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Ancient Egypt
The Gift of the Nile
1
Cover Page showing the Great Pyramid of Giza
Ancient Egypt
MUMMIES,
TOMBS,
& TREASURE
Non-Fiction Texts
Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure: Secrets of Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptians
Ancient Egyptian Time
An Explanation
BC - Means "Before Christ"
AD - Means "Anno Domini" (The Year of Our Lord)
Both of these terms were adopted during the early formation of the Roman/Christian calendar.
First, the Egyptians developed a lunar calendar of 354 days.
In time, the Egyptians created a more accurate 360-day solar calendar
Ancient Egyptian Timeline
Archaic Era
6000 bc
Early Dynastic 3200 bc - 2780 bc
Old Kingdom 2780 bc - 2258bc
Middle Kingdom 2134 bc - 1786 bc
New Kingdom 1570 bc - 1085 bc
Ptolemaic Dynasty 304 bc - 30 bc
Roman Period
30 bc - 640 ad
Egypt was a grassland. Nomads traveled in search of food
King Menes united Upper & Lower Egypt. Established capital at Memphis.
Age of Pyramids. First man made mummies
Romans take control of Egypt. Egypt never rises to greatness again.
Alexander the Great conquers Egypt. Cleopatra is the last Pharaoh
Major trading expeditions. Akhenaten and Queen Hatshepsut
Rise of the Middle Class – trade becomes the center of the economy.
INTRODUCTION TO EGYPT
"Misr" - Ancient name of Egypt
Egypt was first settled about 5000 B.C. (7000 years ago) by nomads
Egyptian Civilization developed because of the Nile River
Egyptian Geography
located in the
northeast corner of
Africa
surrounded by natural
barriers:
desert
mountains
Mediterranean Sea
PROVIDED PROTECTION
The Nile River
Early people settled this area because of its location near a source of water.
The Nile River Valley had virtually no rainfall of its own.
Egypt was called "The Gift of the Nile" by Herodotus, a Greek historian.
flows north more than 4,000 miles into the Mediterranean Sea
world’s longest river
branches create a triangle shaped delta from deposited silt
The Important Uses of the Nile
1. Drinking & Bathing
The Nile provided the daily necessities of life in Ancient Egypt
Egyptians depended upon the annual flooding of the Nile
2. Agriculture
Inundation: June - October - SHAIT
time of rising flood waters
farmers had time to build
Emergence: November - February- PIRUIT
the return of the water to the river
planted crops & trapped water for irrigation
Drought: March - June - SHEMU
Harvest time
The Important Uses of the Nile
The Nile provided rich soil (from the silt)
and water, producing three to four times more crops than regular rain-fed soil. - made farming very productive, created a surplus
The Egyptians invented the shadouf to help distribute water to the fields.
The Egyptians invented the plow.
The Egyptians domesticated animals to assist in farming.
The Important Uses of the Nile
3. Transportation
Egyptians built boats and traveled the Nile
The Nile linked all Egyptians - encouraged community life
Encouraged trade - used the surplus crops for barter
The Important Uses of the Nile
REVIEW
1. _____ Egypt was protected from invaders because:
a. the Nile River flooded every year
b. it was surrounded by natural barriers;
desert, mountains, and the sea
c. it was an island
2. _____ The Nile was important to the Egyptians for two main reasons:
a. agriculture & transportation
b. swimming & bathing
c. fishing & water-skiing
REVIEW
3. _____ The flooding of the Nile River is known as:
a. inundation
b. emergence
c. drought
4. _____ The Egyptians planted their crops during the time of the
receding flood known as:
a. inundation
b. emergence
c. drought
5. _____ The Egyptians harvested their crops during the time of:
a. inundation
b. emergence
c. drought
REVIEW
6. _____ Egyptian farmers used irrigation to:
a. water their crops
b. make the soil more fertile
c. control flood waters
d. travel among the villages
7. _____ Transportation on the Nile was
important to the Egyptian civilization
because:
a. it encouraged trade
b. it linked all Egyptians
c. both a & b
nomads: a member of a people who have no fixed residence, but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory
delta: the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river
silt: loose sedimentary material with rock particles deposited by a river
UNIFICATION
Menes’s Upper Egypt army invades and conquers Lower Egypt
Menes (Narmer) Palette
Pharaoh's Role in the Old Kingdom
Government
Pharaoh appointed powerful local leaders called governors
Governors collected taxes and served as local judges
Governors made sure local flood waters were shared equally
Governors reported to the Pharaoh in Memphis.
Pharaoh's Role in the Old Kingdom
Religion
Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was the child of Ra, the sun-god.
Egyptians believed that Pharaoh gave life to Egypt & its people
Egyptians worshipped the Pharaoh
Pharaoh's Role in the Old Kingdom
Economy
Pharaoh was the center of Egypt's economy.
