ANCIENT EGYPT

Look at the map and

answer the following
question:
What did Herodotus
mean when he said that
Egypt is the gift of the
Nile?
Because of the geography
of the area, without the
Nile River, there would be
no Egypt.

Egyptian civilization
Egyptian
civilization
arose a bit after
Mesopotamia.
Geography: It
was centered
around the
Nile River.

The Nile River

The Nile is 4,160 miles long and is the longest river in the world. It has
two tributaries, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. It originates in
Burundi, in Central Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

I. The Nile

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

Major Time Periods of Egypt

The Old Kingdom
When the pharaohs built
the pyramids
Hieroglyphics and religion introduced

The Middle Kingdom

When training and military explorers were
sent out to expand Egypts boundaries

The New Kingdom

Ending with Queen Cleopatra losing her
land to Augustus Caesar and Rome
Mummification perfected

The Old Kingdom 2700-2150

Beginnings of 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

Religion
MORE
OPTIMISTIC
RELIGION
Security
Triumph of life over
death
Pharaohs were living
gods

People worked for

the gods because of
this as opposed to
fearing the gods

Anubis (later Osiris)

God of the Dead - rebirth and the weighing of the heart
in the Hall of Truth
Evolution of Egyptian
mythology
known as a ruler in the Nile delta
a local god
regional god.

The Weighing of the Heart by

Osiris
The deceased had their
heart weighed against
Maats feather in the Hall
of Truth.
If the heart was lighter
than the Maats feather,
their soul was released to
field of reeds to live for
eternity
Maat was the goddess of
truth, balance, order, law
and justice

Weighing of the heart

If the heart was heavier than
Maats feather, the feather was fed
to Ammit.
Ammit was the Devourer of the
Dead and is shown as having the
head of a crocodile, the body of a
leopard and the back end of a
hippo.
If Ammit ate your heart, you
ceased to exist.
Worse fate than hell.
Ammit was not worshipped.
Instead she was feared

Horus

Horus, god of balance and harmony

maintained the natural order: the flow of the Nile and the
fertility of the soil

Ra
God of the sun.
To the Egyptians, the
sun meant warmth,
light and growth.
The sun was seen as
the eye or body of Ra
Later Ra was
combined with Horus

Pyramids
Pyramids

There were about 80 along the banks of the

Nile River.
The largest is the Great Pyramid, built by
King Khufu in about 2600 B.C.
It stands about 481 feet high and covers 13
acres.
The pyramids functioned as huge burial
tombs for the Egyptians dead pharaohs and
queens.

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 means house of eternity
2. Then pyramids
3. Then later hidden tombs

Mastaba
Pharaohs buried here in the early dynasties

Early Pyramids

Djozers stepped pyramid - similar to Babylonian

ziggurats

The 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!

Pyramid layout

Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu

Queen Pyramids in front

1 2 3 4 5 6

Life after death - Mummies

The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife of
beauty, peace, and contentment.
Since most of their lives were filled with hard
work, they looked forward to death as a release
from this lifetime.
They believed their souls would need to use
their bodies again, so the Egyptians invented a
process to embalm their bodies called
mummification.
Wealthy could afford better mummification than
the poor

Steps in mummification

After the body was washed and covered with scented oils, the liver and
kidneys were removed and placed in jars that would be put in the coffin
later.
The brains were removed carefully through the nostrils, but the heart
was left in the body because they believed it was the mind and would be
needed immediately in the next life.
Then the body was wrapped in either linen or rough cotton strips and a
sticky tar-like mixture was poured over the cloth strips forming a
protective outer covering for the body.
When the mixture hardened, the mummy was placed in a wooden coffin,
which was carved and painted to resemble a person.
Then the mummy was laid in its tomb, along with many objects the
Egyptians thought it would need for daily use in the next lifetime, such
as tools, jewelry, furniture, religious statues, and food.

Canopic Jars made of alabaster for storage of heart,

stomach, intestines and liver which were also treated
1 2 3 4 5 6

Mummy

Inner coffin
1 2 3 4 5 6

Second inner
coffin

Second inner
coffin lid
1 2 3 4 5 6

Funerary
Gifts

Gift bearers

Shawabti boxFigurines that would

be servants in the
afterlife

Model boat
1 2 3 4 5 6

Egyptian Pharaohs
Egyptians were led by
Pharaohs.
They were priest-kings
Pharaohs were all
powerful

Pharaoh
God-King - unlike Mesopotamia
Temporal power Worldly power
owns all the land and people and what people possess
law vs. Pharaoh's will

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.

Menes
United Upper and
Lower Egypt, and as
the founder of the first
dynasty

Daily Life in Egypt

Cosmetics, cleanliness (bathe 3 times a day), 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
Patriarchal society
Most common job farming

Social Classes
Pharaoh absolute ruler
Four social classes
Nobles and Priests
Military/Government/merchant Class
Commoners could attain high position
through government service
Farmer/unskilled workers
Peasants/Slaves similar to Mesopotamia

Daily life of the workers

The poor worked long hours for goods that they could
exchange in the marketplace for the products they needed.
Agriculture was a major trade and many workers were
farmers.
Boys learned a trade from their fathers, and girls were taught
to care for the home and family by their mothers.
Women and girls wore straight, sheath-like dresses of rough,
unbleached linen.
Men and boys wore short cloth kilts.
Their homes were usually one-story made out of sun-dried
brick. There would be a basement and four rooms. They
had little furniture. Stairs led to the flat rooftop so that the
family could enjoy the cool night air after the sun went down.

