Miracle” of the Nile”)
Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes,
reservoirs, and irrigation ditches.
Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt.
The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the
Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.
Natural barriers: Mediterranean Sea, Sahara Desert, Red Sea
Egypt began along
the Nile River in
North Africa
Egypt was
bordered on both
sides
by
desert
The Nile River’s
which
isolated
annual floods
& protected
were
predictable
The
Nile flooded
Egyptians
from
&
provided
fertile
so predictably
that
outsiders
soil
farming
thefor
Egyptians
designed their
calendar around it
 Cataracts waterfall
 Delta -triangular
area of
marshland
formed by
deposits of silt
at the mouth of
some rivers.
 Flow of Water –
South to North
 Fertile Soil
Menes & Unification of Egypt
 Three historical periods – the Old Kingdom,




Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom.
Around 1300B.C.E, Menes united Upper and
Lower Egypt into a single kingdom.
Egyptians kings eventually adopted the title
of pharaoh
Egyptian Kings claimed to be gods
Using the Nile, Egyptian leaders would
expand trade to Africa, the Middle East, and
the Mediterranean.
Old Kingdom (2660B.C.E. - 2180B.C.E.)
 Old Kingdom is sometimes
called the Pyramid Age.
 Egyptian pharaohs were
absolute rulers
 Bureaucratic government
develops
 Office of Vizier – “Steward of
the Whole Land”
 Vizier was in charge of the
numerous departments of the
bureaucracy
 Departments included police,
justice, river transport, public
works, agriculture, and treasury.
Middle Kingdom – The Golden Age
(2080B.C.E – 1640B.C.E.)
 Change of role for the pharaoh
 Now viewed as a “shepherd
of his people”
 Responsible to build public
works and provide for
public welfare.
 Canal built from Nile to
the Red Sea
 Social Classes established during
Old and Middle Kingdoms
 Weak pharaohs – primogeniture
–first born inheritance
 1700 B.C. foreign invaders, the
Hyksos occupied the delta
region
Ancient Egyptian Women
 They enjoyed a higher status and greater
independence.
 Under Egyptian law, women could inherit
property, enter business deals, buy and sell
goods, go to court, and obtain a divorce.
 Women could enter the priesthood, but many
were not literate – they could not become
scribes or hold other government jobs.
New Kingdom
(1570 BCE – 1075 BCE)
 Exposure to new aspects
of warfare from the
Hyksos led to use of new
weapons
 Horse drawn chariot, heavier
swords, and compound bow.
 Egypt becomes an
empire Palestine, Syria,
and Libya would fall under
Egypt’s borders.
 Egypt would expand to the
Euphrates River.
Major New Kingdom Pharaohs
 Queen Hatshepsut
 Male heir was too young to take the
throne.
 She wore a false beard as a sign of
authority.
 Her greatest accomplishment was
sending expeditions to Punt
encouraging mining, agriculture, and
trading.
 Ebony, ivory, and spices
 Medicines and Monkeys
 Ramses II
 Military victories.
 After years of fighting with Hittites,
Egypt signed a peace treaty with
them – this was the first of such
document to have survived.
OLD
KINGDOM
•Pharaohs organized
a strong central
state, were absolute
rulers, and were
considered gods.
•Egyptians built
pyramids at Giza.
•Power struggles,
crop failures, and
cost of pyramids
contributed to the
collapse of the Old
Kingdom.
MIDDLE
NEW
KINGDOM KINGDOM
•Large drainage project
created arable farmland.
•Traders had contacts
with Middle East and
Crete.
•Corruption and rebellions
were common.
•Hyksos invaded and
occupied the delta region.
Introduced the Egyptians
to the Bronze Age
•Powerful pharaohs
created a large
empire that reached
the Euphrates River.
•Hatshepsut
encouraged trade.
•Ramses II seized
Syria and expanded
Egypt’s borders.
•Egyptian power
declines. Nubians
will invade.
Decline of the Egyptian Empire
 Assyrians and
Persians conquered
the Nile region.
 Later on, Greek and
Roman armies took
over the rich Nile
Valley.
 Egypt continued to
influence its
conquerors through
the richness of its
heritage and the
awesome
magnificence of its
physical remains.
Egypt and Nubia
For centuries, Egypt traded or
fought with Nubia.
During the New Kingdom, Egypt
conquered Nubia.
 Nubians served in Egyptian
armies.
 Egyptian art from this period
shows Nubian soldiers,
musicians, or prisoners.
