Transcript Ancient Egypt 2015x

Ancient Egypt
Setting
12,000 BCE settlements form along the
Nile
 Different than today- much more
“swampy”
 The two Nile Rivers

 White Nile-headwaters at Lake Victoria
 Blue Nile-headwaters in Ethiopian Plateau
 Egyptian civilization existed on the last 750
miles of the Nile before it entered the
Mediterranean
Egypt and the Nile
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
The Gift of the Nile

Annual flood until the modern day
(1960’s)
 What does the flood create/allow?
 1 crop before flood
 Eventually 2-3 crops per year through
irrigation
Aswan High Dam
Shaduf
Travel on the Nile

The prevailing winds blow from the sea
upstream allowing for travel both against
and with flow of water (up to the first
cataract)
1st Cataract by Aswan
Civilization of Ancient Egypt
Civilization emerges around 6000 BCE
(Neolithic)
 Writing originates by 3000 BCE

○ Hieroglyphics
○ Papyrus
○ Rosetta Stone (1798) Why
is this important? (See
handout article)
The cartouche of Cleopatra
Ancient Egypt
Upper Kingdom (south of the Delta)
 Lower Kingdom (on the Nile Delta)
 Ruled by Pharaohs (“great house”)
 30 Dynasties (a line of rulers from the
same family) 3,200 BCE through 300
BCE (2500 years)

Ancient Egypt

3 Kingdoms
 Early Dynastic-2950- 2575 BCE
 Old Kingdom 2650 BCE-2180 BCE : Dynasty
began by Menes (unites Upper/Lower)
 Middle Kingdom 2040-1570 BCE: conquered by
invaders called the Hyksos
 New Kingdom 1570-1100 BCE
The Old Kingdom 4th-8th
Dynasties

Great Pyramid is constructed during the
reign of Khufu (Cheops in Greek) at
Giza. (All built between 2550-2490 B.C.)
Early Dynastic Period
1st-3rd Dynasties
First Step Pyramids Constructed at
Saqqara (Sakkara) Called the pyramids
of Zoser(Djoser)
 Architecht - Imhotep

Pyramids: The Shape of the Gods
Building an Empire in the New Kingdom
18th-20th Dynasties

What is an empire?
 (A system in which an individual or single
group of people rule over many other
peoples and territories)
Pharaohs of the New
Kingdom


Hatshepsut and (15081458 BCE) Thutmose II
(brother and sister)
Hatshepsut is the first
“real” female pharaoh
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut’s Temple-Valley of
the Kings
Some Egyptian deities: What are the
main themes in Egyptian religion?
Egyptian deities:
Re(Ra), Amon, Amon-Re

Amon-god of Thebes
sun
Ra-god of the
Amenhotep/Akhenaton

Amenhotep IV 1380-1362 BCE
 Change from polytheism to monotheism
 Changed his name to Akhenaton
 What was the new religion?
Worship of Aton
Angers the priests of Amon-Re
 Moves capital from Thebes to Akhetaton
 Amon-Re priests regain power during
Tutankhamen’s reign.

Akhenaten’s destruction
of social “structure”
The First Monotheist
Nefertiti: wife of
Akhenaton
Tutankhamen
Son of Akhenaton
 Tomb discovered by Howard Carter

Ramses II (the Great)
1279-1213 BCE
 Waged war against the Hittites then made
peace with them,preserved the empire,
great period of construction

Great Temple of Ramses and the
Temple of Hathor–Nefertari at Abu Simbal
Abu Simbel
Mummification

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies
/home.html
Egypt In Summary





What enabled them to be successful? (isolation,
food production)
What are they noted for? (literate, urban, large
government)
Did they contribute as much to science and
mathematics as was once thought? (practical not
theoretical)
Did other “contemporary” great ancient
civilizations surpass them in any ways?
( Think of these questions for your unit test- On
your test you will write about what you believe was
the greatest civilization of this region.)