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African Canadian Studies
Early African Civilizations: Egypt
The Ancient Civilization of Egypt:
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One of the first areas in Africa to see the development of an empire was in the Nile River Valley.
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Agriculture was central to the rise of kingdoms in the Nile Valley. Every time the Nile overflowed
its banks nutrient rich silt was deposited on its shores. This made the farmland very fertile.
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Between 5000 and 4000 B.C.E. full time farmers established settlements along the Nile. These
eventually grew into regional states, which became known as Upper & Lower Egypt.
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In 3100 B.C.E. Egypt’s First Dynasty was established under Menes, King of Upper Egypt.
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The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt marked the beginning of the 3000 year civilization of
Ancient Egypt. The civilization of Ancient Egypt lasted longer than any other civilization in the
world.
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Egypt and its sister kingdom Nubia boasted a history far longer than either Greece or Rome.
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Historians generally divide Egypt’s history in to three main periods, or kingdoms. These kingdoms
include:
• The Old Kingdom 2705 – 2213 B.C.E
• Middle Kingdom
2061 – 1668 B.C.E
• New Kingdom
1560 – 1070 B.C.E
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Each time that a kingdom ended, Egypt entered a period of confusion that lasted until a
new Dynasty restored order.
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Egyptian kings were known as Pharaohs. Originally it was the rulers of beautiful palaces that
were known as pharaohs, meaning Great Houses. Eventually the people began to call the
rulers themselves by this name.
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Egyptian writing was known as hieroglyphics. This was a form of writing based on picture like
symbols. The Egyptians carved hieroglyphics into stone tablets and monuments and wrote
them on papyrus, a kind of paper made from the papyrus plant.
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Having a system of writing allowed Egyptian record keepers, or scribes to keep track of the
kingdom’s history and knowledge as well as business matters, such as taxes.
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It was taxes that supported the Pharaoh and his family. The rich controlled and exploited the
peasants. The money collected in taxes allowed the rulers to the New Kingdom to live in
luxury, even after death.
SCO: Student will be expected to examine the political, economic
and social systems of ancient African kingdoms
The Old Kingdom: 2705 – 2213 B.C.E
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The rulers of all three kingdoms claimed to be gods. These god-kings stood at the center of
Egypt’s religion and its government. They expected to rule in both this life and the next.
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Because life passed so quickly they lived simply in palaces made of mud bricks. They wore
plain linen robes.
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They believed however, that the afterlife went on forever, so they made elaborate preparations
for their deaths. They build huge tombs filled with luxuries for their eternal comfort.
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They also preserved the bodies of their dead. Most mummies were laid in painted or gold
encrusted cases that bore a likeness to the deceased in their youth.
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In 2650 B.C.E the ruler Zoser ordered the construction of Egypt’s first pyramid. His chief advisor
Imhotep built the structure, which rose more than 200 feet. It was made of six stone platforms.
Today the so-called ‘Step Pyramid’, located at Saqqara, is the oldest standing building in the
world.
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The largest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza built by King Khufu. His son built the Great
Sphinx.
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The construction of monuments such as these drained the Old Kingdom financially. A series of
droughts and weak kings made things worse. In chaos, the Old Kingdom ended.
The Middle Kingdom: 2061 – 1668 B.C.E
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During the Middle Kingdom the rulers planned for droughts by digging irrigation systems that
piped water from the Nile into storage basins.
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Unfortunately, in the 1700’s BCE they were attacked by a group of people known as the
Hyksos, probably from the present day Israel and Syria. They rolled into the Nile delta in
revolutionary vehicles – two wheeled chariots drawn by horses.
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The soft copper weapons used by the Egyptians were no match for the Hyksos’s weapons of
bronze. For the next 100 years the Hyksos kings ruled Lower Egypt and demanded payment
or tribute from Upper Egypt.
The New Kingdom: 1560 – 1070 B.C.E
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The rulers of the New Kingdom learned from the Hyksos. They stole their ideas for the
horse drawn chariot and bronze weapons and used them to drive out the Hyksos. Finally
Egypt was reunited under the New Kingdom.
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The New Kingdom was lead by some of the best known rulers of Egyptian history, such
as Amenhotep, Akhenaton and Tutankhamen (King Tut). These rulers lived in beautiful
palaces.
SCO: Student will be expected to examine the political, economic
and social systems of ancient African kingdoms