History of Ancient Egypt Chapter 11 Mrs Truskowski

History of Ancient Egypt Chapter 11 Mrs. Truskowski Social Studies 7

Section 1 Geography and Early Egypt • The Gift of the Nile – Location and Physical Features • Nile River – Longest river in world – Flows north to the Mediterranean Sea – Two regions » Upper Egypt (south) » Lower Egypt (north) – Cataracts = Rapids (rough areas of river water) – Delta = Triangle shaped area of land made from soil deposited by a river Delta Lower Egypt Upper Egypt

– The Floods of the Nile • Most of Egypt is desert • Nile River floods every year • Deposits land around the river with silt and soil that is very fertile • Allows a major civilization to develop Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Great Sphinx

Timeline of Ancient Egypt Old Kingdom 2700 – 2200 B. C. Middle Kingdom 2050 – 1750 B. C. King Menes unifies Egypt 3100 B. C. Alexander the Great of Macedon conquers Egypt 332 B. C. New Kingdom 1550 – 1050 B. C. The Roman Empire conquers Egypt 30 B. C.

• Civilization Develops in Egypt – Increased Food Production • Fertile Nile River soil • Developed irrigation systems to carry water to fields • Provides a lot of food • Raised cattle and sheep – Two Kingdoms • Natural barriers – Desert on east and west – Mediterranean Sea to north – Red Sea to the east – Protected from invasion • Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt form two kingdoms

• Kings Unify Egypt – 3100 B. C. : King Menes rose to power in Upper Egypt • Wanted to unify two kingdoms • Invades and conquers Lower Egypt • Menes is Egypt’s first pharaoh – Pharoah = The title used by the rulers of Ancient Egypt • Forms the first dynasty – Dynasty = A series of rulers from the same family • Builds new capital city at Memphis • Government was a theocracy – Theocracy = A government ruled by religious leaders – First Dynasty lasts 200 years Menes

Section 2 The Old Kingdom • Life in the Old Kingdom – Period lasted 500 years (2700 to 2200 B. C. ) – Believed that the pharaoh was a god – Khufu: Most famous pharaoh of the Old Kingdom • Built the Great Pyramid at Giza – Society and Trade • Social classes develop – Pharaoh at the top – Upper class: Priests and high government officials – Middle class: Low government officials, scribes and rich craftspeople – Lower class: Farmers, servants and slaves » Made up 80% of the population Khufu

Religion and Egyptian gods and goddess

Ptah • Creator of the World • God of creation, arts, and fertility • Craftsman of the gods • Father of Imhotep

• Re or Amon-Re • Sometimes spelled Amun-Re • King of the gods • God of the wind • Sun god • Depicted with sun and as a bird • Re and Horus are sometimes regarded as the same Re

Isis • Goddess of magic and nature • Pictured as ideal mother • Friend of slaves, sinners, and artisans • Wife of Osiris • Mother of Horus

Osiris • God of afterlife, underworld, and the dead • Pictured with green skin • Symbol holding crook and flail Osir

Horus • God of kings • God of the sky, war, protection, and sometimes sun • Depicted as falcon • Pharaohs used as a symbol • Eye of Horus was an allseeing eye

Thoth • God of knowledge, hieroglyphs, and wisdom • Pictured with head of an ibis or baboon • Maintained the universe

Anubis • God of dead and embalming • Associated with afterlife and mummification • Ushered souls into the afterlife • Attended weighing scale – “weighing of the heart” – determined if soul could enter the realm of the dead • Jackal-headed

Geb • God of the Earth • Symbols were geese, snakes, bulls, and barley • Regarded as father of Osiris and grandfather of Horus

Maat • Goddess of truth, order and justice • Regulated stars, seasons • Regulated actions of mortals and dieties • Created order out of chaos

Afterlife – Emphasis on the Afterlife • Afterlife = Life after death • Believed it was a happy place – All people are young and healthy • Ka = A person’s life force (soul) • Ka left the body upon death and became a spirit, but could not leave the burial site – Still needed to eat, sleep and be entertained – Buried body with everything they needed in the afterlife » Furniture, clothing, tools, jewelry and weapons » Relatives brought food and drink on a regular basis

Afterlife Cont. • Weighing of the Heart – Egyptian belief that after they died they would be judged based on their behavior during life – Book of the Dead states that after people die their hearts (or souls) would be weighed • This was done before Osiris by Anubis on his scales, and recorded by Thoth. – Heart was weighed against the principle of truth and justice (known as Maat) • This was represented by a feather – If the heart balanced against the feather the deceased would be granted a place in the Fields of Hetep and Iaru – If the heart sank – then it would be devoured by a terrifying beast called Ammit – or “the gobbler”

Weighing of the Heart Ceremony

– Burial Practices • Body had to be preserved so the spirit could recognize it – A decayed body would cause the Ka to die • Developed embalming process and mummification • Mummy = A specially treated body wrapped in cloth to preserve it • Embalming was a complex process – All internal organs removed except for the heart » Organs stored in special jars – Body was dried out with special substances – Applied oil to the body – Wrapped body in cloth and bandages – Placed mummy in a sarcophagus » Sarcophagus = Decorative coffin • Only the rich could afford mummification • Lower classes buried bodies in shallow graves in the desert and the heat naturally preserved the bodies Mummy of Lower Class Citizen

