EGYPT Ancient Egypt was divided into three sections

EGYPT

Ancient Egypt was divided into three sections. 1. The Old Kingdom---The Old Kingdom was Egypt’s first great period of peace and prosperity, lasting from around 2, 700 B. C. to 2, 200 B. C. During these centuries, Egypt prospered under effective pharaohs, a strong government, and an efficient administration. 2. The Middle Kingdom---The Old Kingdom gave way to chaos and war for many years. Then, around 2, 040 B. C. , a king named Mentuhotep II reunited the kingdom and launched a new era of peace and prosperity known as the Middle Kingdom. During this time, the pharaohs restored the power of the centralized government. Farmers expanded agriculture, and building great monuments resumed. 3. The New Kingdom---The New Kingdom lasted nearly 500 years from 1, 550 B. C. to 1, 070 B. C. This period of prosperity saw Egypt grow more powerful than ever.

Geography of Ancient Egypt The Nile River starts in central Africa and flows up to the Mediterranean Sea. It is approximately 4, 000 miles long. It floods yearly and leaves behind fertile soil. It flows downhill from south to north. The land is at a higher elevation in Upper Egypt and a lower elevation in Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt is the fertile land in southern Egypt. Lower Egypt is the delta region by the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt. In 3, 100 B. C. King Narmer/Menes unified the two lands of Upper and Lower Egypt into one unified land.

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Gods and Goddesses THOTH – was the very important god of wisdom and learning. Ancient Egyptians believed he had invented speech, reading, writing, math, magic and more. He was the god of truth and of justice, and he served as scribe, or secretary, to other gods. Thoth was most frequently shown as an ibis-headed man. To the Egyptians, the ibis and baboon were the sacred symbols of Thoth. Thousands of mummified ibises were found buried at Hermopolis, the sacred city of Thoth. BAST or BASTET was a kind and gentle cat-headed goddess who loved music and dancing, Egyptians believed that she watched over pregnant women and protected men from evil spirits and disease. Bast was thought to represent the warm, gently rays of the sun. Once a year Egyptians came by boat to worship Bast at Bubastis. The city became a scene of great song and joy. Cats were sacred to Bast. Their mummies were buried at the city of Bubastis with great honor.

Gods and Goddesses SEBEK like the crocodile whose head he wore, was feared by many and was worshiped by others. In very ancient times, Egyptians feared the Nile crocodile as a terrible evil. Later it came to be seen as a helper of the dead and a symbol of the power of the greatest sun god, RA. The mongoose an animal that gobbled up croc eggs, was seen as a friend by those who feared Sebek. But to those who believed the god was good, the mongoose was considered an enemy. ANUBIS, a jackeal-headed god, was the guardian of the dead. He made sure that mummies were properly prepared and welcomed them into their tombs. He also helped weigh the hearts of the dead on their final, “day of judgement. ” The Egyptians believed that all hearts were weighed against a large feather the symbol of justice. If the scales balanced, the dead person had led a fair life. If the heart was heavy with foul deeds, however, it was thrown to a waiting monster. Anubis watched over the weighing to see that it was properly done.

Mummification Ancient Egyptians believed that death was a transition into a new form of life. The believed that every person had a soul named the BA (seen as a human headed bird) and the KA. The BA (soul) and the KA (an invisible twin of the person) continued to live on in the burial tomb. KA – went from body to the other world BA – spent day with the family and returned to the body at night. The body could not decay or the BA and the KA would not recognize the body. So…the Egyptians established the procedure of mummification.

Mummification Process It took about 70 days to prepare the body. The Egyptians moved the body to a workshop near the tomb. The inner organs were removed. The brain removed with a metal hook through the nose. They made a cut in the left side of the body and removed the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines. Organs The were embalmed and put into canopic jars. body was filled with natron cloth. After 40 days, natron packs were removed and the body was restuffed.

Mummification process cont. The eyes were plugged with cloth. The nose was stuffed with beeswax (peppercorns). The fingernails were covered with gold. The embalming cut was sewn shut. The arms were crossed and the body was adorned with jewels (amulets). The body was wrapped. The arms, legs, fingers, and toes were all wrapped individually (linen). It took 20 wrappings to make the mummy take on its’ natural size. Magical amulets/jewels were tucked into the mummy’s wrapping and hieroglyphics were painted on the outside. The head was covered with a portrait mask. The mummy and mask were covered with one last shroud and a coat of resin to seat it.

Pyramid Notes You entered the pyramid through the descending corridor. (-going down) This led to an entrance to the ascending passage. (-going up) Then you were in a large hallway called the Grand Gallery. It had high vaulted ceilings and paintings on the wall. The Grand Gallery took you to the burial chamber. This decorated room was in the center of the pyramid. It contained the mummy of the pharaoh, coffins and a sarcophagus or stone box.

