Transcript gift of the Nile

EGYPT:
THE GIFT
OF THE
NILE
Ancient Egyptian
Civilization
c. 3200-1000 B.C.
The Nile Shapes Egyptian Life
*The Greek historian, Herodotus, called
Egypt the “gift of the Nile”
*Water from central and eastern Africa
flows north through the deserts, making life
possible
Nile Delta
“Black Land” – fertile soil
“Red Land” – desert soil
*Annual flooding cycles made life
predictable:
Summer – flooding
Fall & Winter - planting & growing
Spring- harvesting
Western
(Sahara)
Desert
Sinai
Red
Sea
Why would Egypt have been well protected
by its unique geography and environment?
Egypt Unites as One Kingdom
Unlike Mespotamia, Egyptian cities and
villages united into one large kingdom by
3100 B.C.
Crowns of Upper &
Lower Egypt (above)
Menes (king of Upper Egypt) conquered
Lower Egypt and established his capital at
Memphis
He united the two crowns of Egypt into one
“double crown” (pictured at left) and started
the first dynasty in Egyptian history
Menes is also considered the first pharaoh
(god-king) of Egypt, considered all-powerful
by the Egyptian people
Ancient Egyptian Kingdoms
Historians divide up ancient Egyptian history into three
“kingdoms” that lasted for extensive periods of time
The Old Kingdom
2660-2180 B.C.
Period of internal turmoil for 100 years
The Middle Kingdom
2080-1640 B.C.
Hyksos conquest (1640-1570 B.C.)
The New Kingdom
1570-1075 B.C.
also known as the Egyptian Empire
What can you identify about the ancient Egyptian
society and economy from the image below?
The Egyptian “Social Pyramid”
• How did
Egyptian
society help to
promote social
order?
• How did
Egyptian
society compare
with
Mesopotamian
society?
Slaves?
The Pyramid Builders
The Step Pyramid at
Saqqara (above)
Rulers of the Third Dynasty (the start of
the Old Kingdom) began to build
pyramids as royal tombs, starting with the
Step Pyramid of Djoser c. 2650 B.C.
Imhotep, the royal architect, designed the
Step Pyramid as a “castle of eternity”
from which the pharaoh’s ka (divine spirit)
could continue to rule in the afterlife
The Great Pyramid and
the Sphinx at Giza (above)
The Great Pyramid of Giza, completed
by 2550 B.C. as a tomb for Cheops
(Khufu) represented perhaps the
greatest architectural achievement of the
ancient world
The Great Pyramid of Khufu
Egyptians Embrace the Afterlife
• Pyramids were designed to help pharaohs
ascend to the heavens to join the sun god,
Ra; viewed as a symbol of national unity
and hope in an eternal future
• Egyptians believed in an afterlife and
viewed death as a transition from this
world to the eternal “Other World”
• Mummification was first used with Old
Kingdom pharaohs to preserve their
bodies for eternal life; it later became
common to all classes of Egyptian society
• Egyptians were buried with artifacts from
daily life that would prove useful in the
afterlife, including their mummified pets
Guess
who?
Egyptian Gods & Goddesses
How did the gods and goddesses reflect Egyptian beliefs
about the world around them and their future destiny?
Osiris
Anubis
Isis
Amon
Ma’at
Hapy
Ra
Thoth
Horus
Seth
Hathor
Nephthys
The Book of the Dead
A collection of texts and images that helped to guide the soul
to eternal life
The Ceremony of Judgment
What steps must the soul take on its journey?
Egyptian Hieroglyphics
• Egyptian tombs and temples are
covered in art works and hieroglyphics
that give us insight into Egyptian life
• Hieroglyphics = “sacred carvings”
• Pictograms originally represented ideas
but then shifted to representing sounds
• The invention of papyrus, made from
marsh reeds, provided an easier writing
and artistic surface
Rosetta
• A French scholar deciphered
Stone
hieroglyphic writing in 1822 by using
(pictured to
text provided on the Rosetta Stone, the right)
discovered by Napoleon’s invading
troops in 1799
Egyptian Technological
Irrigation Systems
Achievements
Solar calendar
Medicine
Numeric system
Navigation & Boat
Building
Engineering & Architecture
The Rise of the New Kingdom
• Egypt reached the height of its power and
influence in the 500 years following liberation
from Hyksos control (c. 1600 B.C.)
• The Egyptian Empire conquered Nubia,
Libya, and Palestine and traded with India,
Mesopotamia, and the emerging cultures of
the Eastern Mediterranean
Several famous pharaohs emerged during this period to lead
Egypt to glory, including Hatshepsut, Thutmose III,
Akhenaton, Tutankhamen, and Ramses II (the Great);
Thebes was the major political and religious center
Hatshepsut & Thutmose III
c. 1480-1425 B.C.
How were
these two
figures related?
How did they
expand
Egypt’s power
and influence?
Akhenaton
c. 1350-1335 B.C.
How and why did
Akhenaton
challenge Egyptian
religious traditions
during his reign?
Why didn’t King
Tutankhamen carry
on his father’s
religion?
Ramses II
1279-1213 B.C.
What made
Ramses II
“great?”
Did he deserve
the title?