Transcript Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt
Why Was Ancient Egypt So Stable?
Ancient Egypt lasted for 3500 years due to
many factors:
•Geography
•Politics
•Social structure
•Education
•Economy
•Religion
Nile River
What was the “SOUL”
of Ancient Egypt?
•THE NILE was considered
the SOUL as it was the
source of life and path to
immortality
•Egyptians lived on Eastern
side but buried on Western
side
•River was symbol of
passage of one life to next
(eternity)
•Creation story began in
swirling waters of the Nile
•Allowed for development of
agriculture in dry land.
•Communities formed along
its banks.
Creation Story
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Only the ocean existed at first. Then Ra (the sun) came out of an egg that
appeared on the surface of the water.
Ra brought forth four children, the gods Shu and Geb and the goddesses
Tefnut and Nut.
Shu and Tefnut became the atmosphere. They stood on Geb, who became
the earth, and raised up Nut, who became the sky. Ra (the sun) ruled over
all.
Geb (earth) and Nut (sky) later had two sons, Set and Osiris, and two
daughters, Isis and Nephthys.
Osiris succeeded Ra as king of the earth, helped by Isis, his sister-wife.
Set, however, hated his brother and killed him. Isis then embalmed her
husband's body with the help of the god Anubis, who thus became the god
of embalming.
The powerful charms of Isis resurrected Osiris, who became king of the
netherworld, the land of the dead. Horus, who was the son of Osiris and
Isis, later defeated Set in a great battle and became king of the earth.
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Religion
-The Egyptians were deeply religious people
- Religious rituals accompanied every aspect
of Egyptian daily life
Key Belief = Eternal Life
Geography: Populated Areas
There were three main areas that were populated in Egypt:
1. The Nile Valley
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Sole source of water for Egypt
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Predictable flooding provided rich fertile soil
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Both revered and feared (too much flooding or droughts)
2. The Nile Delta
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Area where Nile empties into Mediterranean Sea
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Largest piece of fertile land
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Encompassed major centres of Egypt
3. Faiyum
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•Lake Moeris lies at end of branch of Nile is centre of oasis called Faiyum
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•Irrigation from Nile made Faiyum the third most populated land
Geographic Effects on Egypt’s
Stability and History
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Fertile soil
Deserts provided protection and shelter from
outside influences
Access to Mediterranean increased and
expanded trade and culture
Culture was one of stability and not rapid
change
Deserts were an important source of minerals
and building supplies (copper, tin, gold and
natron, the drying agent used in mummification)
Highlights of Ancient Egyptian
History
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UNIFICATION OF EGYPT: King Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt and
wears double crown in 3100 BCE. Following Menes came 31 dynasties over
3000 years.
AGE OF PYRAMIDS: Era of the Old Kingdom (2690 BCE), Pharaohs were
absolute rulers and viewed as a god holding absolute secular and religious
power. Stone monuments were embodiment of Pharaoh's power and a
medium of immortality. Pyramids evolved from mastabas, then Step
Pyramids, most known are Pyramids at Giza (2600-2500 BCE)
IMHOTEP: not a ruler but revered and his life was recorded (architect,
medicine, right hand to Pharaoh Djoser (2686-2613 BCE)
NATIONAL GOD “AMON-RE”: Middle Kingdom: Under Theban Kings
(south), the Theban god “Amon” merged with sun god “Re” which became
Egyptian national god “Amon-Re”
EXODUS: under the leadership of Moses, Hebrew slaves under Rames II
leave Egypt in mass migration called Exodus (end of 13th century
BCE). Moses receives the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai but never finds the
“Promised Land”
Pharaohs
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1470 BCE – Reign of Hatsheput (one of four female Kings)
1350 BCE – Reign of Akhenaton (Wanted to change religious beliefs
to monotheism)
1334 BCE – Reign of Tutankhamun (Religious revolution is reversed)
1297 BCE - Reign of Ramses II. He had over 200 wives and
concubines, approximately 90 sons and 60 daughters and reigned
over 67 years! His reign saw massive building projects in
Egypt. The Exodus of Jews from Egypt also occurred during his
reign.
525 BCE – Persians conquer Egypt
332 BCE – Alexander the Great defeats the Persians and considered
savior of Egypt
50 BCE – Cleopatra VII is crowned Queen of Egypt
30 BCE – Egypt becomes part of Roman Empire after death of
Cleopatra VII and Mark Anthony
Politics
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How did Pharaoh's rule?
