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Ancient Egypt
An Early Complex Civilization
Warm Up
What are the eight basic characteristics
shared by first complex societies?
1.
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Cities
A state or government
Occupational specialization
Institutions for storing and distributing products
Social class hierarchy
Institutionalized religion
Monumental public architecture
Writing and a body of accumulated knowledge.
The Nile Valley
1. Based upon the picture below, describe the setting of Egyptian civilization.
2. Why was the Nile so important to life?
The Nile Valley
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http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wcg
_eastern/resources/html/animations/wc12_an
im_nile.html
Annual Flooding
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Every year the Nile flooded due to upstream rain.
Flooding caused the deposit of rich black soil
called silt along the banks of the river.
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Silt was also deposited at the delta or mouth of the
river.
As a result, much of Egypt’s population began to
live in the region.
Ancient Egyptians called their country Kemet or
Black Land, after the color of the fertile soil.
5. What is a cataract?
What is a cataract? How did people avoid the
cataract? How did the geography protect Egypt?
Cataracts – rocky rapids or waterfalls.
They were avoided by people digging canals
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For centuries Egypt was isolated from the world by its
geography.
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Six cataracts made the Southern Nile difficult to navigate
protecting Egypt upstream
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Deserts and the seas protected Egypt on the other sides.
6. The Nile is home to many fish and birds that
were part of Egyptian diet.
Why was the city of Thebes important?
What was built there?
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Thebes was Egypt’s capital when it was at its
peak. Queen Hatshepsut built a temple out of
the cliff in her own honor here.
How did the Egyptians get water to their
crops? How did the Nile create “seasons” in
Egypt.
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They dug irrigation channels to deliver water
from the Nile.
The River Seasons
Flood Season
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During the floods, people provided service to the government, moving
stones to ships that were used to create temples.
The government in exchange provided food the people needed to survive.
Season of Going Out
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People used cows and plows to plant fields of wheat and barley.
They also planted gardens near their homes where they grew onions,
beans, carrots, and radishes.
A device called the shaduf was used to spread water from the irrigation
ditches to the crops.
Season of the Harvest
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4 months after planting the harvest begins
Men were responsible for cutting the grain and women gathered it and
stored it.
Half of the harvest went to pay taxes.
Taxes were collected to support the royal court and to sometimes aid
people during years of bad harvest.
Egyptian History
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Formation
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In 4000 BC farming villages began to develop along the
banks of the Nile.
These villages became 2 kingdoms: the Upper Egypt
(located in the south) and the Lower Egypt located near the
Nile delta.
In 3100 BC King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered
Lower Egypt uniting the two kingdoms.
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Today, we believe that the story of King Menes is a legend.
It probably took several rulers to join the kingdoms.
Despite this, King Menes is said to have started the first
Egyptian dynasty or family of rulers.
 The rulers of ancient Egypt were known as pharaohs.
Old Kingdom
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During this period a strong
central government
supervised the construction
of huge tombs, called
pyramids.
They were built by farmers
and laborers during the flood
season while their fields
were under water.
Middle Kingdom
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Egypt conqueror its
neighbor, Nubia
This provides Egypt with
slaves, soldiers, and gold.
Pharaohs built new tombs in
the desert sands during this
period.
New Kingdom
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During this period, Egypt
becomes a world power.
Egyptian power reached its
peak under Ramses II.
http://www.classzone.com/
cz/books/ms_wcg_eastern/
resources/html/animations/
wc12_anim_kingdom.html
Institutionalized Religion
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Egypt’s religion was polytheistic. It had many
gods who controlled forces of nature.
Egypt’s chief god was Amon-Re, the sun god.
Other notable gods included Isis and Osiris.
Pharaohs were believed to be earthly
versions of deities descended from Amon-Re.
Under the rule of Akhenaton, Egypt
experimented with monotheism but it did not
last.
Institutionalized Religion
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Egyptian religion was strongly centered upon the
afterlife.
The Egyptian afterlife resembled life on earth.
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Thus it was important to prepare a person’s body for the
next world.
The body was embalmed, dried, and wrapped in linen as a
mummy.
They also mummified pets.
Tombs were loaded with items that deceased would
use in the next life.
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Examples: clothes, food, make up, and jewelry.
The tombs of pharaoh’s were full of treasure.
Cities
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Egyptians built great cities to house their
population along the banks of the Nile.
Egypt had many capital and major cities, like
Thebes, Memphsis, Giza, and Abu Simbel
among others.
Each city had a unique character and role in
Egyptian culture.
Occupational Specialization
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Some people in Egyptian society had specific
jobs in society. They were architects, craft
workers, or engineers. Some people were
educated and became scribes.
Most boys followed in their father’s line of
work.
Girls became wives and mothers but
possessed many rights.
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They were able to buy and sell property and also
inherit wealth.
Economy
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Egyptian markets were run on the barter
system. People exchanged goods for other
goods.
Government
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The Pharaoh was the head of state and had
total control over the government as a result
of his ties to the gods.
Pharaoh’s were aided by priests and nobles
who collected taxes and performed
ceremonies.
Writing and Base of
Knowledge
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Egyptians’ developed a written language called
hieroglyphics that used symbols to record
knowledge.
Egyptians used math and the stars to create an
accurate 365 day calendar
They surveyed the land and maintained records
They made advances in medicine, studying the
human body, setting broken bones, and performing
surgeries.
The invention of papyrus made the writing and
recording of knowledge even easier.
Monumental Architecture:
The Great Pyramid
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http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wcg
_eastern/resources/html/animations/pyramid_
anim/wc12_anim_pyramid.html
Social
Hierarchy
The Pharaoh
Considered to be a
descendent of the gods.
The ruler of Egyptian society
Preists and Nobles
Preists cared for the temples and held religious
ceremonies.
Nobles are wealthy members of the society who are
close to the king.
Scribes and Government Officials
People who maintained records and administered
government by collecting taxes.
Craftspeople and Merchants
People who made and sold the products
necessary for life.
They bartered for items.
Farmers
People who tended the fields and
made sure that the society had
enough food.
Laborers and Slaves
The lowest members of society.
Manual laborers.
Slaves might be prisoners of war, people
who owed debts, or had committed
crimes. Slavery was not perminnetn. Most
slaves were eventually freed.
Kush
Egypt traded with Kush, a civilization farther south
on the Nile.
In 750 AD, King Kastha of the Kush conquered the
whole Nile Valley.
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The rule of the Kush was short due to contact with the Middle
Eastern Assyrians who had invented iron tipped weapons.
The Kush built a new capital called Meroe.
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At first it was influenced by Egyptian designs.
Egyptian gods, like Amon-Re, remained but were
eventually replaced by their own gods
Hieroglyphics were also adopted and eventually modified
by the Kush civilization.
Kush
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Kush learned about iron from the Assyrians and
began using it to make iron tool and weapons. They
melted iron or by heating it in their ovens. Egyptians
however continued to use bronze.
The Kush traded with merchants in Egypt, the
Mediterranean, Arabia, and even in the Indian
Ocean. They also traded as far west as Lake Chad.
The Kush society eventually collapsed after 200
years.
Kush & Axum
Axum
Further south on the Nile, located in the Ethiopian
highlands was Axum.
Axum was another trading center.
In 350 AD King Ezana conquered the Kush
destroying their civilization in his conquest.
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Ezana was a Christian.
He converted the people Christianity.
Even when Islam swept North Africa, the area around
Axum remained Christian.
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As a result modern Ethiopians are still predominately
Christian
Homework
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Complete the DBQ questions based upon
informational graphics.
Cool Down
Trait
Cities
State or Government
Storing and Distributing Goods
Institutional Religion
Monumental Architecture
Social Hierarchy
Occupational Specialization
Writing and Knowledge
Egyptian Example
Homework : DBQ
DBQ Review
DBQ Review
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Which social group
comprised the largest
portion of the
population of the Old
Kingdom?
Which social group
was the smallest?
How much of the
population was
comprised by people
with official power in
Egyptian society?
DBQ Review
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When was the
population of
Ancient Egypt 3
million people?
What was the
population of
Ancient Egypt in
year 0?
DBQ Review
1. What is located in the burial chamber?
2. What is the name of the steps closest to the Sarcophagus?
3. What passage is not a set of steps?
4. Why would the burial chamber need to be so large?