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Transcript
Ancient Egypt Section 1: Geography and Ancient Egypt • Egyptian civilization developed along a 750 mile stretch of the Nile River in Northern Africa. • The Nile River: • Is the longest river in the world at 4,000 miles • Runs from South to North starting in central Africa and ending at the Mediterranean Sea Natural Barriers • The geography of Egypt protected it from invaders. • To the north was the Meditterranean Sea • To the east and west were deserts too harsh to cross • Along the Nile River were cataracts, which made it hard to sail in fromthe south Two Regions of Ancient Egypt 1. Upper Egypt – located in the south (upriver on the Nile) 2. Lower Egypt – located in the north (downriver on the Nile) The Nile created an area of fertile land about 13 miles wide. Beyond the Nile River Valley lays hundreds of miles of desert. Satellite image of the Nile River Lower Egypt contained the Nile Delta and about 2/3 of Ancient Egypt’s farmland. Floods of the Nile • The Nile flooded every year, coating the land along the river with silt. • The floods allowed Egypt to settle in this area. • Without the floods, Egyptians could not have grown food. Unification of Egypt • Around 3100 BC, King Menes of Upper Egypt invaded and took control of Lower Egypt. Menes unified the 2 regions and wore a double crown to symbolize his leadership. • Menes is Egypt’s first PHARAOH and founder of Egypt’s first DYNASTY. • Menes built Egypt a new capital on the southern tip of the Nile Delta and named it Memphis. • Do you think Menes made a good choice by building his capital city at Memphis? Section 2: The Old Kingdom 2700 BC to 2200 BC Rule by Pharaohs • Believed to be both a king and a god • Had absolute power (political and religious) • Hired government officials (usually from own family) to help carry out responsibilities • Responsible for preventing disasters and bringing good fortune • The people expected the pharaoh to make crops grow, prevent war, keep them healthy, and make trade prosperous but blamed him if wars started, crops failed, diseases struck, or the economy was poor. Social Structure The Egyptian Social Structure was shaped like a pyramid and divided into classes. Egyptians could move up the hierarchy, especially if they learned to read and write (becoming a scribe) or went to school and learned a trade (such as medicine, tool or pottery making). Social Structure Pharaoh/Gods Upper Class (Nobles: Priests, Government Officials) Middle Class (Scribes, Craftspeople, Merchants, Skilled Workers) Lower Class (Farmers – 80% of the population, worked on building projects during the floods) Servants and Slaves (Slaves were prisoners of war and worked on building projects) Religion • Polytheistic – belief in many gods • Built temples to their gods (only priests were allowed to enter the temples) • Egyptian gods represented nearly all aspects of daily life. • Many gods had animal forms for heads and human bodies. Egyptian Gods • Re (Amon-Re) – the sun god, creator of the world and other gods • Osiris – god of the underworld • Isis – goddess of magic • Horus – sky god, god of pharaohs (Pharaohs were believed to be Horus in human form.) • Anubis – god of the dead Re (later known as Amon-Re) • The most important Egyptian god. Egyptians believed the world was made of his tears and that he created all other gods and goddesses. • Egyptians also believed that he had to fight three monsters every night (usually seen as serpents and crocodiles) in order to rise the next morning. • Re is usually depicted as having a hawk head and a solar disc. His hieroglyph is seen above. The Legend of Osiris Osiris was believed to have been a great ruler over Egypt. Osiris was married to Isis. Osiris and Isis had a son, Horus. While Horus was a baby, Osiris was killed by his brother Set (who was jealous over his power). Upon his death, Isis used her magic to resurrect Osiris as god of the underworld and ruler over the dead. Isis grieved for her husband Osiris and her tears were believed to be the cause of the floods of the Nile River. After Horus grew up, he had a vision of Osiris. Osiris told him to avenge all of Set’s wrongdoings. Horus tracked down Set and a great battle began. This battle continues daily and is seen as the battle of good versus evil in Egyptian religion. Osiris • Judged the dead when they entered the underworld. • Was depicted as a green skinned man in the form of a mummified pharaoh Isis • Believed to be mother to all pharaohs • Was benevolent and kind, she was the protector of all creatures • The giver of food and life to the dead • Used her gift of magic to create the first cobra • Usually depicted with a vulture headdress and two horns with a solar disk between them Horus • Depicted with a hawk or falcon head wearing the double crown • All pharaohs were believed to be Horus in human form • His eyes were sometimes depicted as the sun and moon Anubis • Son of Osiris • Anubis had the head of a jackal and supervised the embalming and mummification process. He also assisted Osiris in the funeral rites and monitored the Scales of Truth. The Afterlife • Egyptians believed that once a person died, his KA, or life force, left the body and became a spirit. The ka was connected to the body and could not leave the burial site. The ka had all the needs a living body did, including food, drink, clothing, tools, weapons, and furniture. • This belief resulted in elaborate burial rituals for the Egyptian dead. If the body decayed, the ka would not be able to receive the food and drink it needed and would suffer. Therefore, the body had to be preserved for the afterlife through embalming and mummifying. The Mummification Process Embalming (the first part of the process) 1. The body is rinsed with water from the Nile River. 2. A cut is made on the left side of the body and the internal organs are removed. The heart is left inside the body because it is the center for feeling and wisdom. 3. The organs are wrapped in natron salt to dry them out. 4. A long hook is used to take the brain out through the nose. Embalming (cont) 5. The body is covered and stuffed with natron salt and left for 40 days. 6. The body is rinsed again with water from the Nile River and rubbed with oils to keep the skin elastic. Embalming (cont.) 7. The dried out organs are placed in canopic jars and the body is stuffed with sawdust, leaves, and linen to make it appear lifelike. Imsety (the human headed god) looks after the liver Hapy (the baboon headed god) looks after the lungs. Duametef (the jackal headed god) looks after the stomach. Qebehsenuef (the falcon headed god) looks after the intestines. The Mummification Process Wrapping (the second part of the process) 1. The neck and head were wrapped with fine strips of linen first. 2. The fingers and toes were individually wrapped. 3. The arms and legs were wrapped next. The embalmers would place amulets between layers of the linen to help protect the body in its journey to the underworld. A priest reads a spell during all parts of the wrapping to help protect the ka. The plummet amulet kept the person balanced in the next life. The Isis knot amulet protected the body. Wrapping (cont.) 4. The linen bandages are painted with resin to help keep them together. 5. A cloth is wrapped around the body and Osiris is painted on the cloth. 6. A final large cloth is wrapped around the mummy and linen strips are placed around that. 7. The body is placed in the coffin (or sarcophagus). 8. A funeral ceremony was performed for the deceased. Mummification • Only the wealthy could afford the mummification process. The poor buried their dead in the desert where the hot, dry sand would naturally preserve the body. The burial site of a poor Egyptian Weighing of the Heart Once the dead arrived in the underworld, they had to face Osiris for judgment in the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony (also known as the Scales of Truth Ceremony). Anubis would weigh the heart against a feather as the dead justified their time on earth. If the scales were balanced, the ka achieved immortality. If the scales were unbalanced, the god Seth devoured the body and the god Ammut ate the heart. The Pyramids Because burial was so important, the Egyptians built pyramids to bury their rulers in. The size of the pyramid symbolized the pharaoh’s greatness. Pyramids had many rooms inside of them for all of the things the pharaoh would need in the afterlife. Often, this included the pharaoh’s servants, who would be placed in the pyramid along with him. PYRAMIDS • The first large pyramid built in Egypt was a step pyramid built for the body of King Djoser in 2649 BC. The Giza Pyramids • The Giza Pyramids include 3 pyramids built for pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure who ruled from 2589 – 2504 BC. They are the greatest accomplishments of Egyptian pyramid builders. The Giza Pyramids • The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is considered to be the largest building ever constructed. It was built over 4500 years ago! • The Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre. The age and purpose of the Great Sphinx are debated, but it was probably part of Khafre's Pyramid complex.