Egypt's economy was based on agriculture
Surplus was distributed through taxes: Pharaoh collected a portion of crops for taxes.
Craftworkers depended upon the Pharaoh for work.
Temple upkeep was the responsibility of the government.
Trade was the way in which Egyptians were paid for their services.
The Great Pyramids
Religious Beliefs
Religion was at the center of Egyptian life
Practiced polytheism - worship of many gods
Egyptian gods were often pictured as an animal or as a person’s body with an animal’s head.
The Great Pyramids
Egyptian gods:
The story of Osiris & Isis is the basis for the Egyptian belief in the afterlife
Osiris: gave Egypt civilization, was killed by his jealous brother, Seth, who scattered his body in the Nile.
Isis: wife of Osiris, gathered up his body parts and returned him to life.
Re (Ra): (Horus) Sun-god, recognized by all Egyptians, son of Osiris & Isis
AFTERLIFE CENTRAL BELIEF IN EGYPTIAN LIFE
BELIEF
if the body was preserved, then the soul could continue to live
PRACTICE
Mummification-preserving the bodies of the dead by embalming, then wrapping them in linen - “Mummies”
The dry climate of Egypt helped to preserve the bodies naturally, at first.
The Pharaoh was the first to be mummified - artificially.
During the Old Kingdom, only the Pharaoh's body went through the elaborate ritual of mummification. If the Pharaoh was preserved, then he would see all of his subjects safely to their afterlife.
Pyramids
Mastabas were first used as tombs.
Then, a chief architect, IMHOTEP, built the step pyramid of King Zoser.
This design gave way to the smooth sided pyramids of Giza.
Pyramids
The Great Pyramid
The Pyramids were considered "Houses of Eternity“.
Tallest human-made structure until the Eiffel Tower in the 1800's
Took approximately 23 years to build
All pyramids had to have a North-facing entrance, to align with the North Star.
Built by farmers and other laborers during the Inundation (flood season)
Most stones weigh 2.5 tons, but some weigh up to 80 tons
Laborers used mud-slicked ramps to move the stones.
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramids
The Sphinx stands before the Pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre.
The Sphinx was carved from a single block of limestone left over in the quarry used to build the Pyramids.
The Sphinx is said to represent the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.
The Great Pyramids
A System of Writing
The Ancient Egyptians had no separate word for “art”, their word for “art” was the word for “writing”.
This Egyptian “alphabet” was made up of about 800 picture-symbols called HIEROGLYPHS.
The word HEIROGLYPHICS means “sacred writing”
A System of Writing
The Egyptians considered HIEROGLYPHS sacred and believed that they conveyed the words of the gods.
HIEROGLYPHICS also helped to preserve the memory of deceased people.
In order to keep track of government records, taxes, and the passage of time, the Egyptians developed a system of writing called HIEROGLYPHICS.
A System of Writing
PAPYRUS:
The earliest form of paper
Made from the papyrus reed that grew in the Nile
The reeds would be criss-crossed and pounded down to a paper-like thickness.
A System of Writing
Not all Egyptians could read or write hieroglyphics:
SCRIBES:
Pharaoh’s record keepers
Very Educated in reading, writing & math
Highly respected
Only boys could become SCRIBES
A SCRIBE’S training started at the age of 10
SCRIBES used rolls of PAPYRUS to write on
Only the SCRIBES used HIEROGLYPHICS.
A System of Writing
The Common people of Egypt used a form of writing called “hieratic”, a form of script writing.
Eventually, the responsibility of reading & interpreting the HIEROGLYPHS fell to the priests. Even SCRIBES lost the ability to read the ancient symbols.
By 400 AD, no one could read the HIEROGLYPHS anymore.
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone was the key that unlocked the mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Napoleon's troops discovered it in 1799
The inscription is written on the stone three times, once in hieroglyphic, once in hieratic, and once in Greek.
Jean Francois Champollion, a French Egyptologist, deciphered the hieroglyphic and hieratic texts by comparing them with the known Greek text.
From this meager starting point, a generation of Egyptologists eventually managed to read most everything that remains of the Egyptians' ancient writings.
VOCABULARY
Economy: the way in which the people of a country manage money and resources for the production of goods and services.
SURPLUS
The End of the Old Kingdom
The economy began to be strained by huge government building projects.
People became unhappy with the pharaoh's demands for taxes to pay for these projects.
Pharaoh Pepy III ruled for 92 years, he eventually lost control over the central government - local governors took over.
This period without any pharaohs lasted about 150 years - there were foreign invasions and disorder during this time.
The Middle Kingdom 2100BC - 1700BC
Order was restored by Mentohotep:
strong military leader
restored unity to Egypt
moved the capital to Thebes
took control of Nubia
Nubian gold brought increased prosperity (economy improved)
The Middle Kingdom 2100BC - 1700BC
Egypt's contact with other parts of the world increased, bringing foreign goods and foreign ideas to the Egyptian civilization.
