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THE MYSTERIES OF
ANCIENT EGYPT
I. GEOGRAPHY
A. EGYPT’S NATURAL BARRIERS
1. North – Mediterranean Sea
2. South – Ethiopian Highlands and
Nubian Desert
3. West – Libyan Desert/Western Desert
4. East – Eastern Desert/Red Sea
B. “GIFT OF THE NILE”
1. Nile River is the major source for food
and water for the Egyptian people.
2. Nile flows north from the highlands to the
sea.
3. Yearly predictable floods provide fertile
soil along the banks of the river.
4. River has many churning rapids called
cataracts where boats could not pass
south.
HOW DID EGYPT’S NATURAL BARRIERS
CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR DEVELOPMENT AS A
PEOPLE?
• Their culture is uniquely Egyptian due to
very little influence from other cultures.
• They did not have to concern themselves
too much with protecting their citizens thus
giving them more time to focus on cultural
development.
C. EGYPT’S DISTINCT REGIONS
1.Upper Egypt – Southern portion from the
first cataract to the beginning of the Nile
Delta.
2.Lower Egypt – Nile Delta to the
Mediterranean Sea. The Delta is a broad,
marshy, triangular land formed by deposits
of silt at the mouth of the river.
II. INTERACTION WITH THE
ENVIRONMENT
A. Transportation – The Nile River provided a reliable system of transportation between
Upper and Lower Egypt. This helped unify Egyptian villages and promote trade.
B. Agriculture – The flooding provided a bed of fertile soil for growing crops. The
Egyptians harvested crops such as wheat and barley.
C. Irrigation Canals – The Egyptians developed an intricate system of irrigation canals in
order to bring water to crops.
D. Papyrus Reeds – Tall stalks along the Nile provided a writing surface for scribes.
E. Limestone – The Egyptians used limestone to construct the pyramids on the Giza
plateau as well as the Sphinx. (Or was it the Egyptians?)
III. POWER AND AUTHORITY
A.
OLD KINGDOM –
2700B.C.
1. Menes – A strong
willed King, unified
Upper and Lower
Egypt.
2. Kings were known
as Pharaohs.
Pharaohs were
considered gods by
the people.
3. Theocracy – A
religious based
government. Egypt
was a Theocracy
because Pharaohs
were both political
and spiritual
leaders.
4. Pyramid Builders
The Egyptians believed the
Pharaohs ruled forever.
Their tombs were often
more important than their
palaces. For Kings of the
Old Kingdom, the resting
place after death was an
immense structure called
a pyramid – making the
Old Kingdom the great
age of pyramid building.
5. End of the Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom came to an end when the Pharaohs lost
control of Egypt to powerful priests. Very little is known about
this dark period of Egyptian history.
B. MIDDLE KINGDOM
1. Pharaohs regained
control beginning a new
era of prosperity to the
Egyptians.
2. The prosperity did not
last due to the invasion
of Egypt by the Hyksos.
The Hyksos introduced
Horse-drawn chariots, a
weapon of warfare
unknown to the
Egyptians.
C. THE NEW KINGDOM
1. During the New Kingdom the Egyptians
became conquerors equipped with
bronze weapons and two-wheeled
chariots.
2. Age of Builders – Pharaohs of the New
Kingdom built magnificent temples,
palaces, and tombs. In search of security
in the afterlife, Egyptians hid their
splendid tombs beneath cliffs.
KING TUT’S TOMB
Pharaoh’s of the New Kingdom
3. Hatshepsut – Female Pharaoh who spent most
of her reign encouraging trade rather than
waging war.
4. Thutmose III – “The Great Warrior Pharaoh” He
led Egypt to victories in Syria and Palestine as
well as pushing farther south into Nubia.
5. Ramses II – Led Egypt in several battles against
the Hittites (of Asia Minor). The Hittites
introduced iron weapons to the Egyptians.
Ramses is most know for his role in the biblical
story of Moses.
Thutmose, Hatshsepsut, Ramses,
and Moses
IV. RELIGIOUS AND ETHICAL
SYSTEMS
A. Early Egyptians were
polytheistic, or the belief in
many gods.
1. Ra – Sun god and most
important of the gods
2. Horus – Sky god
3. Isis – the ideal mother
and wife
4. Osiris – god of the dead
Osiris judged the soul after death. The heart could be no
heavier than a feather. If the heart tipped the scale, it
was heavy with sin. The fierce beast known as the
“Devourer of the Dead” would pounce on the heavy heart
and gobble it up. If the scales balanced, the soul was
allowed to pass to the “Field of Reeds” or place of
eternal happiness.
