Egypt: An Ancient Civilization
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Transcript Egypt: An Ancient Civilization
Table of Contents
Slide 3……………Introduction to Egypt: An Ancient Civilization
Slide 4. ………………………..Elements: Gods and Goddesses
Slide 5……………………………………...Elements: The Sphinx
Slide 6…………………………………...Elements: Hieroglyphics
Slides 7 – 9……Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom
Slide 10……………..………………………………………World View
Slide 11………………………………………………..…Natural Order
Slide 12, 13………….……………………….…Inter-Connectedness
Slide 14……………………………….....Mysteries of this Civilization
Slide 15…………………………………...Facts about Ancient Egypt
Slide 16………………………………………………….Extra Pictures
Slide 17……………….Conclusion to Egypt: An Ancient Civilization
Slide 18………..............................................................Bibliography
For such an old civilization, Ancient Egypt is one of the most
intriguing civilization to study. Just a few of the many questions that
people ask are:
How were the pyramids built?
What happened to the Sphinx's nose?
Why did they write using hieroglyphics
instead of letters and numbers?
Why did they use mummification?
Why did they have such a distinct social class system?
Why did they believe in having so many Gods and Goddesses?
Over and over again, people have tried to find the answers, but
these are questions that have puzzled everyone for thousands and
thousands of years!
Picture from
:http://www.artswallpapers.com/travel_wallpapers/anci
ent_egypt/02/ancient_egypt800.jpg
Gods and Goddesses
Religion was a significant aspect
of the Ancient Egyptian people’s lives. If
there was something they didn’t
understand or knew little about, they
would create a god that explained its
existence or occurrence. As an
example: the Egyptians didn’t
understand why the sun came out
every day, so they created a sun god
named Ra.
Ra-the sun god
Amun-king of the gods
Atum-first god on
earth
There are possibly 2 000 gods
and goddesses-some of whom helped in
creation, while others simply represent
plants and animals. There is a god for
almost every part of the Egyptians life
They also have a story – one that
features all of the main gods in creation.
This link will take you to the story:
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/
story/main.html
Nephthys-goddess
of the dead
Horus-protected
the ruler
Bastet – protected
the Egyptians
All pictures from:
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/exp
lore/main.html
The Sphinx
The Sphinx is a structure which has represented Egypt for thousands of years. With the
head of a man and the body of a lion,
the structure is made completely out of
limestone. Its entire length is over 150
feet and it sits beside the Pyramids of
Giza. It was built over 4500 years ago
in Lower Egypt and symbolizes
strength and wisdom. The Egyptians
also believe that the Sphinx represents
the sun god, Ra.
Many people believe that the
face has similarities to the face of
th
Pharaoh Khafre - ruler of the 4 dynasty – and that the body has some resemblance to Khafre’s
brother, Pharaoh Djedefre. The Sphinx was buried from centuries of blowing, dessert sand, but
in 1904 the statue was uncovered. Since then, the Egyptians themselves have restored it.
Some people believe that the Sphinx was built by Khafre (who also built the 2nd largest
pyramid of Giza) because it sits on the rock directly in
front of Khafre’s
pyramid; however, no one knows for sure.
Pictures from:
http://www.guardians.net/egypt/sphinx/
Hieroglyphics
Did You Know…?
• Ancient hieroglyphics has more than 2 000 different characters
• Hieroglyphics evolved from the Greek Word Script
• Hieroglyphic writing is like pictures put together to make a word.
The symbols are made into words which are then put into
sentences.
• Egyptians have used at least 4 different scripts over 3,000 years.
• Hieroglyphics are the most famous and sacred of all writing.
• In ancient times, it was used only to record information about the
pharaohs or the religion, but as it evolved, people started writing
about other things such as government.
One of the many theories to explain how hieroglyphics came
to be the writing of the Egyptians can be seen at:
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/story/main.html
All pictures from:
http://imc.mbhs.edu/arts/egypt/assignment.htm
Old Kingdom existed from
2700-2200 BCE
Capital city of Old Kingdom
was first named White-Wall,
later changed to Memphis
During the Old Kingdom there
was a change from step
pyramids to pyramids with flat
sides
The 4th, 5th and 6th dynasty took
place during the Old Kingdom
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/old_kingdom.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/mking/hd_mking.htm
Middle Kingdom existed from
2050-1800 BCE
Capital city changed from
Memphis to Thebes during
Middle Kingdom
11th, 12th and 13th dynasty took
place during this time period
3 different kinds of graves:
tombs, surface graves and shaft
graves
Osiris became god of the
necropolises
Sobekneferu, daughter of
Amenemhat III, was the only
female pharaoh and was the last
one in the 12th dynasty
Existed from 1550-100 BCE
18th, 19th and 20th dynasties were part of
New Kingdom
In 1522 BC, many victories were won
which lead Egypt to a time of peace and
prosperity
For nearly 500 years of this period there
was wealth, peace, and stability in the
political system
New Kingdom pharaohs are the most
well-known
Many significant rulers , Tutankhamen,
the most famous to our modern
world
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nking/hd_nking.htm
Rameses II was main person in 19th
dynasty
In 20th dynasty, Rameses III was the last
great king.