Egyptian trade increased with Western Asia, creating a new wealthy class of "common people" - Middle Class
Outside groups began moving into Egypt - Hyksos
Lesson 2 Review
1. _____________ The name for the kings of Ancient Egypt.
2. _____________ The man responsible for deciphering
hieroglyphics.
3. _____________ The king who unified Egypt into one
kingdom.
4. _____________ "Sacred Writing“
5. _____________ The way people manage money &
resources for the production of goods and
services.
Lesson 2 Review
6. _______________ A professional writer of hieroglyphics
who kept records & documents.
7. _______________ A reed plant that grows along the
Nile, used for making paper scrolls.
8. _______________ A stone discovered in 1799 that
helped to decipher hieroglyphics.
9. _______________ The joining of two separate parts into
one.
10. _______________ The architect who built the first “step
pyramid”
HYKSOS
The Hyksos were "hill-people" from Western Asia, who invaded and took over Lower Egypt for 150 years.
The Hyksos utilized superior bronze weapons, chariots, and bows to help them take control of Egypt.
The Egyptians learned how to build chariots from the Hyksos.
Within 50 years, they had managed to take control of the important Egyptian city of Memphis.
Nubia
May have had a cultural impact on Egypt before 3200bc
Located on the Upper Nile in the Sudan between modern day Egypt & Ethiopia.
Its name is from the Egyptian word for "gold" - "nub“
Very much influenced by Egyptians
Nubia
Accepted Egyptian religion & art
Used hieroglyphics, but later developed their own writing
Built pyramids to serve as tombs of kings & queens, but smaller & shaped differently than Egyptian pyramids.
Eventually won independence from Egypt
Nubia
Skin color was not a determining factor in "race".
If you lived as an Egyptian, you were Egyptian.
Egyptian Capitals
Ancient Egyptian Society
A person's position in society depended on what he or she did for a living.
SOCIAL PYRAMID- a diagram illustrating the divisions within a culture; usually showing the most powerful person or group at the peak and the least powerful groups at the bottom.
Nubian soldiers made up a large part of the pharaoh's army & police force.
Syrian princes were government officials.
Government Officials owned most of the land.
Syrian & Nubian craftworkers worked side by side with the Egyptians.
SLAVERY - the practice of one person owning another person.
Slavery was the lowest level in Ancient Egyptian society.
Slaves came from the conquered lands of Nubia and Syria
Slaves did the hardest work:
Mined gold in Nubia
Planted crops
Dug canals
Worked as house servants
Egyptians bought slaves like merchandise.
Slaves had the right to be treated fairly under the law.
Slaves could own property.
Concept of “Middle Class”
The middle class are those people who have economic independence, but not a great deal of social influence or power.
PHARAOH
PEASANTS & SLAVES
TRADERS
MERCHANTS
PROFESSIONALS
MIDDLE CLASS
UPPER CLASS
LOWER CLASS
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
The New Kingdom
The defeat of the Hyksos by the pharaoh, Ahmose, began the New Kingdom
During the New Kingdom, Egypt became an EMPIRE.
Egypt’s economy now included goods from other lands.
Expansion & Trade
Lebanon & Syria: silver, timber, wine
Greece (across the Mediterranean): olive oil
Nubia gave access to other African kingdoms, traded ebony, leopard skins, and elephant ivory. Egypt also gained gold, copper, and other precious stones.
***Traded goods brought new types of furniture, jewelry, and other fine goods for the pharaoh and wealthy families.***
Hatshepsut
One of Egypt’s few female pharaohs
Expanded trade further than any other pharaoh
Her biggest trading expedition was to Egypt’s neighbors in the south: PUNT – Egypt gained gold, perfumes, ivory, leopard skins, and even live apes.
Hatshepsut’s stepson finally overthrew her and tried to erase all mention of her name from all records.
The New Kingdom Pharaohs
The New Kingdom Pharaohs
Akhenaton & Nefertiti
Amenhotep IV and his wife, Queen Nefertiti, tried to make Egypt worship only one god - Aton (monotheistic)
Changed his name to Akhenaton "servant to Aton"
Moved the capital from Thebes to Amarna in the north
Ordered officials to destroy the images of old gods
Changed the style of art in Egypt
This change angered priest who were considered representatives of the old gods. The priests had lost much of their power.
When Akhenaton died, the old religion returned and the priests picked a new pharaoh that they could control - a boy king.
The New Kingdom Pharaohs
The Boy Pharaoh
King Tutankhamen was 9 years old when he was chosen to replace Akhenaton.
The priests of Egypt controlled King Tut, who died when he was only 19 years old.
King Tutankhamen’s Tomb
Howard Carter, a British archeologist, discovered King Tut's tomb in 1922. The tomb contained everything Tut would need in the afterlife.