VOICE FROM THE PAST
“Behold, I have come to you, I have brought you truth, I
have repelled falsehood for you. I have not done falsehood
against men, I have not impoverished my associates, I
have done no wrong in the Place of Truth, I have not
learnt which is not, I have done no evil…I have not
caused pain, I have not made hungry, I have not made to
weep, I have not killed, I have not commanded to kill, I
have not mad suffering for anyone…I am pure, pure, pure,
pure.”
Book of the Dead, translated by Raymond O.
Faulkner
B. The Journey of the Afterlife
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Egyptians prepared for the journey of the afterlife
by embalming, or removing the internal organs (except
heart because Osiris needs it) and drying the corpse to
prevent it from decaying.
After embalming the corpse, the Egyptians also used
mummification, or the process of wrapping the corpse
in linen.
The body was then placed in a tomb filled with all the
necessary items needed for the journey such as food,
clothing, cosmetics, and jewelry. These items might be
used to bribe the gods.
Tombs also possessed the “Book of the Dead.” The
book contained hymns, prayers, and magic spells
intended to guide the soul.
VOICE FROM THE PAST
“First they draw out the brains through the nostrils with
an iron hook…then with a sharp stone they make an
incision in the side, and take out all the bowels…then,
having filled the belly with pure myrrh, cassia, and
other perfumes, they sew it up again; and when they
have done this they steep it in natron (a mineral salt),
leaving it under for 70 days…At the end of 70 days,
they wash the corpse, and wrap the whole body in
bandages of waxen cloth.”
Herodotus
Embalming, Mummification, and
the “Book of the Dead”
C. Monotheism under Amenhotep IV – In 1375B.C. the
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV introduced the idea of monotheism,
or belief in a single god.
1. Pharaohs took the names of important
gods. Amenhotep IV took the name
Amen for the god of the city of Thebes.
2. Amenhotep claimed that Aton (new sun
god) was the only true god.
3. Amenhotep honored the new god by
changing his name to Ikhnaton.
IMPACT OF AMENHOTEP IV
4. The change angered many Egyptians, especially priests because
they lost some of their power.
5. Ikhnaton, upon his death, handed power to his 9 year old son-in-law
Tutankhanaton.
6. To make peace with the priests, Tutankhanaton restored the old
religion.
7. He changed his name to Tutankhamen, in honor of Amen.
V. EMPIRE BUILDING
A. Egypt was only an
empire during the New
Kingdom
B. Pharaohs helped
expand the empire.
1. Thutmose III – Conquered
Palestine, Syria, and
parts of Nubia
2. Ramses II – Fought and
made treaties over
territories with the Hittites.
VI. REVOLUTION
The only major change is the religious
revolution of Amenhotep IV. This
represents one of the earliest forms of
monotheism. Today, Jews, Christians,
and Muslims all believe in one all
powerful God.
VII. ECONOMICS
A.
Old Kingdom
1. Early Egyptians traded with
the people of Mesopotamia.
They loaded goods on
caravans for trade.
2. Egyptians also traded with
the southern regions of Kush
and Nubia. They were
interested in gold, ivory, cattle
and granite.
B. New Kingdom
1. Trade flourished during the
New Kingdom, particularly
during the reign of Hatshepsut.
2. During the New Kingdom, the
Egyptians traded with many
neighboring civilizations
including Mesopotamia, Syria,
Asia Minor, Israel and Judah,
Phoenicia, Kush, and Nubia.
VIII. CULTURAL INTERACTION
A. The Hyksos invasion during the Middle
Kingdom introduced Horse-drawn chariots to
the Egyptians.
B. By the time of the New Kingdom, many people
had migrated to the Nile River Valley from
other parts of Africa and the Middle East
making Egypt a land of cultural, ethnic, and
racial diversity.
C. The wars with the Hittites introduced iron
weapons to the Egyptians.
IX. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
A. Hieroglyphics – A
form of writing using
pictographs.
B. Papyrus – Tall stalks
along the Nile that
were used as writing
surfaces for scribes.
C. Embalming and
Mummification
process.
ROSETTA STONE – THE KEY TO DECIPHERING
HIEROGLYPHICS
D. MATHEMATICS
1. Egyptians developed a number system for
counting, adding, and subtracting.
2. Egyptians used geometry to survey and reset
property boundaries after the annual Nile floods.
3. Mathematical knowledge was used to build
pyramids and tombs.
4. Calendar was created to keep track of the time
between the floods.
E. MEDICINE
1. Developed splints for broken bones.
2. Developed treatments for wounds and
fevers.
3. Checked for a heart rate by feeling for a
pulse.