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Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt: Overview and
Geographical Importance
 Egypt began as two separate kingdoms
• Upper Egyptian rulers wore a tall, white crown, while Lower Egyptian
rulers wore a red crown
 3150 BCE Narmer or Menes (King of Upper Egypt) defeated Lower
Egypt and created a new capital city at Memphis
 Unification was symbolized by Narmer adopting the Double Crown, which
represented both regions
A mural of Narmer or Menes
conquering Lower Egypt (c.a.
3100 B.C.)
There were three main areas that were populated
in Egypt:
1. The Nile Valley
•
Sole source of water for Egypt
•
Predictable flooding provided rich fertile
soil (also enabled creation of calendar and
seasons: Emergence and Inundation)
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Both revered and feared (too much flooding
or droughts)
2.
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3.
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The Nile Delta
Area were Nile empties into Mediterranean
Sea
Largest piece of fertile land
Encompassed major centres of Egypt
Faiyum
Lake Moeris lies at end of branch of Nile is
centre of oasis called Faiyum
Irrigation from Nile made Faiyum the third
most populated land
Map Of Egypt
• Add the following items to your map using Page 60 in
World Civilizations: A Comparative History
• Water: Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Nile River, First
Cataract, Second Cataract, Upper Nile, Lower Nile
• Cities: Gizeh (Giza), Thebes, Luxor, Karnak, Memphis,
Alexandria, Saqqara, Cairo, Heliopolis, Faiyum
• Regions: Nile Delta, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Valley
of the Kings, Arabian Desert (Eastern), Libyan Desert
(Western)
Red Land, Black Land
• Civilization began about 3200 BCE around Nile River (last 1200 km
closest to Mediterranean Sea)
• RIVER flows South-North, WINDS blow North-South
• Rich silt soil (kemet) was the black land; the barren desert was the red
land (strict dividing line)
• Egypt also received resources from six fertile areas called “Wadis”:
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Grapes (Wine)
Natron (salt used for embalming and early form of soap!)
Olives
Barley (beer)
Date Palm (wood and dates)
• Upper Egypt (south) consisted of many cliffs (limestone and granite)
• Lower Egypt separated into the Nile Delta (papyrus)
• *** Despite many afrocentrist untruths, “Kemet” did not mean
“Land of the Blacks”… referring to race.***
• Fertile soil
• Deserts provided protection
and shelter from outside
influences
• Deserts were an important
source of minerals and
building supplies (copper, tin,
gold and natron)
• Access to Mediterranean
increased and expanded trade
and culture
• Culture was one of stability
and not rapid change
• Video DVD: Engineering an
Empire
Geographic Effects on
Egypt’s history
Wealth
What determined Egypt’s Economic
Prosperity?
• Agriculture - made up most of Egypt’s wealth
– grain, vegetables, fruit, cattle, goats, pigs and fowl
• Abundance and management of food supplies
(not royal treasury) was the measure of Egypt’s
• Wealth = full granaries, plenty of wildlife and fish,
and thriving herds were the signs of prosperity.
• These were the images used in the tombs of the
Pharaohs to illustrate the wealth of their reigns
Economy
• Simple economy based on food production and minerals from desert
• Access to the Mediterranean their routes extended trade as far as Northern Europe, subtropical
Africa and the Near East
• Trading was done by bartering goods (grain, oil, wheat)
• Taxes, salaries and loans were all paid entirely on goods
• Extensive trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture, art, ideas and technology
(ie. Western calendar was taken from the Romans who had borrowed it from the Egyptians)
• Trade eventually grew and expanded, bringing new ideas and goods into Egyptian society
What was the “SOUL” of Ancient Egypt?
THE NILE was considered the SOUL as it was the source of
life and path to immortality
Egyptians lived on Eastern side but buried on Western side
River was symbol of passage of one life to next (eternity)
Creation story began in swirling waters of the Nile when God
Horus gave power to Pharaohs
Click here for Creation Story
Gods and Goddesses
GEB
NUT
TEFNUT
ATUM
SHU
NUT
MA’AT
Creation Story
ANUBIS
Website: Gods and Goddesses
HORUS
ISIS
ATUM
Egyptian Deities
Re (Ra)
The Chief Egyptian God. Was
seen as the God of the Sun.
Anubis was the patron of embalming.
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He was also the keeper of poisons and medicines.
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Anubis performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony which
was performed at the funeral to restore the senses of the
deceased.
