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Government and
Religion Onesheet
Trade helps form kingdoms and a need for Governments p. 106
Increase in farming and
trade -- Now more goods
are available so villages
along the Nile trade with
each other
Increase of trade with others -- Egyptian
caravans start carrying goods to Nubia in
the south; to Mesopotamia in the northeast;
and other places outside Egypt’s border –
Look at Early Trade Routes Map online
textbook
Traders learn about ways of life and governments of other societies
The increase of farming and trade causes a need for a government that will keep
everything organized. Trade increased, causing a unified government and
building of cities.
Egyptian Government
• Type of Egyptian Government:
Theocracy is when the political leader and
the religious leader are the same.
One United Kingdom p. 106-107
Jobs of the Government-Government organizes :
1. Construction and repair
of irrigation ditches and
dams (engineers)
2. Process for storing and
distributing grain during
famines (architects –
design granaries)
3. Settle conflicts over land
ownership
Villages merge to form small
kingdoms ruled by a king
Weak kingdoms fall to stronger kingdoms
By 4000 BC there are two large kingdoms –
Upper Egypt (in the south) and Lower Egypt (in
the northern Nile River Delta)
Narmer (Menes) king of Upper Egypt
King Menes = first pharaoh
One United Kingdom
Who was King Menes/ King Narmer? P. 107
• Led his armies down the mountains into the delta
• Conquered Lower Egypt and married one of Lower
Egyptian princesses
• This unified the kingdoms – for the first time, all of
Egypt was ruled by one king
• He established a new capital at Memphis which is
a border city between Upper and Lower Egypt
• He governs both parts of Egypt from Memphis
causing it to be the center of government and
culture along the Nile and a VERY POWERFUL
civilization
After his death
• His kingdom lasts a very long time
creating the first dynasty (line of rulers
from one family)
• There are over 30 dynasties organized
into time periods known as the Old
Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New
Kingdom
• Egypt’s dynasty system created a stable
and unified system of government =
powerful civilization for many years!
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,
Pharaoh as Political Leader
p. 108 - 109
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
Government Jobs of the Pharaoh:
1.appointed government officials,
bureaucrats to oversee his commands.
2.Supervised construction and repair of
– dams
– Irrigation canals
– Brick granaries
3. Owned all the land, so taxes of grain were
collected to pay for building projects
4. Distributed land to officials, priests, and
wealthy Egyptians whom he favored
Egyptian Religion
Pharaoh as Religious Leader p. 109-110
Theocracy is when the political leader and the religious
leader are the same.
•
•
•
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
•
They had to make laws, fight
battles, and carry out religious
ceremonies to help the kingdom
thrive.
•
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
1.
Religion played a major role in Egyptian daily life.
2.
At first each city-state had their own god but eventually it became more organized.
3.
Temples were built to honor the gods.
4.
Egyptians were polytheistic like the Mesopotamians, but Egyptians thought theirs
were more powerful
5.
Deities – gods and goddesses that controlled natural forces and human activities
6.
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
7.
Deity appearance resembled both human and animal forms
8.
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
1. Egyptians believed in the
afterlife.
2. They believed that life after
death would be even better
than the present life.
3. After a long journey, the dead
arrived at a place of peace.
4. They believed every person
had a life form called “ka”
similar to a soul
1.
Thoughts about the afterlife shaped burial practices.
2.
In order to keep the “ka” happy the body had to be well
preserved.
3.
They believed that the body needed to be protected in order for
the “ka” to complete the journey to the afterlife.
4.
If the body decayed after death, the “ka” would not have a place
to live and would not survive in the afterlife.
5.
They embalmed the bodies and made them into mummies.
6.
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.
7.
This took weeks to do but was suppose to keep you happy in
the afterlife.
8.
Only Egyptian elite, rich people had nice tombs or pyramids.
Poor was buried in caves or in the sand.
9.
Even animals were embalmed – pets were sacred creatures
that honored their gods and goddesses.
5. When a person died the spirit
or “ka” left the body but lived
at the burial site.
6. When people died they were
buried with things they
thought they would need in
the afterlife, like furniture,
art, jewelry, clothes and
food.
Anubis is the
Greek name for
a jackalheaded god
associated
with
mummification
and the
afterlife in
Egyptian
mythology.
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
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Burial sites played an important part in the Egyptian afterlife.
Egyptians built amazing tombs to honor their rulers.
Most pyramids and temples were built (with taxes collected
from people) during the Old Kingdom, about 2000 years
before Christ was born.
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.
The Egyptians were considered among the best engineers of
the ancient world.
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
Religion:
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3 *
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Government:
2 *
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Other:
1 *
Ancient Egyptian Beliefs WS
• This side only for today!
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,