When Egypt declined, Nubia
conquered Egypt.
 Nubians saw themselves as
“restorers of Egyptian glory and
traditions.”
Lasting Contributions
Most of
Egypt’s first
great cities
formed
here like
Cairo
Lasting Contributions
 Specialized Workers:
?
Lasting Contributions
 Government :
 Pharaohs ruled Egypt as
In preparing the pharaoh for
“king-gods”
&
were
thought
life after death, their bodies
to control
nature
were mummified
to preserve
them.
 Egyptians constructed
pyramids & elaborate tombs
for the pharoahs
Lasting Contributions
 Mummification – the preservation of the dead.
 Embalmers removed vital organs, then dried
and wrapped the body in strips of linen.
 The process took months to complete.
 Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the
Kings.
 King Tut was found by British archeologist
Howard Carter – the tomb provided treasures
and evidence about Egyptian civilization.
Lasting Contributions
 Religion:
 Egyptians were polytheistic
& believed the gods
controlled all aspects of life
and the afterlife.
Lasting Contributions
 Religion:
 The chief god was the sun god, Amon-
Re – kings were believed to be closely
linked to Amon-Re.
 Osiris was an important god because he
was the ruler of the underworld, and
also the god of the Nile.
Lasting Contributions
 Religion:
 A pharaoh named Akhenaton worshipped
the god Aton instead of Amon-Re.
 Egyptians resisted this change.
 After his death, priests of the old gods
reasserted their power.
Lasting Contributions
Early hieroglyphs
 Writing:
were also written on
 Egyptian hieroglyphics
scrolls made of earlywas both pictograms &
paper called papyrusa phonetic alphabet
 Hieroglyphics were translated
using the Rosetta Stone by
French scholar Jean Champollion.
Lasting Contributions
Literature, Arts & Architecture:
 The Tale of Sinuhe
 This story helps us see how
Egyptians view themselves and
the people of the desert.
 Painting and sculpture
 The arts of ancient Egypt
included statues, wall paintings
in tombs, and carvings on
temples.
Lasting Contributions
 Scribes also acquired skills
in mathematics, medicine,
and engineering.
 Temple scribes kept records
of ceremonies, taxes, and
gifts.
 Demotic – a simpler form of
writing for everyday use.
Lasting Contributions
 Technology:
 Egyptian ideas included a
365-day calendar, geometry,
astronomy, & pyramids
Lasting Contributions
 Math, Science & Technology:
 They used trial and error to find a




solution.
Through mummification, they learned
a lot about the human body.
Many medicines that Egyptian doctors
prescribed are still in use.
They mapped constellations and
charted the movements of planets.
They developed geometry to survey
the land – also used to calculate the
size of stone for pyramids and temples.
The world’s first civilizations
all began in river valleys
The first civilization
began in an area known
as Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia means
“land betweenThe
theTigris
rivers”
& Euphrates
is
and
Rivers
often called the “Fertile
flooded Crescent”
once per year, leaving
or as the “Cradle
of Civilization”
behind
fertile soil ideal for farming
The first civilization developed
in the Fertile Crescent: Sumer
But, surrounding deserts & the lack of natural
barriers attracted outsiders to Mesopotamia
made the Sumerians vulnerable to attack
The Middle East: “The Crossroads of Three
Continents”
 The Middle
East is called
the crossroads
because the
three
continents of
Europe, Asia,
and Africa
come
together here
Taurus Mountains
(In Present Day Turkey)
1. Water from Plateau
the melting
snow rushes 2. The Two
to the valley Rivers form
and run
below.
over the
Elevated
Flat Land
The paths of the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers.
This creates Mesopotamia
and rich farming land.
Persian
Gulf
Flood Plain
3. The Rivers flow
and flood the low
land making the
land fertile for
planting crops
4. The Two
Rivers
Empty into
the Persian
Gulf
Can you name the
current country Mesopotamia is located in?
IRAQ
Silt
Droughts
Irrigation
• Floods are
unpredictable
• Silt flows down Tigris
& Euphrates
• Deposits mostly
down near Persian
Gulf
• Not much Rain
• Flood at Harvest
Time not at
Growing Time
• Create Canals and
Artificial Lakes
• Controlled Water
for use when
needed
Sumer
• City-States
c. 3000 BC
• Same time as
Menes unified
Egypt
• Sometimes
fought for control
of neighboring city-states
Architecture (building) - Ziggurat
• Located in center of cities, large, towering
mud-brick building.
