Ancient Egypt

1
Ancient Egypt
2
Geography

• Egypt is located in northeastern Africa
• The Nile River runs the length of the country
  flowing south to north
• The climate is hot and dry, part of the Sahara
  Desert

3
1
4
The Nile River
5
Geography

• Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions Upper
  and Lower Egypt
• Lower (northern) Egypt consisted of the Nile
  River's delta made by the river as it empties
  into the Mediterranean.
• Upper Egypt was the long, narrow strip of ancient
  Egypt located south of the Delta.

6
The Nile River

• The Nile was the lifeblood of ancient Egypt
• It made life possible in the otherwise barren
  desert of Egypt.
• It is the longest river in the world (over 4,000
  miles).
• It served as a source of food for the people of
  ancient Egypt
• It was the major source of water for bathing and
  drinking
• The Nile was crucial for farming

7
EGYPTThe Gift of the Nile

• 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.

8
Facts About the Nile River

9
Nile Delta

• Located in northern Egypt where the Nile River
  spreads out and empties into the Mediterranean
  Sea
• 240 km of coastline, 106 km in length
• Rich agricultural region
• Most fertile soil in Africa

10
Floodplain
11
Floodplain

• The low strip of fertile land located on either
  side of the Nile River
• The river flooded yearly
• After the floods it left the earth soaked and
  overlaid with a fresh layer of black silt.
• Most of the farming occurred here

12
The Sahara Desert
13
(No Transcript)
14
Time Periods

• Ancient Egypt is divided into three main periods
• Old Kingdom 2700 B.C.-2200 B.C
• Middle Kingdom 2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.
• New Kingdom 1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.

15
Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt
NEW KINGDOM
MIDDLE KINGDOM
OLD KINGDOM
Large farmland. Traders had contacts with Middle
East and Crete. Corruption and rebellions were
common. Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta
region.
Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were
absolute rulers, and were considered
gods. Egyptians built pyramids at Giza. Power
struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids
contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.
Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that
reached the Euphrates River. Hatshepsut
encouraged trade. Ramses II expanded Egyptian
rule to Syria. Egyptian power declined.
16
Class System in Ancient Egypt
PHARAOH Earthly leader considered a god
HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES Served gods and
goddesses
NOBLES Fought pharaohs wars
MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS Made furniture,
jewelry, and fabrics for pharaohs and nobles, and
provided for other needs
PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES Worked in the fields
and served the pharaoh
17
The Old Kingdom
18
Old Kingdom

• Pharaohs were
• Egyptian rulers
• Organized a strong centralized state
• Held absolute power, owning and ruling all the
  land
• Egyptians believed that each pharaoh was a God

19

• Pharaohs took pride in preserving justice and
  order.
• They did so by means of a bureaucracy
• A system of government that includes different
  job functions and levels of authority.
• A pharaoh depended on a vizier
• A chief minister, to supervise the business of
  government

20

• The Old Kingdom is sometimes called the Pyramid
  Age
• During this period the Egyptians built the
  majestic pyramids that still stand at Giza (near
  present day Cairo)

21
Pyramids
22
Building the Pyramids

• Built as tombs for the Pharaohs
• Afterlife
• Housed everything needed for the Paraoh
• Khufus pyramid
• Total number of blocks
• 2,300,000
• One blocks average weight
• 2.5 tons
• Number of blocks added each day
• 285

23

• The pyramids served as tombs for pharaohs
• Egyptians believed in the afterlife
• They preserved the bodies of their dead rulers
• Provided them with everything they would need in
  their new lives
• Preserved the bodies of the dead through
  mummification

24
Building Pyramids

• Workers hauled and lifted millions of limestone
  blocks that weighed an average of 2.5 tons each
• Workers pulled the blocks using sleds, and
  hoisted the blocks up ramps to be placed on the
  rising structure
• Building a pyramid took so many years that
• A pharaoh would begin building his tomb as soon
  as he inherited the throne

25
The Middle Kingdom
26
The Middle Kingdom

• Was a turbulent period
• What does that mean?
• 1700 B.C. foreign invaders, the Hyksos (HIHK
  sohs) occupied the delta region
• Hyksos were impressed by Egyptian civilization
  that they soon adopted Egyptian
• Customs, beliefs, and names

27
Egyptian Pharaohs Build an Empire
28
Pharaohs and Kings of Ancient Egypt
29
King Menes

• Was King of Upper Egypt
• United Upper and Lower Egypt
• He is known for combining the two crowns
• White crown for Upper Egypt, red crown for Lower
  Egypt
• His death is believed to be by wild dogs and
  crocodiles

30
King Khufu

• Known for creating the largest pyramid at Giza
• Ruled during 4th Dynasty
• Also known as Cheops

31
Queen Hatshepsut

• Married her half brother Thutmose II
• Ruled with Thutmose III, Thutmose II son by
  another wife
• Appointed herself pharaoh
• Disappeared when Thutmose III led a revolt to
  gain power

32
Thutmose III

• Destroyed as much evidence as possible of his
  stepmother/ aunt
• Known as great military leader
• Napoleon of Ancient Egypt
• In his 54 years of rule, he captured over 350
  cities
• Buried in the Valley of the Kings (KV 34)

33
Amenhotep IV/ Akhenaten

• Changed Ancient Egyptian Religion to monotheism
• Took the name Akhenaten, which means servant to
  Aten
• Aten, god and disk of the sun
• Married to Nefertiti
• Believed to be the father of Tutankhamun
• Often considered the heretic king

34
Tutankhamun

• Known as the Boy King
• Married one of his half sisters
• Helped to restore the Ancient Egyptian belief in
  polytheism
• Took over the throne when he was only 9
• Died around the age of 19 due to a head injury
• Buried in the Valley of the Kings
• Found in 1922 by Howard Carter

35
Rameses II

• Known as Ramesses the Great
• Had 200 wives, 96 sons and 60 daughters
• Believed to have lived for 96 years
• He was originally buried in the Valley of the
  Kings, but was moved to avoid looting

36
Amon-Re

• Sun God of chief Egyptian God

37
Valley of the Kings

• Used from the 18th Dynasty to 20th Dynasty
• Common burial ground for kings/ pharaohs
• Often robbed by common thieves
• Recent discoveries have occur in KV 5, this is
  Ramesses II tomb of his sons

38
Mummification
39
(No Transcript)
40

• (A) ANUBIS The priest in charge of the
  mummification wore the mask of Anubis (the god of
  the dead). (B) INCENSE A priest stands by,
  holding sweet-smelling incense. (C) WRAPPING
  THE BODY The body, or mummy, was wrapped in
  layers of linen before being placed in the
  coffin. (D) NATRON Natron, a kind of soda, was
  placed in the body to dry it out before it was
  wrapped in linen. (E) SOAKING THE BANDAGES
  Sometimes, linen strips were soaked in plaster
  so they would harden when dry.

41
Mummification

• The preservation of the dead
• Skilled embalmers removed vital organs, then
  dried and wrapped the body in strips of linen
• This process could take months to complete
• At first this was a privilege reserved for rulers
  and nobles. Eventually, ordinary Egyptians were
  able to mummify their dead

42
Social Changes

• During the New Kingdom, society grew more fluid
  as trade and warfare increased
• Trade-new opportunities to merchant class
• Foreign conquests-riches to Egypt result
• More business for artisans

43
Women

• Egyptian women generally enjoyed a higher status
  and greater independence than women elsewhere in
  the ancient world.

44
Hieroglyphics

• Used to keep important records
• Priests and scribes carved hieroglyphics on stone

45
Scribes

• Besides learning to read and write, scribes
  acquired skills in
• Mathematics, Medicine and Engineering
• Deomtic
• A simpler form of writing for everyday use
• Papyrus
• Paperlike writing material that grew along the
  Nile

46
Rosetta Stone

• Flat black stone that has the same message carved
  in three different forms of script
• After decline of New Kingdom, translation was
  lost
• Jean Champollion managed to decipher, or decode
  the Rosetta Stone

47

• Medicine
• Like most doctors till recent time, Egyptian
  physicians believed in various kinds of magic
• Astronomy
• Egyptian priests-astronomers studied the heavens
• From their study they developed a calendar
• Mathematics
• Egyptian engineers used geometry when
  constructing the pyramids
• Would calculate the exact size size and location
  of each block

48
Literature and Arts

• The oldest literature includes
• Hymns and prayers to the Gods, proverbs, and love
  poems
• The art of ancient Egypt included
• Statues, wall paintings in tombs, and carvings on
  temples