Daily life of the wealthy

Men were busy all day as merchants, trading along the Nile River.
Others supervised the daily workings of gigantic farms.
Many of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Egypt were priests.
Boys were taught to read and write.
Women could own land, run businesses, testify in court, and bring charges against men.
Women oversaw the running of the households and gave the servants instructions for
daily menus and child care.
Children were allowed much playtime. Girls practiced singing and dancing. Boys wrestled
and played army.
Women and girls wore straight dresses of beautiful lined and a lot of jewelry. At parties,
they wore cones of incense on their heads that melted slowly giving off a pleasant smell.
Men and boys wore linen kilts
Both men and women wore eye make-up made from black ashes.
Their homes were brick and wood containing many rooms, as well as walled garden and a
shrine for a favorite god.

Egyptian economy
Although Egypt looks
really sophisticated, the
economy is a traditional
economy based on
farming and trade.
Egyptians traded up and
down the Nile, with
Mesopotamians and
sometimes with Indus
Valley (in Pakistan)

Technology
Hieroglyphics
Papyrus
Pyramids
Geometry
Advances in
medicine and
surgery

Hieroglyphics
Early Egyptian writing found on
tombs was indecipherable.

Hieroglyphics
Sacred

Carving

No one could read these sacred carvings until

Napoleon invaded Egypt and his archaeologists
found the Rosetta Stone.

Language is written
without vowels
Different
pronunciations
MNFR as Memphis
SR as Osiris
TTMS as either
Thutmose, Thutmosis,
Tatmusa or Atithmese

Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics

Papyrus
Papyrus is
one of the
first
examples of
paper. It is
created from
reeds
growing
along the Nile
River.

Egyptian Art

Egyptians reached a highly

advanced level of sculpture.
Beautiful figures sculpted
from wood, ivory, bronze,
gold, and turquoise have been
found in tombs.

One of the most famous

sculptures in the world is the
head of Queen Nefertiti.

Another famous work of art is

the Great Sphinx, a huge
statue of a mans head on a
lions body, which guards the
pyramids near Giza.

Middle Kingdom 2050-1750

End of civil wars, two rival dynasties had fought
for power . farming and trade return
Mentuhotep II takes power
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.

Mentuhotep II 2046-1995
Pharaoh of the 11th dynasty who ruled for
51 years.
Around his 39th year on the throne he
reunited Egypt.
He is considered the first pharaoh of the
Middle Kingdom.

New Kingdom 1550-1075

Ahmose I expelled the invading Hyksos and
reunited Egypt
Known as the Empire period
development of public and private
zones at temples.

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

Ahmose I leading Egyptians against the Hyksos

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.
Had a new capital city built at
Armana.
People very unhappy

Threats to Tradition
Nefertiti 1355-1335
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.

Tutankhamen
Son of Akhenaten and one of his sisters Original name was
Tutankhaten
Restored the Amun as the supreme god and welcomed back the gods
that his father had banished.
Moved the capital back to its original location in Thebes and
changed his name to Tutankhamen
Became Pharaoh at age 9 and was married to his half sister
Ankhesenamun (mother was Nefertiti). They had two daughters,
both stillborn
ruled nine years, died at 18
young death meant burial in the tomb of a lesser person (noble)
resulting in preservation
He didnt accomplish much as a ruler. Hes famous because his was
the first royal tomb found intact by Howard Cater

King Tut

Ramses II 1279-1213
greatest New Kingdom ruler
military leader of Egypt
expanded into southern Turkey
built many monuments to
himself
last grasp of Egyptian power.

VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)

VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)

Fall of Egypt
Egypt's wealth, however, made it a tempting target for
invasion, particularly by the Libyan Berbers to the west,
and the Sea Peoples, a powerful confederation of largely
Greek, Luwian and Phoenician/Caananite pirates from the
Aegean.
Initially, the military was able to repel these invasions, but
Egypt eventually lost control of its remaining territories in
southern Caanan, much of it falling to the Assyrians.
Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire in 30 BC,
following the defeat of Marc Antony and Ptolemaic Queen
Cleopatra VII by Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) in the
Battle of Actium

Nubia
People around the world
have learnt about the
glorious past of the
Egyptian empire, but
most have failed to learn
of the Nubia, which was
sometimes even
stronger than the
Egyptian empire. Nubia
rivaled Egypt in wealth
and power, and mutually
influenced each other.

The Egyptians called them the Kush. The Kush was

comparable with Egypt, and both states
communicated with each other constantly. Today we
do not hear of Nubia nor Kush. In its place is northern
Sudan. With the construction of the Aswan high dam
in the 1960s, Nubian land was flooded and that forced
some 100,000 Nubians to seek new homes in
Egyptian and Sudanese cities. Nubia's glorious past is
now under water.

That concludes Egypt.