Transcript Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt
Time Periods
• Old Kingdom
– 2700-2000 BC Pyramid Age
• Middle Kingdom
– 2000-1500 BC Trade Age
• New Kingdom
– 1500-700 BC Empire Age
The Nile
• “Gift of the Nile”
• Cataract-boulders
make river rapid, can’t
travel past
• Delta-marshy,
triangular area of land
created by silt deposits
at river mouth
• Predictable-occurred
every July
• Annual Harvest-once a
year
Upper and Lower Egypt
• Upper Egypt-located in
the southern region
– Skinny strip of land
from First Cataract to
the point where Nile
branches out
• Lower Egypt-Nile delta
region in the north
• Nile = transportation
– Flows north
Egypt Unites into Kingdom
• Narmer unites Lower and
Upper regions
– Evidence of crown, dates to
3000 B.C
– Egypt’s first dynasty
• Pharaohs Ruled as Gods
– Theocracy, ruled Egypt as godking and leader of army
– Full responsibility for Egypt’s
well-being
– Caused sun to rise, Nile to
flood, crops to grow, as well as
promote truth and justice
Pyramids
• Ka-pharaoh’s eternal life force
that would rule kingdom after
his death
– Tomb was more important than
palace
• Built during the Old Kingdom
– Reflects civilizations strength
and technological advancement
• Economic strength, leadership and
government organization to carry
construction out
• 2.5-15 tons, 2 million blocks,
481 feet, 13 acres
Religious Beliefs
• Polytheistic-more than one god, Re, Osisris, Isis were most important
– Over 2000 gods
• Believed in a great afterlife that all planned for, Anubis
• Mummification-embalming and drying the corpse to prevent decay
– Done by royal and elite class
– Kings and queens built and put to rest in pyramids
– Placed items the dead would need in the afterlife in their tomb
• Book of the Dead-scrolls containing hymns, prayers and magic spells
intended to guide soul in the afterlife
Egyptian Society
• Classes formed pyramid
– Could move up the
pyramid through
marriage or skill
(read/write)
– Women held many of the
same rights as men
• Own and trade property,
propose marriage or seek
divorce
•
Written
Records
Hieroglyphics- “sacred carving”
– First, picture stood for ideas, ten evolved
into pictures standing for sounds (almost
like letters in our alphabet)
• Papyrus-reeds used for writing
– Split the reeds, placed into layers,
damped and then pressed together
– Formed paper-like sheets
• Rosetta Stone-used to translate Egyptian
hieroglyphics to Greek
Achievements
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Sun Screen/Eye Liner - Fashion
Ship building – Sail and Rudder
Pyramids - Architecture
Sculptures
Calendar-plan between floods and planting season