Transcript Ancient Egypt - Adams State University

Ancient Egypt
The Gift of the Nile
How do we know about Ancient
Egypt
Jean Champollion
And the Rosetta
Stone
Hieroglyphics
Ancient Egypt
• Upper and Lower Kingdoms unified under Menes
ca. 3000 B. C. E.
• Political History apportioned into Old Kingdom;
First Intermediate Period; Middle Kingdom;
Second Intermediate Period; and New Kingdom.
• Pharoah was political and religious head of state—
he owned all and was the source of all law.
Political Instability
• Power of Pharoah in Old Kingdom challenged by
Nomarchs, who rebelled in First Intermediate
Period (2200-2050)
• Leading Nomarch became Pharoah and lauched
Middle Kingdom (2050-1800) but government
was unstable.
• Second Intermediate Period resulted from political
unrest among the Nomarchs and resulted in
foreign invasion by the Hyksos
• New Kingdom emerged—a period of great
nationalism (foreigners were persecuted—
Including the Hebrews
New Kingdom 1570-1085
• Most Colorful
• Thutmose III (1490-1436) spread Egyptian
power—marked by obelisks
• Empire was especially wealthy—consider
what was found in King Tutankhamen’s
tomb
• Religious conflict and royal incest
weakened New Kingdom
Thutmose III’s obelisk, here in
Heleopolis, now in New York
King Tut (1347-1339)
Egyptian Kingship
• Pharaoh means “great house”
• Capital Cities were really the physical
manifestation of a divine king.
• Justice – “what Pharaoh loves”
• Evil – “what Pharaoh hates”
• Pharaoh was bridge between human and divine.
• Over time, Pharaoh was more of a martial
leader—depicted on chariots—than a god
associated with the sun.
Egyptian Religion
• Pharaoh was considered a god, but many
gods were honored
• Re, the sun god became dominant over
time.
• Osiris, god of the nurturing Nile River, and
Isis, god of the fertile earth, were popular
with the common people.
Religious Upheaval
• Ahmenhotep IV (1367-1350) sought to
remove the Aman-Re priesthood
• Instituted worship of Aton, the Sun’s disc
• A. IV changed his name to Akhenaton ("it
pleases Aton")
• He claimed Aton was the one, universal god
• Alienated the priesthood
Nefertiti
Great Pyramid of Giza
Pyramids
• Great Pyramid with its 52° angles represent
the rays of the sun.
• Architecture symbolized belief of Pharaoh
as a God.
• Massive building projects helped weld
together disparate peoples along the Nile
into Egyptians– “How the pyramids built
Egypt.”