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The ceremony was done by touching the mouth of a mummy
or statue of the deceased
•
It was believed to restore the senses in preparation for
the afterlife.
Osiris Supreme God and judge of the
dead. The symbol of resurrection and
eternal life. Provider of fertility and
prosperity to the living.
Isis: As a winged Goddess she may represent the wind. In the
Osiris legend there are references to Isis wailing and moaning like
the wind.
• She restores life to Osiris by flapping her wings and filling his
mouth and nose with air.
• Isis was a great enchantress, the goddess of magic.
• She was the embalmer and guardian of Osiris. She is often
rendered on the foot of coffins with long wings spread to protect
the deceased.
Horus: was the son of Osiris (The God of the Dead)
and Isis. It was said that he avenged the death of his
father he was considered to be the model of a dutiful
son
The Ka
It was believed that each person had
a Ka, or Soul.
The practice of mummification
began because it was believed that
the soul could exist in the afterlife
only so long as the body was
preserved
But why are all
ancient religions
similar?
Major Time Periods of Egypt
 The Old Kingdom
When the pharaohs built the pyramids
 The Middle Kingdom
When training and military explorers were sent
out to expand Egypt’s boundaries
 The New Kingdom
Ending with Queen Cleopatra losing her land to
Augustus Caesar and Rome
Egyptian Timeline
•1504 BCE – Reign of Tuthmosis III (the Napoleon of ancient Egypt) -- video
•1470 BCE – Reign of Hatshepsut (one of four female Kings)
•1350 BCE – Reign of Akhenaton (Wanted to change religious beliefs to
monotheism)
•1334 BCE – Reign of Tutankhamun (Religious revolution is reversed)
•1297 BCE - Reign of Ramses II. He had over 200 wives and concubines,
approximately 90 sons and 60 daughters and reigned over 67 years! His reign
saw massive building projects in Egypt.
•525 BCE – Persians conquer Egypt
•332 BCE – Alexander the Great defeats the Persians and
considered saviour of Egypt
•50 BCE – Cleopatra VII is crowned Queen of Egypt
•30 BCE – Egypt becomes part of Roman Empire after death of Cleopatra
VII and Mark Anthony
A Biblical Overview of
Egypt
• Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, was the favourite child. His father
made him a coat of many colours. His brothers were jealous of him.
They were going to kill him, but sold him as a slave. He found favour
with the Pharaoh Potiphar. He interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh.
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain where they ran into
Joseph. They did not recognize him. He tested them and revealed his
identity. He forgave them for sending him away. He said it was God who
sent him to Egypt to save people’s lives.
• When a new Pharaoh ruled Egypt, he was worried that the Israelites
would rise up against him. He decided that every baby boy should be
thrown into the Nile River. One woman was determined to save her son.
She kept the baby boy hidden for three months, then she put him in a
basket she had made and let him float down the river. The Pharaoh’s
daughter found the baby boy and called him Moses, which means “pulled
out or the water”.
• Moses was commanded by God to ask the Pharaoh to release the people
of Egypt. He obeyed God’s command and asked Pharaoh to let his people
go. God knew that Pharaoh would deny the command and he did. God
sent ten plagues to Egypt to curse the land.
Highlights of Ancient Egyptian History
•UNIFICATION OF EGYPT: King Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt and wears double
crown in 3100 BCE. Following Menes came 31 dynasties over 3000 years.
•AGE OF PYRAMIDS: Era of the Old Kingdom (2690 BCE), Pharaohs were absolute rulers
and viewed as a god holding absolute secular and religious power. Stone monuments were
embodiment of Pharaoh's power and a medium of immortality. Pyramids evolved from
mastabas, then Step Pyramids
•Video: Engineering an Empire
•IMHOTEP: not a ruler but revered and his life was recorded (architect, medicine, right
hand to Pharaoh Djoser (2686-2613 BCE) – built first “true” pyramid
•Video: Engineering an Empire
•KHUFU (Cheops): Builds the best known pyramids, the “Great Pyramid” outside of modern
day Cairo at Giza (c. 2600 BCE)
•NATIONAL GOD “AMON-RE”: Middle Kingdom: Under Theban Kings (south), the
Theban god “Amon” merged with sun god “Re” which became Egyptian national god
“Amon-Re” (c. 20th century BCE)
Geography
•EXODUS: under the leadership of Moses, Hebrew slaves under Ramses II leave Egypt in
mass migration called Exodus (end of 13th century BCE, or middle 15th century BCE*).
Moses receives the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai but never find the “Promised Land”