Unknown Mummy of Queen Hatshepsut

Mummy inside a sarcophagus

• The Pyramids – Pyramids = Huge, stone tombs with four triangleshaped sides that meet in a point at the top – First pyramids built during the Old Kingdom • First were called Bent Pyramids – like Sneferu’s Pyramid – Many are still standing • Largest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza – 13 acres wide at the base and 481 feet tall – Building the Pyramids • Up to 100, 000 workers needed to build a pyramid • Workers were paid, they were not slaves • Stones were most likely dragged up brick ramps on wooden sleds

Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid

Great Pyramids at Giza

Section 3 The Middle and New Kingdoms • The Middle Kingdom – Wealth and power of the pharaohs declined at the end of the old kingdom – Local nobles ruled Egypt for 160 years – 2050 B. C. : A powerful pharaoh, Mentuhotep II, defeated the nobles to take central control – Ends with the invasion of the Hyksos in 1750 B. C. – Hyksos ruled Egypt for 200 years Mentuhotep II

• The New Kingdom – Ahmose of Thebes declared himself pharaoh and drove the Hyksos from Egypt • Beginning of the New Kingdom – Egypt reached the height of its power and glory – Conquest and trade brought great power to the pharaohs A fragmentary statue of Ahmose I

– Building an Empire • First conquered the homeland of the Hyksos • Conquered Syria in the north • Took over the kingdom of Kush to the south • By 1400 B. C. the Egyptian Empire extended from the Euphrates River to southern Nubia • Conquest made Egypt very rich – Natural resources in conquered lands – Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite kings gave valuable gifts to Egypt to keep good relations – Growth and Effects of Trade • Controlled many trade routes in the middle east • Queen Hatshepsut worked to increase trade – Used the wealth to build a temple in her honor in Thebes Statue of Queen Hatshepsut

Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes

– Invasions of Egypt • 1200 B. C. : Ramses II (the Great) battles the Hittites • 1100’s B. C. : The Sea Peoples invade the Middle East – Strong warriors of unknown origin – Conquered the Hittites – Egypt spent 50 years fighting them off » Egypt survived but lost much of its empire » Never regained its lost power Mummy of Ramses the Great

• Work and Daily Life – Scribes • • Most respected people after the rulers, priests and government officials Kept records and financial accounts Wrote and copied religious texts Did not have to pay taxes, so many became very wealthy – Artisans, Artists, and Architects • Craftspeople with advanced skills • Sculptors, builders, carpenters, jewelers, metalworkers and leatherworkers • Talented architects became high government officials • Many artists worked on the Pharaoh’s tombs

– Merchants and Traders • A small part of the population • Traveled long distances to trade goods – Soldiers • A professional army was established after the Middle Kingdom wars • Received land as payment • Allowed to keep any treasure captured in battle – Farmers and Other Peasants • Bottom of the social scale • Made up the majority of the population • Depended on the Nile River to grow crops – Wheat and barley were common crops • Had to give some of their crops to the Pharaoh as taxes • Required to do “special duty” for the Pharaoh on command – Building pyramids, mining gold, fighting in the army

– Slaves • Very few slaves were in Egypt • Considered lower than farmers in social class • Many were convicted criminals or prisoners of war • Had some legal rights and could earn their freedom – Family Life in Egypt • Very important in Egyptian society • Few women worked outside the home • Women had some legal rights – Could own property, make business contracts and file for divorce Egyptian woman with traditional makeup and jewelry • Children went to school to learn morals, writing, math and sports – Most boys joined their father’s profession at 14 years old

Section 4 Egyptian Achievements • Egyptian Writing – Egyptian hieroglyphics were one of the world’s first writing systems • Hieroglyphics = Egyptian pictograph writing • Contained nearly 600 different symbols • Could be written horizontally or vertically – Made papyrus by pressing layers of reeds together and pounding them into sheets • Papyrus = A long-lasting, paperlike material made from reeds Sample of the Hieroglyphic Alphabet

– The Rosetta Stone • A. D. 1799 – A French soldier discovers a huge stone slab with a message written in Greek, hieroglyphics and Egyptian hieratic script – Allowed for the translation of the hieroglyphics – Rosetta Stone = A huge, stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics which help decode the ancient Egyptian language

– Egyptian Texts • Many survive because papyrus does not decay in dry climates – Historical documents include government and historical records, science texts, medical manuals and literary works such as the Book of the Dead » Book of the Dead = Ancient Egyptian text that explains Egyptian beliefs of the afterlife

• Egypt’s Great Temples – Built massive temple complexes – Believed that temples were homes for the gods – Decorated with sphinxes and obelisks • Sphinx = An imaginary creature with the body of a lion and the head of another animal or a human • Obelisk = A tall, four-sided pillar that is pointed at the top Computer Generated Sphinx The Great Sphinx

Egyptian Obelisk Brought to Rome by Caesar Augustus Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut Obelisk at Luxor

– Temples were decorated with lots of color and detailed artwork on the walls – Some of the greatest surviving temples are located in Karnak, Abu Simbel and Luxor Temple at Karnak

Temple at Abu Simbel

Temple at Luxor

• Egyptian Art – Paintings • Filled with lively, colorful scenes • Painted on canvas, papyrus, pottery, plaster, wood and the walls of tombs • Important figures like pharaohs were drawn large in size compared to other people • Animals were usually drawn more realistically than humans

– Carvings and Jewelry • Skilled stoneworkers – Statues and wall carvings were common • Made jewelry for men and women out of gold and precious stones – Included necklaces, bracelets and collars – Most jewelry was stolen by treasure hunters over the centuries » Largest archeological find of Egyptian treasure was the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 » Filled with boxes of jewelry, robes, a burial mask and ivory statues