ON LECTURE Provided
“The Elements of Early African Civilization"
The History of Africa: The Quest for Eternal Harmony, 3rd Ed, Molefi Kete Asante
Kemet: The First Major Civilization of Africa
Kemet:
first major civilization of Africa
meaning “land of the Blacks”
later called Egypt by the Greeks
first location where human beings organize themselves as a nation
first towns and villages under the control of a central government emerged in Kemet
Kemetic Phases
Archaic Period (3400-2600 BCE)
Old Kingdom (2685-2200 BCE)
First Intermediate Period (2200-2000 BCE)
Middle Kingdom (2040-1785 BCE)
Second Intermediate Period (1800-1600 BCE)
New Kingdom (1570-1085 BCE)
Resurgent Kingdom (750-590 BCE)
Do you know the meaning of BCE?
before common era
prior to year 1 or year 1 common era
imagine year 1, that is, 2021 years ago
then further subtract 3000 years
The Archaic Period (3400-2600 BCE)
Unification of Kemet
Narmer 3400 BC, also known as Menes
conquered the other kings of the Nile Valley
combined lower and upper Kemet
considered the symbol of god on earth
Nile runs down to the north from the African highlands to the Mediterranean
North icalled lower Kemet
South is Upper Kemet
Unification of Kemet
Narmer 3400 BC
42 ethnic groups or administrative kingships came under his rule
Narmer Per-aa or pharaoh (Hebrew)
an incarnate of god
No king could serve if he did not have the direct link to the supreme deity
All priesthoods recognized the Per-aa as the son of God or sa Ra
Beginnings of International Law in Ancient Kemet
Scholar Jeremy I. Levitt asserts that Ptah-Hotep, the first major philosopher posits the idea of political rules or international law
Challenging the idea international law began with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 between European nations
Eurocentric history omits the importance of African contributions to human civilization
Treaty of Westphalia based on ideas from Africa, specifically Mesopotamia that had rules about interstate interactions, as well as Kemet, Nubia, Mali, Ghana, among other nations
No kingdom, nation, or government has existed as long as Kemet.
Lasted 3,000 compared to the United States which has only existed since 1776
Writing in Early Kemet
Writing dates to Kemet starting around 3400 BCE
executed on any type of surface but primarily on papyrus.
The three primary purposes of writing consist of:
Recording historical events
Communication between the king, priest , and scribes;
Literary and instructional writings
German archeologist, Gunter Dreyer found writing dating back to to 3400 to 3300:
ivory labels found attached to bags of linen and oil in the tomb of King Scorpion I in Egypt
inscriptions found on pottery in a cemetery date
idea of using marking to store and record information occurred in Africa before anywhere else in the world
Writing in Early Kemet
God Tehuti
invented writing and served as “the scribe and historian of the gods”
tracked time
created mathematics, art, and science
ability to convert spoken words into material objects
Writing in Early Kemet
Mdju netjer: “divine words”
Cikam: actual name of Kemetic language
Date back to 3400 to 3300
early stages of cuneiform, wedge writing, in a consistent form goes back to around 2600
true start of a writing system with a combination of representation of vowels and syllables used to express ideas
391 CE
Attempt to erase the language and the spiritual traditions started approximately with the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius 1 (379-395)
insisting in the adoption of Christianity
Between 535 and 537 CE, a General Narses raided the Temple of Auset, arrested priests and priestesses and sacred items.
18th linguists start to study the Rosetta Stone
a bilingual text written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek
Made progress in deciphering Kemetic language
Architecture of Kemet
Saqqara Pyramid
First masonry construction
built by Imhotep for Per-aa Zoser in the 3rd Dynasty, 2630 BCE
Saqqara site featured a step pyramid structure used as a burial chamber, temples, including a funerary temple still standing today
Architecture of Kemet
King Khafra builds sphinx (2558–2532 BCS
Sphinx derives from Greek
Kemetic people refer to the structure as Heru-em-akt
Heru of the Horizon, the Place of Heru, and Ra of Two Horizons.
Hundreds of sphinxes found in 1798
Architecture of Kemet
Specialization
Engineering
Architecture
Mathematics
understood the mechanics of materials, machines, and hydraulics.
Great Pyramid
one of the Seven Wonders of the World
Built by Khufu of the fourth Dynasty around 2560
Construction took 20 years
Two primary theories of how the blocks were set in place
construction of a straight or spiral ramp which was covered with mud and water to facilitate the movement of the blocks
long levers with a short-angled foot were used to move the blocks
Contributions of Ancient Kemet
Professions
Developed a number of professions
Weaving, wood working, shipbuilding, glassmaking, leather work, pottery
Construction of pyramids and other structures:
dams, dikes, canals, pool, fortresses, instruments to build and measure
Math and Science
Physics, chemistry, zoology, geology, medicine, pharmacology, and mathematics
Science of mummification
Surgery
Medicine:
200 diseases
diagnosed and treated
Surgeries conducted
Awareness of blood circulation
Ancient Roots of Modern Philosophy
Kemet provided the foundations of modern philosophy
study of the physical universe
human relationships
spiritual matters
Imhotep
Lived around 2700 BCE
the first philosopher to deal with a wide range of questions dealing with time, physical and mental disease, and immortality.
See page 45 of this reading for more on Kemetic philosophers.
Ancient Kemetic Roots of Library and Information Science
The Ancient Kemetic Roots of Library and Information Science
https://www.jpanafrican.org/edocs/e-DocAKRLIS.pdf
In this article, Dr. Zulu explains:
“The libraries of Kemet were not only places of archives, sacred words, papyrus manufacturing, and the like, they were also centers of learning, that combined the functions of their libraries and temples into universities. Hence, Kemet became a land of temples, libraries, and universities. As a result, the "temple-library-university" became the key center of ancient Kemetic intellectual and spiritual activity.” (9)
First mathematical and science books emerged in Kemet
Rhind Papyrus: mathematics and science
Ebers Papyrus: medicine
Deities of Ancient Kemet
spiritual beings that controlled or represented aspects of human life
Nun, chaos, a watery substance gave birth to Atum
Atum, represented by an old man, head of a frog, bettle or serpent
Other names for Atum are Ra, Ptah, Amen
God of creation
Created:
Shu, air and Tefnut moisture
Children: Geb the earth and Nut: the sky and created earth beings Ausar, Auset, Seth, and Nebhet.
Video provides an overview of the Legend of Ausar or Osiris: https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_gendler_the_egyptian_myth_of_the_death_of_osiris/transcript?language=en
You can also further explore other deities of the Kemetic Patheon using this link: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
What is the process of mummification?
cleaning the body
removal of organs
corpse was dried with natron a form of sodium carbonate
70 days which entailed a complex of ceremonies
Objective: eternal life
person received a massive funeral
a special ritual referred to as “Opening the Mouth” which entailed using special instruments to restore the senses
Food, drink, and other items placed in the burial chamber
Also illustrated on the walls of the chamber and a stele or stone slab noted the person’s name, rank, and good deeds.
Only the king received this type of burial during the Old Kingdom (2685-2200 BCE)
New Kingdom (1570-1085 BCE) this burial extended to royalty and nobles
New research reveals regular Kemetic people also buried in their own tombs
The Afterlife
What were the prevalent ideas about the afterlife for Kemetic people?
possible for individuals with pure souls
soul needed to survive the journey of the underworld where Ausar (Osiris) controlled
heart should be as light as a feather and pure
Maat
Idea of Maat guided humans in the physical realm
Maat symbolized:
order, balance, harmony, justice, truth, righteousness, and reciprocity
People that maintained Maat considered strong
Losing Maat causes weakness
Think about and consider the following:
How would your life change if you actively embodied Maat: order, balance, harmony, justice, truth, righteousness, and reciprocity?