• Had a temple at the top, for religious purposes.
• 7 layers
• Priest performed religious ceremonies on top.
Lasting Contributions
 Advanced cities:
 Sumerian city-states were
protected by high walls
 At the city center was a
These cities were considered advanced
temple
called
a
ziggurat
because of their large populations and
organization.
Religion
• City revolved around temple & religion.
• Food brought to feed temple god and priests and King.
• Each city-state worshiped a different god or goddess.
Polytheism (many gods)
(Ishtar – Love & War or Enki – Water)
• Sumerians had about 3,000 gods/goddesses in total (priests
held in high esteem)
• No happy afterlife- go into a cave and turn to dust.
• Due to pessimism (negative beliefs) of area- unpredictable
flooding.
Specialized Workers:
•The ruling family, leading officials,
and high priests were at the top.
•Middle class – merchants, artisans,
and lesser priests and scribes.
•Lowest class – majority of people,
peasant farmers.
– Slaves could work hard and buy their
freedom- social mobility
Women- could pursue most occupations/
and become low level priestesses but not
scribes
- Women still have legal rights. Upper class
women could engage in trade, borrow or loan
money, and owned property.
Lasting Contributions
 Government:
 Babylonian King Hammurabi
created
legalfor
code
The
codethe
wasfirst
written
all to
 Hammurabi’s
see andCode
knowhad
. 282
laws based on justice &
retaliation (an eye for an eye)
 The code had different
punishments for the various
levels of society
Lasting Contributions
 Writing:
 Sumerians made the world’s 1st
writing called cuneiform
(wedge-shaped)
 Phoenicians simplified
cuneiform to a 22 letter
alphabet
 Phoenician merchants spread
the alphabet throughout the
Mediterranean world
 The alphabet influenced Greek,
Latin, & English
Gilgamesh Epic Tablet:
Flood Story
 The Story of
Gilgamesh is
similar in that it
includes a tale of
a global flood to
punish man for
his
wrongdoings.
Sound familiar?
Lasting Contributions
 Technology:
 Sumerians inventions include the wheel,
sail, plow, & bronze metalwork
 Irrigation System
 Mathematics:
 Arithmetic number system based on 60
 Architecture
 Mud bricks, arches, columns, and ramps
Lasting Contributions
 Science:
 Astronomy
 Medical – documentation
of symptoms and illnesses
 Calendar
THE MANY PEOPLE OF MESOPOTAMIA:
1. Sumerians (ancient Sumer’s city-states)
(3000 B.C. - 1800 B.C.)
2. Babylonians (Babylonian Empire)
( 1800 B.C. - 1200 B.C.
3. Assyrians (Assyrian Empire)
(1200 B.C. - 539 B.C.)
4. Persians (Persian Empire)
(539 B.C. - 330 B.C.)
Sargon
Founder of the
World’s 1st Empire
2300BCE
(Akkadian Empire)
•Worked his way up as servant
of King of Kish, and then took
over as King.
•Conquered the Sumerian citystates.
• Expanded Empire North
(Syria) and West to
Mediterranean Coast
(Phoenicians)
Sargon
2334 BC - 2279 BC
He traded
with all
areas of
his
empire.
Mesopotamian
farm goods
traded for timber
& wine.
Cuneiform
writing became
the language of
the empire.
The Babylonians
 Around 1800 B.C., a new city-state arose in
Mesopotamia.
 It was called Babylon.
 Hammurabi was an important king of
Babylon. He conquered the Akkadians and
the Sumerians.
Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi
 First written law code.
 The Code of Hammurabi provided harsh
punishments. It also treated people
differently based on social class.
 Crime and punishment
 Civil laws – dealing with private rights and matters
 Laws for women
 The code was strict for women.
 Babylonians believed in an orderly household.
“If a seignior (noble) has knocked out the
tooth of a seignior of his own rank, they shall
knock out his tooth. But if he has knocked
out a commoner’s tooth, he shall pay onethird mina of silver.”
-Code of Hammurabi
What does this passage from the Code of
Hammurabi show?
The Assyrians
 Who were they?
 From Southwest Asia in Northern
Mesopotamia
 By 850 BC they have a large empire
with a highly advanced military
 Ashurbanipal created one of the first
libraries in Nineveh
 Why did they fall?