Ancient Egyptians viewed the world in very different
ways than we did. One huge difference was their lifestyle
of worshipping the gods and the way they looked to their
gods for help. Their entire civilization depended on the
environment and the way if was so predictable. They
looked to the gods to make sure that it happened just
right every year.
Another very important view for the Ancient
Egyptians was that they believed that to be allowed into
an afterlife, they had to have a life worthy of it. The
Egyptians had to worship the goddess Maat – a goddess
created to be a form of truth, justice and arrangement of
the world - and then she world let them into the afterlife.
NATURAL ORDER
Inter-Connectedness
Indus River Valley, Mesopotamia to Egypt
Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia learned many things, which they
then passed on to Ancient Egypt such as:
The use of the wheel to pull ploughs, carts, war chariots
Improved process of pottery making by inventing a kiln
Learned that by mixing copper and tin, it made bronze. Could then
make stronger tools, boats and land vehicles
By studying the stars they created a calendar of when to till, plant and
harvest crops
Developed a number system – symbol of the number and symbol of
object
Indus River Valley - p. 101, World History: Societies of the Past
Skills in building and planning layout of city
Engineering skills plus knowledge of water, tides and currents let
them make a dock
Homes had bathrooms connected to underground drains called SoakPits
Invented wells deep enough to get clean water from the earth
Mesopotamia – p. 65, World History: Societies of the Past
Inter-Connectedness
Ancient Egypt to Greece, Rome
There were quite a few skills and ideas that Ancient Egypt
passed on to Rome and Greece. The following are just a few of
them:
A shadif to give water to the fields by the Nile
Mummification
Invention of tools (levels, plumb lines, squares) and
construction techniques such as ramps for building the
pyramids
Drugs such as castor oil, senna, opium and mercury
Wooden boats
Papyrus for writing on and for constructing the boats
Sun dials and water clocks to tell time
Mathematics, especially geometry, used in architecture and
surveying techniques
An accurate 12 month, 365 day calendar based on astronomy
Ancient Egypt - p. 87, World History: Societies of the Past
Facts about Ancient Egypt
Did you know…
Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to use mummification
A pharaoh’s hair would never be seen. They would either wear a crown or
a head dress to cover it
Both men and women wore eye make-up. Believed it had healing power.
Early medicine was made with mouldy foods and soil. Infections usually
treated with mouldy bread
Slaves were used as a police force. They often collected the taxes fro the
pharaoh
The first pyramid (step pyramids of Djoser) originally had a 34 foot wall
around it. It had 15 doors but only 1 opened
When a body was mummified, all internal organs were taken out and put
into its own jar
Cement was first invented by the Egyptians
First to create glass and faience
Extra Pictures
Ancient Egypt is a very old civilization which is
completely unlike the world we live in today. Ancient
Egyptians believed many things that we do not, their clothes
were quite different than ours, and there is quite a contrast
from their government to ours, but these differences make
this civilization so interesting.
There are things we have leaned from them, such as
mathematics and the 365 day calendar, but other things we
leave, letting them have their own beliefs and ideas of living.
Ancient Egypt is a very intriguing civilization largely due to
the differences and the questions that remain unanswered.
Picture from:
http://www.jewelinfo4u.com/Ancient_Egyptian_Jewelry_styles_and_trends.aspx
Bibliography
1. Bayuk, Andrew. Guardian's Sphinx. 2005. 13 Jan 2009
<http://www.guardians.net/egypt/sphinx/>
2. Bruaw, S. Hieroglyphic Writing. 1998. 14 Jan 2009
<http://www.greatscott.com/hiero/hiero_over.html>
3. Crystal, Ellie. Social Systems in Ancient Egypt. 2007. 19 Jan 2009
<http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptsocialsystems.html>
4. Division of Education. Life in Ancient Egypt. 1990. Jan 18 2009
<http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/Egypt/guide.htm>
5. Hooker, Richard. The Middle Kingdom. 6 June 1999. 7 Jan 2009
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/EGYPT/MIDDLE.HTM
6. Kahn, Charles and Osborne, Ken. World History: Societies of the Past. Portage and Main Press. 2005
7. Kinnaer, Jacques. The Ancient Egypt Site. 2 July 2008. 9 Jan 2009
<http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html>
8. Roehrig, Catharine H. Egypt in the Middle Kingdom (2030–1640 B.C.). In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
Oct 2000 7 Jan 2009
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mking/hd_mking.htm>
9. Rymer, Eric. Religion of Ancient Egypt. 2000. 7 Jan 2009
<http://historylink101.net/egypt_1/religion.htm>
10. Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. 2000. 9 Jan 2009
<http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/egyptperiods/p/021608OldKingdm.htm>
11. The Trustees of the British Museum. The British Museum. 1999. 7 Jan 2009
<http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.htm>l