Part I Exploring Ancient Egypt art I with

Part I - Exploring Ancient Egypt {art I with Mr. Williams

The Nile River • Over 4, 000 miles long – Longest river in the world. • Starts in mountains of Ethiopia and flows north to the Mediterranean Sea. • Upper Egypt – upriver • Lower Egypt – downriver • Only source of water in Egypt

Nile River Valley • 13 miles wide • cataracts – waterfalls/rapids, protected from invasion • Nile Delta – triangle-shaped area of land made from soil deposited by the river just before it reached the sea.

The Nile Floods • Floods predictably every July • When the floods go away, it leaves a thick, rich, black mud called silt. This is excellent soil for farming. • Black land – rich land around Nile • Red land – sandy desert farther out

“Gift of the Nile” • Egypt called that by Greek historian Herodotus • Gifts Irrigation – built canals Transportation Trade Protection – cataracts & desert make it hard to invade • Papyrus – reed that grows along the river, used for making paper and boats • Stable food supply – crops, able to raise cattle and sheep , fish, hunt birds along banks • •

Two Kingdoms Unite • Menes – legend says he rose to power in Upper Egypt around 3100 BC • Conquered lower Egypt, married princess from there to strengthen control, and combined the two crowns into one • First pharaoh, title used by rulers of ancient Egypt, means “great house”

Early Dynasties • Founded Egypt’s first dynasty, or series of rulers from the same family. • Memphis – new capital city • Theocracy – government ruled by religious leaders such as priests or a monarch thought to be divine • First Dynasty – 200 years • Rivals arose, took power, and created a Second Dynasty • (Eventually more than 30 dynasties in 2, 500 years)

The Old Kingdom • Old Kingdom – lasted 500 years, from 2700 -2200 BC • Government and religion were closely connected. • Ancient Egyptians believed. . . • Egypt belonged to the gods • Pharaoh had come to Earth to manage Egypt for the gods. • Pharaoh was both a king and a god and had absolute power.

Social Structure • 2 million people by end of Old Kingdom • 80% of people belonged to the lower class • Horrible History Funeral Chamberlain https: //www. youtube. com/wat ch? v=ygz. FWvtlkug

Daily Life `1 • Horrible Histories Egyptian Dentist https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=x. Bs. Yrd. C 6 c. M A • Complete “If You Were a Child in Ancient Egypt” activity. • Horrible Histories - Egyptian 2000 Hair Color https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_PPk 2 y_n 49 g

Egyptian Religion • Polytheism – more than one god • Worshipping gods was part of everyday life, though how people worshipped differed from place to place. • Built temples to the gods throughout the kingdom. Temples collected money from worshippers and the government, so were wealthy and influential.

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EGYPTIAN GODS

RA - THE SUN GOD • Ra was the sun god. • He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians. • The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra was swallowed every night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning. • The ancient Egyptians also believed that he travelled through the underworld at night. In the underworld, Ra appeared as a man with the head of a ram.

ISIS - PROTECTIVE GODDESS • Isis was a protective goddess. • This amulet is called the 'Isis knot' and is a symbol • Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. • Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon. of protection.

OSIRIS - LORD OF THE DEAD • Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld. • Osiris was the brother/husband of Isis. He was also the father of Horus. • As well as being a god of the dead, Osiris was a god of resurrection and fertility. In fact, the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them the gift of barley, one of their most important crops.

ANUBIS - GOD OF EMBALMING • Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. • Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead. • Anubis was the god who helped to embalm Osiris after he was killed by Seth. Thus, Anubis was the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died. • Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.

SETH - CHAOS AND MORE CHAOS • Seth was the god of chaos. • Seth represented everything that threatened harmony in Egypt. • He was the brother of Osiris and Isis, as well as the brother/husband of Nepthys. He murdered his brother Osiris, then battled with his nephew Horus to be the ruler of the living. • At certain times in the history of ancient Egypt, Seth was associated with royalty.

BASTET - THE CAT LADY • Bastet was a protective goddess. • Bastet was usually seen as a gentle protective goddess. However, she sometimes appeared with the head of a lioness to protect the king in battle. • The cat was a symbol of Bastet. The ancient Egyptians made many statues of cats like this one to honor Bastet. • Bastet was one of the daughters of the sun god, Ra.

HATHOR - LADY LOVE AND A COW • Hathor was a protective goddess. • She was also the goddess of love and joy. • Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh. • Hathor was connected with foreign places and materials. For instance, Hathor was the goddess of the desert and the turquoise mines in Sinai.

HORUS - HAWKMAN • Horus was a god of the sky. • He is probably most well-known as the protector of the ruler of Egypt. • The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'. • The eye was restored to him and it became a symbol of protection for the ancient Egyptians.

PTAH - MR. FIX-IT • Ptah was the god of craftsmen. • In one creation myth Ptah was a creator god. He spoke the words and the world came into being. • In art, he is portrayed as a bearded mummified man, often wearing a skull cap, with his hands holding an ankh, was, and djed, the symbols of life, power and stability, respectively. He may have originally been a fertility god because of this.