Download Chapter 2, Section 2 – Egypt`s Old Kingdom Old Kingdom Rulers

Chapter 2, Section 2 – Egypt’s
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom Rulers
Old Kingdom
Pharaohs
Egyptians willingly served the
pharaohs
Egypt was ruled by all-powerful pharaohs.
Began about 2600 B.C. and lasted until about 2300 B.C.
Egypt grew and prospered
Built cities
Expanded trade
Established strong government
Appointed many officials to carry out their wishes
o Oversaw irrigation canals
o Managed grain storage
o Controlled trade
o Collected taxes (in the form of grain) from farmers
Carried out certain rituals thought to benefit the kingdom (ex. Driving a bull
around Memphis to ensure good crops and bring a good harvest)
Considered him the son of Ra, the sun god
Believed the unity of the kingdom depended on a strong leader
Considered him a god on earth who controlled Egypt’s welfare
Egypt’s Religion
Worshipped many deities
Ra, the sun god
Hapi, ruled the Ile river
Isis was the most important goddess; represented the loyal wife and mother
and ruled over the dead with her husband, Osiris
Life after Death
Believed life in the next world would be even better than life on earth.
Following a long journey, the dead would reach a place of peace and plenty.
Book of the Dead, a collection of spells and prayers studied to obtain life
after death.
Believed that those who had led good lives would be granted life after death by
Osiris.
For centuries, they believed only Pharaohs and a few special people would enjoy
life after death.
Believed the pharaoh’s spirit needed a body to make the journey to the
afterlife, so it wouldn’t just wander around. Once it reached the next world, he
would continue to care for Egypt.
The care taken in the embalming process reflects the importance of the belief
in afterlife.
A process developed by the Egyptians to protect the pharaoh’s body:
Removing the body’s organs
Filling the body with a special salt called natron, and covering it, as well, for 40
days to dry out.
Filling it with spices and perfumes, then stitching it closed.
Cleaning it with oils
Wrapping it with long strips of linen (Mummies)
Placing it inside several nesting wooden coffins
In some cases, placing it in a sarcophagus and then burying it in a tomb
Embalming
Egyptian Medicine
In developing the embalming process, the Egyptians learned much about the
body, treating illnesses, setting broken bones, etc.
Some doctors focused on specific areas of the body, becoming the first
specialists in medicine.
First medical books written on papyrus scrolls.
The Pyramids
How Was a Pyramid Built
The Great Pyramid
Tombs for pharaohs
Protected the bodies from floods, wild animals, grave robbers
Held supplies needed for the journey to the spirit world
Involved surveyors, engineers, carpenters, stonecutters, farmers …
Planning:
Set on a square base
Entrance pointed north
Building the pyramids required study of the heavens and development of the
principles of astronomy
With the knowledge, they created a 12-month, 365-day calendar which became
the basis for our modern calendar
Mathematical systems, esp. the system of numbers based on 10, were used to
calculate how much stone was needed
Materials:
They had to go where the stone was.
Copper tools used to cut stone blocks
Pulled to the Nile on wooden sleds rolled on wooden logs
Transported to the building sites on barges
Dragged or pushed up ramps to be set in place
Labor:
Took thousands of people years of backbreaking labor to build a pyramid; most
work done by farmers during the floods, when they couldn’t work in the fields.
Tomb of King Khufu
Located at Giza, about 10 miles from modern city of Cairo, near the Nile.
The largest of about 80 pyramids found in Egypt
Rises 500 feet above the desert
About the size of 9 football fields
More than 2 million stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons (the
average car weighs 1.5-2 tons)
For @ 4000 years, it was the tallest structure in the world; equal in size to a
48-story building