Transcript Notes: Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt
Timeline of Three Kingdoms
Geography
• “Gift of the Nile”
• Protection from
invasion
• Limited settlements
• “Black Land”- fertile
• “Red Land”- desert
How did Egypt’s topography promote peace &
prosperity?
•Nile Valley protected on
3 sides by desert
•natural barriers
•didn’t have to use as
much of their wealth for
defense
•Labor used for….?
•Irrigation=cooperation
Why is Egypt “Gift of the Nile”?
• Animals
– Fish, ducks, geese,
edible fowl
• Papyrus-baskets, paper,
sandals
• Food-grains
• Influenced art, religion etc.
• Provided for basic survival
• Inspired positive, cyclical
view of the world
What is a “Shaduf”?
•Technology
•Raised water from
Nile to irrigate fields
•Prevented salt from
building up &
destroying fertility of
soil
How did flood patterns effect Egypt?
• Emerged from
south
• Spring rains sent
water downstream
into Nile
• Rich silt
deposited
• Cooperation was
essential
• Dikes, reservoirs,
irrigation ditches
channeled river &
stored water for
dry season
• Lower
• Upper
What were the environmental challenges?
• Small changes in
amount of water led
could lead to
starvation or
destruction
• Deserts reduced
interaction w/ other
cultures
• Led to self-sufficiency
Religion
How did religious beliefs shape lives of
Egyptians?
• Each soul had to pass
test to win eternal life
• Dead soul would be
ferried across a lake of
fire to the hall of Osiris
• Osiris would weigh
soul against feather of
truth
• Sinners fed to
crocodile-shaped
Eater of the Dead
• Worthy souls entered
“Happy Field of Food”
Book of the Dead
•Spells, charms, formulas for
the dead to use in the afterlife
• “I have made no man to suffer hunger. I have made no
one to week. I have done no murder…I have not
encroached upon the fields of another. I have not added
to the wrights of the scales to cheat the seller…I have not
turned back water when it should flow… I am pure. I am
pure. I am pure.”
Mummification
• Afterlife was same as life
• Body must be preserved
• Originally a privilege for
rulers and nobles
• Eventually ordinary
people won the right to
mummify their dead
• Led to knowledge of
human anatomy
Egyptian Writing
• Hieroglyphics=form of
picture writing used for
important records
• Ideograms symbolized idea
or action
• Demotic-simpler form of
script for everyday
• Papyrus
What was the Rosetta Stone?
• Black basalt slab bearing
an inscription dating from
year 196 BCE
• Crucial key to deciphering
Egyptian hieroglyphs
• discovered in 1799 by
Napoleon’s troops
• Deciphered by Jean
Champollion
• Hieroglyphics, demotic,
Greek
Medicine
• Belief in magic
• Knew human
body
• Observed
symptoms,
diagnosed
illness
• Surgery,
medicines
Science
• Priest astronomers
studied heavens, mapped
constellations
• Charted movement of
planets
• Practical geometry to
survey land
• Engineers for pyramids &
irrigation systems
Egyptian Painting & Sculpture
• Statues, wall paintings
• Everyday scenes of
trade, farming, family
life, religious
ceremonies
• Military victories
• Unchanged style for
thousands of years
• Pharaohs & gods larger
• Heads & limbs in profile
• Eyes & shoulders
facing viewer
• Some humans have
animal heads showing
special qualities
Government:
How was Upper and Lower Egypt Unified?
Who was Narmer?
• 3100 BCE, King of
Upper Egypt united
the two regions
• Linked north & south
• First united state
• Significant trade w/
rest of Africa, Middle
East &
Mediterranean world
• Sailboats, barges
What is a dynasty?
• A ruling family
• Power passed from
family member
• If no family member,
then another was
chosen
• Pharaoh-”great
house”
Who/What was Pharaoh?
• Living God
• Absolute power
• Owned & ruled over
all the land
What was Pharaoh’s role?
• Preserve justice &
social order- Ma’at
• Depended on vizier
or chief minister to
supervise government
What did the Vizier do?
• Managed the
bureaucracy
• Tax collection
• Farming
• Irrigation system
• Thousands of scribes
carried out his
instructions
Who was Ptah-hotep?
• Trained many young
officials
• Wrote Instruction of
Ptah-hotep
• Advised his son how
to avoid errors
• Reveals the
importance of scribes
Egyptian Society
Slaves not essential
for the economy
Old Kingdom
(2700 BCE - 2200 BCE)
• Pharaohs organize
strong government
– Khufu – harsh ruler,
built Great Pyramid
• Pyramid Age
– giant pyramids at Giza
• New developments in
agriculture
• Increased trade
• Development of cities
• Power struggles, crop
failures, cost of pyramids
caused collapse
Djoser
2630 – 2611 BCE
– fought off invaders and
expanded territory
– New developments in
agriculture, increased
trade, development of
cities
– constructed Step
Pyramid at Saqqara
– Ended a famine
Khufu
2551-2528 BCE
• Ruled a united
Egypt
• Used his relatives
to help him
• Harsh ruler who
treated his
subjects cruelly
• Built the Great
Pyramid at Giza
Middle Kingdom
(2050 BCE – 1800 BCE)
• Corrupt
government
• Frequent
rebellions
• Food
shortages
– People rebel
• land drained
for farming
• Hyksos
conquer Egypt
Senusret I
(1971 – 1926 BCE)
• fought against Nubia &
Libya
• built fortresses
• Protected gold, copper,
granite resources in Sinai
• Encouraged cultural
development
• Supervised construction of
buildings
• created elaborate
improvements to existing
shrines & temples
• Jubilee Chapel at Karnak
• Craftwork & literature
Ramses II
“The Great”
(1290 -1224 BCE)
• Most powerful ruler
of the period
• Battle of Kadeshfought to standoff
against much larger
Hittite force
• Signed 1st known
peace treaty
New Kingdom Period
• Time of
Reunification
• Hyksos expelled
• Pharaohs created
large empire
• Traded w/ lands
along eastern
Mediterranean &
Red Sea
• Great temples built
• Nubians, then
others invaded
Queen Hatshepsut
(1540-1482 BCE)
• Daughter of one
Pharaoh/ widow
of another
• Ruled in
stepson’s name
but then declared
herself Pharaoh
• Encouraged
trade
• Brought back
ivory, spices,
incense
Hatshepsut’s
Mortuary Temple at
Deir el-Bahri-
Akhenaten (Amenhotep)
1353 – 1335 BCE
El Amarna
– Created new religion
of one god-Aten
– Controversy, disputes
over his religious
beliefs
– Abandon Thebes &
built new city
– New spectacular,
buildings, elaborate
ceremonies, works of
art
– Married to Nefertiti
– After death he was
so unpopular that his
city was abandoneddestroyed
Akhenaten: Rebel
Nile Tour of the Pharaohs Tombs
Nubia
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Also known as Kush
Egyptians traded/ fought w/them
Gold, Ivory, cattle, slaves
Nubians served in Egyptian
armies
Egyptian art shows Nubians as
soldiers, musicians, prisoners
As Egypt declined, Nubia
regained its independence
750 BCE Nubian kings took
control
Saw themselves as restorers of
Egyptian glory
Ruled like earlier pharaohsrespected traditions
650 BCE Assyrians w/ iron
weapons conquered Egypt &
pushed Nubians south
Story of Sinuhe: Popular Egyptian Folk Tale
• “His majesty said, “Behold thou art come. Thou
has trodden the foreign countries and made a
flight. But now elderliness has attach thee; thou
has reached old age… Do not live in exile any
longer…I answer: What is it that my lord says to
me? Behold, I am before thee… may thy
majesty do as he pleases…
• Tells us how Egyptians viewed both themselves
and the people of the surrounding desert