 Assyrian empire got too big for its own
good
 Also the cruelty which the Assyrians
displayed gave them many enemies
 Eventually the Chaldeans defeat the
Assyrians about 600 BC
The Chaldeans
 Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
 Chaldean King
 Restored the city of Babylon
 Built Hanging Gardens of
Babylon
 Jews disperse – Diaspora
 Built an empire which fell right
after his death
The Persian Empire
 Cyrus the Great and his successors conquered the
largest empire yet seen, from Asia Minor to India.
 Persians were tolerant of other cultures.
Emperor Darius unified
the Persian empire
 Divided empire into 20 provinces, each headed by a
governor, called a satrap
 Had hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired to aid
communication and encourage unity
 Set up common set of weights and measures to
improve trade
 Introduced a uniform system of coinage and
encouraged a money economy
 Religious ideas of Zoroaster also helped to unite the
empire- similar to ideas of Christianity & Islam
The Persians built Royal Road to connect their
vast empire. (1600 miles with relay stations.)
Conquered people paid tribute to the
Persian emperor.
Persian
Coins
Tribute is a payment from one ruler to
another ruler. Paying tribute is a way
to acknowledge the superior ruler.
Zoroastrianism
 The Persians worshipped many gods until Zoroaster
started a new religion in about 600 B.C.
 Zoroaster taught that there were two forces in the
world: a force of good and a force of evil.
 People were free to choose which force to follow
but they would be rewarded or punished in the
afterlife.
 Zend Avesta is the holy book. Some elements are
monotheistic.
Phoenicia was located in Southwest Asia.
The Phoenicians
 Small cities- colonies
 Polytheistic beliefs
 Made glass from sand and purple dye from a tiny
sea snail
 “Carriers of civilization” – they spread Middle
Eastern civilization around the Mediterranean.
 Invented the alphabet- letters that represent
spoken sounds
Phoenician Traders
 By 900 B.C., the Phoenicians dominated
Mediterranean trade.
 The Phoenicians were able to build a civilization
without relying on agriculture.
 Income generated by trade allowed the
Phoenicians to build permanent settlements.
An alphabet based on symbols
representing sounds is easier to learn
than the use of characters.
Phoenician Colonies
 The Phoenicians established trading colonies
throughout the Mediterranean region.
 A colony is a region controlled by a distant
country.
 Carthage was a famous Phoenician trading
colony in North Africa.
The Hebrews
 The Hebrews were
originally nomadic
pastoralists.
 The Hebrews migrated to
Palestine (present-day
Israel).
 The Hebrews believe that
they are descendants of
Abraham.
 Abraham became a
monotheist.
The Kingdom of Israel
 King David became a strong leader who united the Hebrew
tribes into a single nation.
 Solomon, his son, turned Jerusalem into a capital.
 He was known for his wisdom and understanding.
 Division and conquest
 Solomon’s projects required heavy taxes and forced labor
which caused revolts.
 The kingdom was split into Israel to the north and Judah to
the south.
 Lived under many foreign rulers including Persians, Greeks,
and Romans.
 Hebrews believed that history and religion were connected.
Judaism
 The religion of the descendants of Abraham is
called Judaism.
 Judaism is the first, lasting monotheistic
religion.
 From Judaism come two other significant
religions in world history: Christianity and Islam.
Moses
 The Hebrews migrated to Egypt during a time of
famine in Palestine.
 Initially, the Hebrews were treated well in Egypt.
However, the Hebrews were eventually enslaved
by the Egyptians.
 Under the leadership of Moses, the Hebrews fled
Egypt (the Exodus).
On the journey to Palestine, Moses
received the Ten Commandments.
A Moral and Ethical Religion
 Judaism is the world’s first moral and ethical
religion.
 It teaches followers to obey moral and ethical
rules.
 The Ten Commandments provide an example of
the moral and ethical nature of the Jewish
religion.
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible
are called the Torah. The Torah is very
important to Jews.
The Covenant
 The Hebrews or Jews believe that they have a
covenant with God.
 A covenant is an agreement.
 The Hebrews believe that if they obey God’s
commandments, God will bless them. However,
if they fail to obey God’s commandments, God
will punish them.
Monotheism - 1 God
Synagogue
or templehouse of
worship
Important days:
Hannukah, Passover,
Yom Kippur, Rosh
Hashanah
Torah- holy book
JUDAISM
Orthodox, Conservative or
Reformed
Ten Commandments- law
code
Sabbath- holy
day is Saturday
Kosher food (no pork or
shellfish)