Pyramid Notes Cont. Ø There were three rooms that were connected to the burial chamber. The annex was a smaller room that held the pharaoh’s belongings. Ø The antechamber was larger and also contained the pharaoh’s personal items. (boats, clothes, food, oars, tables, chairs, chariots, etc…) Ø The treasury held gold, jewels, statues and the canopic jars. Ø The first pyramids were called “Step Pyramids” and later the Egyptians discovered how to make them smooth. FYI – King Tut was not buried in a pyramid. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings, which were hills with pointy tops that looked like pyramids

Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt In about 3, 000 B. C. , King Narmer united the two lands of Upper and Lower Egypt and founded the first dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs. Greek historians tell a similar story about a king named Menes. Some scholars believe that Menes was another name for Narmer. This legendary conqueror’s exploits are represented on the Narmer palette. Narmer was the king of Upper Egypt. After Narmer unified Egypt, he combined the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt. The double crown symbolized the unification of the two lands. The kings of ancient Egypt were known as pharaohs or descendants of the sun god, Ra. The word pharaoh means “The Great House”. The term was used because the king was a god and no one could talk directly to or about him. The term pharaoh meant his palace was spoken of, not him.

Pharaoh Notes Cont. The ancient Egyptians believed the pharaoh was both god and king. He had absolute power. He owned the land of Egypt and the people were his to do with as he wished. The whip or flail that the pharaoh held was symbolic of his power over his subjects. The crook stood for the pharaoh’s duty to lead and protect his people. The false beard, worn by pharaohs at ceremonies, was a symbol of the pharaoh’s power as a man. The pharaoh could not marry just anyone because no one outside the pharaoh’s family had divine blood. Therefore, pharaohs were forced to marry their sisters, half-sisters, or even their daughters. These god-kings or pharaohs controlled ancient Egypt for over three thousand years.

Pharaoh Notes Cont. Nefertiti was the mother-in-law of King Tut. She was the wife of a pharaoh. Nefertiti was famous for her beauty and a statue of her head was found in ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut was Egypt’s first queen. At first, she was not permitted to rule because she was a woman, and her husband was made pharaoh. He died shortly after that (hmmmm? ? ) and she proclaimed herself as queen or pharaoh of Egypt. She accomplished many great things and ruled for eighteen years. Cleopatra was the most famous of all Egyptian queens. She descended from a family that ruled Egypt for over 300 years. Her father left the throne to Cleopatra and her brother. Her brother had her quickly banished or removed from Egypt so that he could be the sole ruler of Egypt. Cleopatra was helped by Julius Caesar to regain the throne. When Caesar returned to Rome, Cleopatra went with him. Later, she came back to continue to rule Egypt with her son

Hieroglyphic Notes The ancient Egyptians valued keeping records. The progression of Egyptian writing: 1 st – hieroglyphics or small pictures stood for words or ideas. 2 nd – hieroglyphics came to represent sounds 3 rd – the Egyptians put the sound representing hieroglyphics together to form words. Around 700 BC, the Egyptians stopped using hieroglyphics and began using a cursive script called demotic writing. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone made it possible to decode hieroglyphics. A Cartouche is the name of an Egyptian god or ruler that is written up and down and has an oval drawn around it. The main difference between our alphabet and Egyptian hieroglyphics is that our alphabet has 26 letters and there are over 700 characters or pictures in Egyptian writing.

The Rise of Kush Just south of Egypt, across the first cataract of the Nile River, lay the land of Nubia was rich in copper, gold and provided a trade route for exotic goods from Africa for the Egyptians. Nubia was ruled by the Egyptians and followed Egyptian practices. After the reign of Ramses II, the Nubian kingdom of Kush asserted its independence. The Kushite king, Piankhi, invaded Egypt and took control of Memphis, Thebes and Upper and Lower Egypt. Piankhi united the kingdoms of Egypt and Kush under a new line of Kushite kings.

The Rise of Kush Piankhi thought of himself as a pharaoh. The Kush build pyramids, mummified their dead and worshipped Egyptian gods. Eventually the Kush was pushed out of Egypt by the Assyrians who were fierce warriors. The Kush continued to grow as an independent power. Its cities were built across from two major trade routes. They had lots of gold and started to mine iron ore. Iron was important in the ancient world because it was used to make strong tools.

Hatshepsut Movie https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wkh. GQFa 6 D-s

Egyptian Medicine Egypt had the most advanced medical practices in the ancient world. The Egyptians developed a great understanding of anatomy (the body) through mummifying dead bodies. They identified the heart as the most important organ and the pulse as its “voice”. Doctors provided medicines made from plants and minerals, set broken bones, and performed surgeries. Researchers have found medical texts written on papyrus paper with instructions for doctors. Magic spells to heal different illnesses were also considered part of medical treatment.

Egyptian Science and Mathematics Ancient Egyptians were talented astronomers. Astronomy is the branch of science that studies the sun, moon, stars, planets, and space. Because of this study, they developed the 365 day calendar, 24 hour days, 10 day weeks, 3 week months, and 12 month years. The Egyptians were excellent mathematicians. They used a decimal counting system that included fractions. They did not use zero. They established key principles of geometry which made it possible to design big buildings like the pyramids. Their mastery of mathematics also helped them run an empire. --calculated how many workers needed on a project & how much food they would need to eat --estimated trade profits, crop yields & taxes