We know about the Egyptian belief in the Afterlife mainly through the discoveries made by archeologists, like Carter. Tombs which contained riches, food, and other worldly provisions told us that the Ancient Egyptians expected their dead to need these things in the "next life".
The New Kingdom
The Fall of the New Kingdom
After Tut, Egypt began to lose power.
Egypt began to fight wars with the surrounding people in present-day Israel, Syria, and Turkey
Their fiercest enemy was the Hittites
Rameses II, a very strong pharaoh, made peace with the Hittites for 67 years and returned some prosperity to Egypt.
In 525 BC the Persian army invaded and conquered Ancient Egypt - it never regained its previous glory.
Egypt’s Legacy
Moving Ideas
Ideas and skills were also traded throughout the Ancient World.
The Egyptians made discoveries and advancements in medicine, mathematics, and astronomy.
Medicine In Egypt
Most Egyptian doctors were actually priests who learned their skills in temple schools.
For centuries, various medical knowledge was recorded by scribes.
Egyptians performed the first surgeries.
Math & Science
The Egyptians developed the mathematical rules necessary for building the pyramids.
They used their knowledge of math to understand and study the stars.
Pyramids had to be built facing true north – determined by the positioning of the North Star.
Identified five of the planets: “stars that know no rest”
Understood the basic concept of an eclipse
These ideas and skills were spread to Egypt’s neighbors, their knowledge became famous.
Egypt also gained knowledge from its neighbors – Hyksos (metal-working, chariots)
LESSON 3 REVIEW
1. ______________ The man who discovered a famous
tomb in 1922.
2. ______________ This pharaoh ruled for 92 years and
eventually lost control of the government to
local governors at the end of the Old
Kingdom
3. ______________ One of the few female pharaohs, she led
famous a trading expedition.
4. ______________ He restored order & unity at the start of the
Middle Kingdom.
LESSON 3 REVIEW
5. ______________ The boy king, he ruled only 10 years.
6. ______________ The pharaoh who tried to make Egypt
believe in only one god.
7. ______________ The pharaoh who drove out the Hyksos
at the end of the Middle Kingdom.
8. ______________ The "hill-people" from Western Asia, who
invaded and took over Lower Egypt for
150 years.
LESSON 3 REVIEW
9. ______________ Egypt conquered this land for it's gold mines.
10. _____________ Lower Nubia, an ancient & wealthy kingdom that
gave Egyptians access to trade routes into
Southern African kingdoms.
11. _____________ Egypt traded for olive oil and silver with this
civilization across the Mediterranean Sea.
12. _____________ A Southern Kingdom, believed to be present day
Ethiopia or Somalia, to which the Egyptians
traveled in a huge expedition to trade for gold,
perfume, ivory, incense, and live apes.
13. _____________ The capital of Egypt during the Middle & New
Kingdoms
LESSON 3 REVIEW
14. _____________ A group of people who go on a trip for
a set reason.
15. _____________ A group of lands and people ruled by
one government.
Hittites
Originally from present day Turkey
Invaded and warred with Egypt many times during the New Kingdom
The Amarna Period
The Amarna Period
The Amarna Period
E M P I R E
A group of lands and people ruled by one government
Egypt created an empire by invading and then incorporating Nubia and other ancient city-states.
WELCOME TO ANCIENT EGYPT’S “WHO WANTS TO BUILD THE BIGGEST PYRAMID?”
RULES
Your team has three lifelines:
Phone a friend
Consult the text
Eliminate one answer
For each point you earn, your team’s pyramid grows.
The team with the highest pyramid wins.
1. Egypt was protected from invaders because:
a. the Nile River flooded every year
b. it was surrounded by natural barriers; desert, mountains, and the sea
2. The Nile was important to the Egyptians for two main reasons:
a. agriculture & transportation
3. The flooding of the Nile River is known as:
4. The Egyptians planted their crops during the time of the receding flood known as:
5. The Egyptians harvested their crops during the time of:
6. Egyptian farmers used irrigation to:
7. Transportation on the Nile was important to the Egyptian civilization because:
8. The Rosetta Stone was an important discovery because:
a. it was found in the Nile River by soldiers
c. it led to the translation of hieroglyphics
9. Hieroglyphics mainly helped the Egyptian scribes keep records of:
10. This period of Egyptian history is also called the "Age of Pyramids"
11. In Egypt's Old Kingdom what did craftworkers receive in return for the objects that they
made for the pharaohs?
12. Trade & building an empire became very important to Egypt's growth during this period:
13. This period of Egyptian history saw the rise of a Middle Class.
14. The Middle Kingdom is best described as a time when Egypt:
a. first developed a written language
b. began to use irrigation techniques
c. increased contact with other cultures
15. In Ancient Egypt most of the land and farms were owned by: