The Old Kingdom Chapter 4 section 2 Old

The Old Kingdom Chapter 4 section 2

Old Kingdom • Menes also known as Narmer (king of upper • • Egypt) led his armies into lower Egypt and married one of the princesses, uniting Egypt into 1 kingdom. Menes was called Lord of Upper and Lower Egypt, Wearer of 2 Crowns, and Lord of the 2 Lands His capital was Memphis which bordered both upper and lower Egypt

Old Kingdom • Menes wore a red and white crown to symbolize both united kingdoms • Was the first pharaoh of Egypt • Pharaoh means “The Great House”

Old Kingdom • 2600 B. C. Old Kingdom established • Kingdom lasted 500 years • During old kingdom- cities became centers of religion and government • Kings, priests, government officials, and artisans lived there

Old Kingdom • Some Egyptians lived along the Nile River on large estates. • A household was made up of the owner’s family, servants, and artisans • Artisans were hired to make things for the family like boats and weave linen cloth • Most were farmers who lived in villages within the estates

Old Kingdom • Used sun-baked, mud bricks as building materials • Farmers worked in fields and tended cattle • Made repairs to roads, built monuments, and dug ditches

The Pharaohs • Pharaoh means Great House

The Pharaohs • At first Egyptian rulers were called kings • Later they were called Pharaoh • The pharaoh was a ruler, a priest, and a god • He was at the center of Egyptian liferuling on earth as gods ruled in heaven

The Pharaohs • The pharaoh owned all the land but he gave gifts of land to rich Egyptians and priests • He ordered dams, irrigation canals, and granaries (storage for grain for times of poor harvests or drought) be built

The Pharaohs • He chose all government officials • He collected taxes from the people of Egypt • He was in charge of developing trade with other nations and his word was the law • Pharaohs were respected

The Pharaohs • Egyptians believed that everything that happened in Egypt depended on Pharaoh's actions • He carried out certain rituals- breaking the irrigation levees to let in the water to the land, drove a sacred bull around the capital city to bring the water level up, cut the first ripe grain

Pyramids

Pyramids • Great tombs of the Pharaohs • Constructed from 2650 – 1637 B. C. • The sun set in west, so they were built on the west bank of the Nile • Called “Houses of Eternity” • Designed to protect the pharaoh's body from floods, animals, and robbers

Pyramids • Egyptians believed the pharaoh should be happy in the afterlife. • Most were buried with their personal belongings of jewelry, food, clothing, weapons, and furniture • Walls inside the tombs were covered with picture writing that told the story of the pharaoh that was buried inside

Pyramids

Pyramids • Pyramids were built during the 3 months of year when Nile flooded • Made of granite and limestone blocks cut with copper tools • Stones were floated down the river and moved into place with ramps and human muscle power

Pyramids • The Great Pyramid • Larger than an areas of 10 football fields • Made with 2 million stones weighing more than 2 ½ tons • Stones were placed so the laid closely together to appear to made of 1 single stone

Old Kingdom • During Old Kingdom. Pharaoh was very powerful Egypt grew in prosperity and power Able to keep invaders out of Egypt Expanded trade Royal family starts to lose power after 4 th dynasty and nobles and officials rise in power- political instability