Introduction Located at the intersection of Africa and

Introduction • Located at the intersection of Africa and Asia • Due to surrounding natural features, Egypt remained largely isolated from other early civilizations

The Land of Egypt: “Gift of the Nile” • The Nile River is the world’s largest and it travels from south to north, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea o Primarily bordered by desert o However, along the river, lush vegetation can grow • The Nile Delta was home to the vast majority of Egyptians, as it allowed for greater food production

The Land of Egypt: “Gift of the Nile” • The southern part of the civilization was known as “Upper Egypt” and the northern part was called “Lower Egypt” o Upper = The beginning of the Nile o Lower = The end of the Nile

The Land of Egypt: “Gift of the Nile” • Egypt was well endowed with natural resources and much more self sufficient than Mesopotamia • As temperatures warmed and the Sahara became a desert, the people living in the region flocked to the river

Divine Kingship • Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt was unified early in its history • The early kings of Egypt were called the “Ruler of Two Lands” • The Egyptian term pharaoh refers to Egyptian king, who was considered to be a god sent to maintain the order of the universe

Divine Kingship • The pharaohs were so important that their deaths called for the construction of elaborate tombs • Pyramid: A large, triangular stone monument, used in Egypt as a burial place for the king • The largest pyramids, near Memphis, demonstrate the Egyptian belief that the proper and spectacular burial of the divine ruler would guarantee the prosperity of the land

Administration and Communication • The Egyptians created an extensive administrative system that began at the village level • Bureaucrats kept track of land, products, and people in addition to collecting taxes • Unlike Mesopotamia, the Egyptian government controlled all long distance trade, limiting the role of merchants

Administration and Communication • Hieroglyphics: A system of writing in which pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, and concepts o Literacy was confined to a small group of scribes and administrators o Used for official and monumental inscriptions

Administration and Communication • The Egyptians used their language for many different reasons beyond record keeping including literature, religious hymns, and instructional manuals on technical subjects • Papyrus: A reed that grows along the banks of the Nile that produced a paper-like writing material

Administration and Communication • Egypt lacked real cities because political capitals were extensions of the palace and central administration • Compared to Mesopotamia, far more Egyptians lived in rural villages and engaged in agriculture o Egypt’s wealth came from this land these products more than from urban areas • For most of its early history, Egypt was isolationist • However, Egypt did trade along the Mediterranean coast and to the south along the Nile, into Nubia

The People of Egypt • The population of Egypt during this period surpassed one million o This was a very diverse group that included darker skinned people from sub-Saharan Africa and lighter skinned people like those from North Africa and western Asia

The People of Egypt • Unlike Mesopotamia, no formal class structure existed • However, the king and his high ranking officials still controlled more power than the lower officials, local leaders, and other professionals • The majority of Egypt’s population were peasants

The People of Egypt • Women were depicted with dignity and affection but shown as clearly subordinate to men • Women were typically depicted with lighter skin, emphasizing that their role was inside the home

The People of Egypt • Egyptian women could own property, inherit property from their parents, and will their property to whomever they wished They had some tiny kids…

The People of Egypt • At certain times queens and queen mothers played major behind-the-scenes roles in the politics of the court • Priestesses sometimes supervised the cults of female deities • In general, women in Egypt were treated more respectfully and had more legal rights and social freedom than women in Mesopotamia and other ancient societies

Belief and Knowledge • The Egyptians believed the world followed specific patters and cycles due to the unchanging weather and climate they lived in as well as the consistent flooding of the Nile River

Belief and Knowledge • The Egyptian king was the chief priest of Egypt and intervened with the gods on behalf of his land his people • Much of the country’s resources were spent in an effort to keep the gods appeased and allow for the continued prosperity of Egypt

Belief and Knowledge • Egyptians believed in the afterlife and made extensive preparations for safe passage to the next world and a comfortable existence once they arrived • The Egyptians Book of the Dead contained rituals and spells to protect the journeying spirit

Belief and Knowledge • Obsession with the afterlife led to great concern about the physical condition of the cadaver and Egyptians preferred techniques of mummification to preserve the dead body • Mummification: The preserving of a body by chemical processes or special natural circumstances, often in the belief that the deceased will need it again in the afterlife

Belief and Knowledge • Mathematics was developed to measure the dimensions of fields and calculate the quantity of agricultural produce owed to the state • Through careful observation of the stars, Egyptians made the most accurate calendar in the world and could even predict the exact days in which the Nile would flood • The building of great the pyramids and other large structures called for great skill in engineering

Introduction • Not as much is known about the early Indus River Valley civilization in comparison to Mesopotamia and Egypt • As a reminder, the Indus river is located in present day Pakistan, India, and China

Natural Environment • Twice a year, the Indus River floods and even more water is added thanks to snow melt from nearby mountain ranges • Therefore, despite the lack of rainfall, agriculture was able to take hold thanks to a consistent supply of water

Material Culture • The remains of two ancient cities tell us almost everything we know about the culture of the region o Harappa o Mohenjo-Daro

Material Culture • Harappa was 3. 5 miles in circumference with a population of around 35, 000 • Mohenjo-Daro was several times larger • High, thick walls surrounded each city and the streets were laid out in a rectangular grid o The consistent width of these roads and the uniformity of the mud bricks used in buildings suggests a strong central authority

Material Culture • Most people did not live in large cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, instead populating smaller settlements that appear to be scaled down versions of those larger cities

Material Culture • Much like Mesopotamia and Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization showed skill in irrigation, created large, public buildings, and developed a system of writing • Unlike the other two civilizations, large quantities of metals have been found in the Indus Valley, typically tools or other every day objects

Material Culture • Indus Valley seal stones have been found in the Tigris-Euphrates river valley, showing a trading link between the two civilizations and perhaps and even wider trade network

Transformation of the Indus Valley Civilization • The Indus Valley cities were abandoned sometime after 1900 BCE for unknown reasons o Historians have come to believe that the civilization suffered a “systems failure”, or breakdown of the fragile relationship between the political, social, an economic systems that sustained order and prosperity