Transcript 02AncientEgypt

Egyptian Timeline
• Old Kingdom (2700-2150)
– Hieroglyphics and religion
develop in Egypt
– pyramids built
• Middle Kingdom (2040-1786)
– extension of Egyptian control
into Nubia
• New Kingdom (1570-1075)
– militaristic - Hebrews enslaved
– mummification perfected
I. Geography
• River dominates Egyptian world/thought
• Surrounded by desert with occasional oasis
– Permits some trade
– Defense from invasion
• Contributes to feeling of safety
– preserves artifacts
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“Egypt is the gift of
the Nile” -Herodotus
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I. The Nile
• yearly flooding - no concern for soil
depletion
– Predictable
– Irrigation systems
• Encourages
– Trade
– Communication
– Political unity
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I. The Nile
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I. The Nile
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I. The Nile
I. The Nile
• Impact on religion
– divided life - living and dying.
• East (sunrise) is land of the living - cities, temples
• West (sunset) is land of the dead - tombs
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II. Religion
• Omnipresence of religion
• Polytheistic
– interaction with the natural environment shows
interrelated gods and goddesses yearly rebirth of Nile and
daily rebirth of sun
– over 2000 gods
• Pharaoh as living god
• Afterlife
– Evolution of who has an afterlife
• Old vs. New Kingdom
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II. Osiris
• God of the Dead - “rebirth” and the weighing of the heart
• Evolution of Egyptian
mythology
– known as a ruler in the Nile
delta – a local god
– regional god.
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II. Horus
• Horus, god of balance and harmony
• maintained the natural order: the flow of the Nile and the fertility of
the soil.
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II. Early Pyramids
Zozer’s stepped pyramid - similar to
Babylonian ziggurats
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Why build Pyramids?
• Belief in the afterlife demanded:
1. Bodies be interred whole
2. Material goods for use in afterlife be present
• The need to protect the bodies demands
good burial tombs
1. First were mastabas
2. Then pyramids
3. Then later… hidden tombs
Mastaba
II. Great Pyramid
• Tomb for Khufu
• an almost perfect square (deviation .05%)
• Orientation is exactly North, South, East
West
• 2,300,000 blocks, 500ft high
• 20 years to build
• Average block weighs 2.5 tons
– Some weigh 9 tons!
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Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu
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Queen Pyramids in front
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III. The Pharaoh
• God-King - unlike Mesopotamia
– Temporal power
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owns all the land and people and what people posses
law vs. Pharaoh's will
irrigation
no city walls
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III. The Pharaoh
• God-King - unlike Mesopotamia
– Religious
• direct descendant of the Sun god
• controls access to the afterlife
• July-Sept, during floods life is controlled by the
Pharaoh
– 365 day calendar.
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III. Role played by size in Egyptian Artwork
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IV. Daily Life in Egypt
• Cosmetics, cleanliness (bathe 3 times a day), shaved
bodies, wigs
• main food is beer and bread
– Grow many crops: emmer, barley, flax, lentils, onion,
beans, and millet
• common building made of sun-dried mud bricks - up
to three stories in height
• Four social classes - slaves on the bottom
• Most common job … farming
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IV. Farmers in Egypt
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IV. Hieroglyphics
• Language is written without
vowels
• Different pronunciations
– MNFR as Memphis
– SR as Osiris
– TTMS as either Thutmose,
Thutmosis, Tatmusa or Atithmese
• Who learns this writing style?
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IV. Hieroglyphics
• Use in
temples
• Rosetta Stone
• Napoleon and
Egyptology.
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IV. Egyptian Artwork
Stela (carved stone)
Egyptian Farmers & animals
Notice, all people drawn
from the side – even when
looking right at you!
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V. Middle Kingdom 2050-1750 BCE
• End of civil wars, farming and trade return
• move capital south to Upper Egypt (Thebes)
• public improvements
– drain swamps, canal to Red Sea
• belief in afterlife expands to include
common people
• tombs instead of pyramids
– better protection for mummies.
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V. Middle Kingdom 2050-1750 BCE
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VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE
• Ahmose I expelled the invading Hyksos and
reunited Egypt
• Known as the Empire period
• development of “public” and “private”
zones at temples.
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Ahmose I leading Egyptians against the Hyksos
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VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE
• Characterized by a more militaristic and
imperialistic nature
– incorporated chariot, bronze working, horses
– development of a professional army
• became a slave based economy fueled by
war and expansion
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VI. Threats to Tradition
• Amenhotep IV (c. 1362-1347 B.C.)
introduced the worship of Aton, god
of the sun disk, as the chief god and
pursued his worship with
enthusiasm.
• Changed name to Akhenaten (“It is
well with Aton”)
• He closed the temples of other gods
and especially endeavored to lessen
the power of Amon-Re and his
priesthood at Thebes.
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VI. Threats to Tradition
1355-1335 BCE
• Nefertiti
– Wife of Akhenaton the only
pharaoh to even partially
reject polytheism
– political move against priests
of Amon-Re
– moved capital to Amarna
– worshipped Aton, the sun
disk
• royal inbreeding.
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VI. Tutankhamen
1335-1325 BCE
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(King Tut)
child ruler
ruled nine years, died at 18
young death meant burial
in the tomb of a lesser
person (noble) resulting in
preservation
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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)
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greatest New Kingdom ruler
military leader of Egypt
expanded into southern Turkey
built many monuments to
himself
• last gasp of Egyptian power.
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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)
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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)
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