Absolute rulers of the land
Believed to be the earthly embodiment of the god Horus who was
the son of Amon-Re
Therefore they had the divine right to rule
This allowed them to move between god and their people
People followed their orders because they believed they were from
god
No one would challenge the King’s authority and he could rule in
relative peace
The throne passed on to the eldest son of Principal Queen who was
usually the eldest daughter of the previous king therefore the king’s
sister
Pharaohs owned all the land – government hierarchy to help rule
Second to the Pharaohs were Scribes – who recorded all the doings
of the Pharaoh
Legal Traditions
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Law was governed by religious principle of Ma’at
GODDESS MA’AT represented truth, righteousness and
justice = balance and order
Laws were applied equally to all classes;specifically
protected the family (children and wives)
Punishments could be quite severe- act as a detterent or
disgrace the guilty (Examples: minor crimes had 100
lashed; rapist were castrated; corrupt officials had their
hands amputated; crimes that resulted in a death
sentence could have choice= devoured by a crocodile,
suicide, burning alive)
Social Roles
Role of Women
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Well treated and had considerable legal rights compared to other civilizations
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Same legal rights as men (land, property, divorce)
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Allowed women to be economically independent
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Primary role was in domestic life
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Common title for a married women in ancient Egypt was “nebet per” meaning “the
lady of the house”
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•Bear and raise children
Role of Men
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Head of the family
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Men could have numerous wives but economically men had only 1 wife
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Labourers, craftsmen
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Jobs were hereditary
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Labour required for construction projects and was mostly filled by poor, serfs
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Stability of Egypt thrived as skilled trades were passed from father to son
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Children always learned the trade from parents; seldom could choose occupation
What determined Egypt’s economic
prosperity?
Wealth
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Agriculture made up most of Egypt’s wealth – grain, vegetables, fruit, cattle, goats,
pigs and fowl
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Abundance and management of food supplies
(not royal treasury) was the measure of Egypt’s
wealth = full granaries, plenty of wildlife and fish,
and thriving herds were the signs of prosperity.
These were the images used in the tombs of the
Pharaohs to illustrate the wealth of their reigns
Economy
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Simple economy based on food production and minerals from desert
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Access to the Mediterranean their routes extended trade as far as Northern Europe,
subtropical Africa and the Near East
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Trading was done by bartering goods (grain, oil, wheat)
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Taxes, salaries and loans were all paid entirely on goods
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Extensive trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture, art, ideas and
technology (ie. Western calendar was taken from the Romans who had borrowed it
from the Egyptians)
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Trade eventually grew and expanded, bringing new ideas and goods into Egyptian
society
Education
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Contributed to stability and continuity of Egypt
All children, regardless of social class, received some education
Followed a moral and ethical guide “Instructions in Wisdom”
Goal for education was to ensure youth exhibited self control and
good manners
At 14, young boys followed fathers in jobs, and girls learned from
mothers in the household
Children of priests were schooled more formally
Literacy was stressed for government jobs
Education respected for creating a well rounded individual
Hieroglyphics
History of Writing
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1) pictograms (sun= sun)
2) ideograms (sun = sun, daylight, warmth, light)
3) phonograms: symbols that suggest a particular
sound; related ideas and also sound (Sun = sun, son,
Sunday)
•Each hieroglyph found in pyramids and tombs often
symbolized more than one consonant. Actual Egyptian
hieroglyphs were a combination of sound-signs,
pictograms, and ideograms. No wonder it was so hard
to decode them!
Rosetta Stone
What is the Rosetta Stone?
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The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and
Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek). It was carved in 196
BCE.
Why is it in three different scripts?
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The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts (hieroglyphs for religious documents;
demotic- common script of Egypt; Greek- language of the rulers of Egypt at that
time)
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The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government
officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said.
When was the Rosetta Stone found?
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•The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort
in Egypt (in a small village in Delta called Rosetta (Rashid)
What does the Rosetta Stone say?
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The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to honour the
Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the pharaoh had done that were good
for the priests and the people of Egypt.
Rosetta Stone
Life and Death
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Life and death was measured in accordance to Ma’at: the goddess
and symbol of equilibrium of the universe. The king had to rule
according to her principles. Death was viewed as a new beginning
Afterlife common to all, regardless of social status
(preparation varied as well as goods stored in tombs)
2 Common Principles:
1) body preservation in a lifelike form
2) the deceased must have items necessary for life in the afterworld
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Personal belongings were usually placed in the tomb to make the Ka more at home
and to assist the dead in their journey into the afterlife.
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Text was read from the 'Book of the Dead' which was a collection of spells, charms,
passwords, numbers and magical formulas for the use of the deceased in the afterlife.
Upon Egyptian Death. . .
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Panel of 14 judges
Ka (soul /spiritual duplicate), ba (personality) ankh (form mummy took in
afterlife / the key of life)
Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at
Judgment of scale
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Record of the outcome
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Mummification
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Mummification focused on Egyptian belief of the importance of
preserving the body
Afterlife would be spent enjoying best of life experiences
Body covered with natron and dried for up to 70 days
Body wrapped in linen coated with resins and oils
Middle Kingdom became customary to place a mask over the face
Removal of organs (lungs, stomach, intestines, liver) in Canopic Jars
were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of four heads -human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the four protective
spirits called the Four Sons of Horus.
Brain was sucked out of the cranial cavity and thrown away because
the Egyptian's thought it was useless.