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Name: Sam Knight Date: 4|27|11 Humanities 6-C Ancient Egypt: Empire, Government, and Society (L.E.G.S.) Essential Question: In order to maintain order and stability, how have past civilizations arranged different groups and their responsibilities (society), organized power to control their populations (government and law), and extended power over other territories (empire)? Society On pages 104 – 106 of Our World, we read about the kingdoms of Nubia and Kush, which were civilizations just south of Upper Egypt. Nubia , like Egypt, had grown wealthy from its gold, iron, and timber mines. Soon Egypt’s pharaohs began to acquire the lands of Lower Nubia, which bordered the land of Upper Egypt. We read about the conflict between Egypt and Kush between around 2100 B.C. and 1525 B.C. In 1525 B.C., Kush was conquered by Egypt. For more than 500 years, Egypt had a profound cultural influence on Kush. Eventually, Egypt lost control of Kush to the Assyrian Civilization. As we can see in the illustration and read in the text on page 106, the social pyramid in Kush was very similar to the organization of Egyptian society. A social pyramid is a triangle-shaped cemetery that shows the rank of people in its society. At the top of the social pyramid of both Egypt and Kush were a king or a queen. These rulers were the leaders of the soldiers and of the army and of the country. Below the rulers were the priests and the members of the army- the soldiers. They had to carry out the military orders of the army. Just below the priests and soldiers were sellers or craftsmen, farmers, and artisans. Artisans make crafts; farmers grow crops and raise animals; merchants sell crafts and farm produce. One important difference between the role of women in Kush and in Egypt was that in Kush control over the throne (who became king or queen) was passed to the prince of the son of the king’s sister. In Egypt, the throne was passed to the children of the king. In addition, in Kush, women help important jobs as priestesses. Government As we read on page 89 of Our World, the history of Ancient Egypt basically began when Menes, who was the king of Upper Egypt, swept north into Nile River Egypt in about 3100 B.C. and conquered Lower Egypt. To show his victory, and to symbolize the joining together of the two “kingdoms,” Menes wore a double- crown. He combined the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt. This double crown stood for the unification of Egypt. Unification means joining together of two separate parts into one. Menes was the first pharaoh of the first period of Ancient Egyptian history. This period is called the Old Kingdom. It lasted from about 2700 B.C. to about 2200 B.C. The word “pharaoh” itself has three meanings. It refers to the “great palace” where the rulers lived. But it also is the name given to all the rulers of Egypt. Thus, pharaoh is the name of the job, like president or senator or governor. (For example, “I am going to see pharaoh.”) But “pharaoh” is also a title, like the word “president” in the sentence, “Yes, sir, President Lincoln, you are quite tall.” As we learn on page 90 of Our World, the job of pharaoh was to lead Egypt, to decide how the kingdom should be run on all Egypt. Pharaoh ensured that local servants served the government, such as collecting taxes and serving as judges, and making sure flood water were shared fairly. Pharaoh Menes built his capital city in Memphis where Upper Egypt meets Lower Egypt. But the pharaoh also had religious duties. According to Egyptian religion, the pharaoh was the son of Horus- the Sun god. The Egyptians believed that Ra gave life to Egypt. So, as son of the “life-giver,” the pharaoh himself was a god on Earth whose job it was to ensure peace and harmony and wealth in the kingdom. The Egyptian word for peace and harmony and wealth was the word “ma-at.” This word loosely translates in English as “balance.” In the quotation on the bottom-left of page 90 of Our World, you can see that the pharaohs looked upon themselves as shepherds who care for the health of his flock of animals. If you carefully look at the diagram on page 91 of a royal mummy, you can see the mummy in the lowest picture is holding what looks like a curved stick (just at his chin). Actually, this is a shepherd’s crook, which is the long stick that shepherds use to pull their flock to safety. Pharaohs carried this shepherd’s tool as a symbol of their power over, and responsibility for, their “flock” of people. (This symbol even continues. In the New Testament, Jesus is described as a shepherd, and the Pope actually carries a shepherd’s crook when he is seen in public. The meaning of the symbolism is the same as in Ancient Egypt: “This is the great and loving leader of a civilization.”) A careful reading of pages 93 – 95 of Our World, helps us to understand how important were scribes or trained writers—to the running of pharaoh’s government and to the running of the economy. Scribes traveled throughout the kingdom keeping messages and writing letters and contracts on scrolls made from papyrus, which is the reed plant that grows along the Nile. Pharaoh was head of Egypt’s religion and government and economy. As head of Egypt’s economy, Pharaoh Khufu a portion of all surplus that was grown or made in Egypt. Instead of tax money, Pharaoh was owed crops and goods and days of work from his people. But if there were not a virtual “army of scribes,” there would have been no one to write down in hieroglyphics all that was grown and mined and made--all that was owed to Egypt. As we learn on page 97 of Our World, Egypt’s Old Kingdom ended around 2000 B.C. and was replaced by a period called the ______________ Kingdom. It lasted until about 1700 B.C. One change during this period was the Pharaoh replaced the regional, or local, leaders, with ___________who reported directly to him or to pharaoh’s second-in-command: the vizier. Empire During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt expanded its empire by conquering Nubia to the south. Egypt also sent trade expeditions to Nubia and to the Fertile Crescent. Egypt’s New Kingdom began in approximately 1570 B.C. when Pharaoh Ahmose I defeated the Hyksos, who were Asian warriors who had conquered Egypt in 1650 B.C. with horse-drawn chariots and bronze weapons, and who had ruled Egypt for 100 years. After the defeat of the Hyksos, Egypt vowed to become the strongest conquerors. This lead to the expansion in Egypt’s armies and to the conquering of nearby lands—to the creation of an army. As we learn on page 98, soon Egypt had created an empire that stretched from Kush in the south to the Euphrates River in the north. The kingdom of Kush was rich in ebony (a very hard, black wood), elephant ivory, and animals hides. Nubia was rich in gold. By controlling this area, Egypt’s empire became wealthier. Under Pharaohs Amenhotep I, Egypt made allies and traded with other parts of Africa, and with Asia and southern Europe. And under Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who history first known female ruler, Egypt broadened the reach of its empire by peaceful trading expeditions. From the kingdom of Punt, to the south, was brought back gold, ebony, copper, perfume, ivory, leopard skins, and live elephants. Over time, the strength of Egypt’s empire weakened. As we read on page 100 of Our World, Egypt’s last strong pharaoh was Pamses II. He is the pharaoh who ruled Egypt when Moses and the Israelites fleed from Egypt to freedom—the subject of the Jewish Passover story (and the Disney movie The Prince of Egypt.) About 100 years after Ramses II’s death, the New Kingdom ended, and so did the empire that was Ancient Egypt.