Ancient Egypt

Where is Egypt?

• Egypt is in the continent of Africa.

• The River Nile runs through Egypt

• The capital of Egypt is Cairo

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 5003500

2625 B.C.Old KingdomBegins

1539 B.C.New KingdomBegins

730 B.C.Nubian DynastyRules Egypt

270 B.C.Meroitic PeriodIn Kush

Life in Ancient Egypt• Life centered around the

Nile river• Yearly floods brought

nutrients to the soil• The river was a main

route of travel

Social Pyramid of Egypt• Pharaoh• Upper Class

– Royal Family, Government Officials, Army Officers, Priests, Landowners, and Doctors

• Middle Class– Merchants, Manufacturers, and Artisans

• Lower Class– Unskilled Laborers and Farmers

• Slaves and Servants

Egypt’s Economy• Pharaoh was at the center of

the economy • Based upon Agriculture• Pharaoh took taxes on the

crops that were grown, and goods that were made

• Goods were “bartered” or traded for other needed goods

A System of Writing• Hieroglyphics

– Used to keep record• Scribes

– Record keepers– Original Accountants

• Papyrus– Paper made from plants

• Rosetta Stone– Transcribed Hieroglyphics,

Greek, and Demotic

Building the Pyramids• Built as tombs for the Pharaohs• Afterlife

– Housed everything needed for the Paraoh

• Khufu’s pyramid – Total number of blocks

• 2,300,000– One block’s average weight

• 2.5 tons– Number of blocks added each day

• 285

Children in Egypt

RICH• Children of Pharaoh swam in palace pools• Learned their parents trade• Spun tops, and played games

POOR• Swam in canals• Worked alongside their parents• Little time to play• Daily chores

People were not able to survive in theharsh desert and began to move intothe Nile River Valley.

The Nile River Valley has fertile land along each side of the river.

It is the world’s longest river. The river flows northward for more than 4,000 miles from its main source at Lake Victoria in central Africa.

The river flows to the MediterraneanSea where the Nile Delta is formed.

The land around the river is higherat the beginning of the river and lowernear the mouth of the river.The ancient people called the higherland in the south “Upper Egypt.”The land in the north, the delta area,was called “Lower Egypt.”

Lower Egypt was made up mainly of the Nile Delta.

The delta forms a huge triangle at the mouth of the river. Long ago the river broke up into many branches, but today there are only two.High cliffs surrounded the Nile in Upper Egypt. In some places there was a narrow strip of flat fertile land between the cliffs and the river.

The cliffs are made of limestone and sandstone.

The river hasn’t been able to cut a clear path through the hard granite and runs through cataracts, a series of rapids and waterfalls.

Upper and Lower EgyptBoth had rich soil.

The land was perfect for growing crops.People were able to settle around the river and farm instead of hunting and gathering.

Sound Familiar ?

Each year heavy rains in centralAfrica caused the river to overflowits banks. When the floodwatersdrained away, a rich silt remained.

The silt was a natural fertilizer.The dark soil was called “Kemet” meaning “black land.”

The Ancient Egyptians believedtheir god Hapi caused the yearlyflooding.

The yearly flooding continued until the Aswan Dam was built in 1972. Now the people use pumps, canals, and chemical fertilizer to keep the land suitable for farming.

The dry, barren lands of the Saharawere known as “Deshuret,” or theRed Land.

The Nile River cuts the eastern partof the Sahara in two.

The land on the west side of the riveris called the Western Desert.

The land on the east side of the river iscalled the Arabian Desert.

Wealthy landowners controlled almostall of the farmland.Farmers rented and the ownerstook part of the crop as payment.Typical crops included wheat, barley,onions, lettuce, and beans.

Farmers also raised cattle, goats, sheep,and pigs for food.MeatMilk products – including cheeseBeef – mainly for the wealthyMost could only afford beef for special days, so they caught fish or used nets to catch geese or ducks.

Plants and animals were important formore than just food.Fibers of flax plant – used to spin

linen threadSheep’s wool – woven into clothLeather – continers, sacks, shoesOther plants – sandals, boxes,

tabletops

Describe the Nile River.Why was the flooding of the Nile River so important to the Egyptians?

What is the difference between the Black Land and the Red Land?Please write your answers on the paper provided.

The Nile was know as the giver of life.

It united the populous of Egypt into one Nation-State.

Nation-stateA region with a singlegovernment and a unitedgroup of people.

predictTo be able to tell ahead of time.

inundation Yearly flood in Ancient Egypt.

afterlife

nome

Life after death

Towns that were capitals of city-states.

The Nile River affected all Egyptianactivities. Farming Religious Beliefs Ways of GoverningThe Nile was called the “Giver of Life” and helped bring the people together.

The Nile became a river highway.Ancient Egyptians became expert

shipbuilders.The first ships were made of reeds. Later ships were made of wooden

planks,and some were 60 feet long.Boats going downriver (north) could

use the strong current to travel.Boats going upriver (south) used sails

to catch the steady north wind.

Light rains upriver - no overflow Land baked in the sun – crops died

Too much rain at river’s source –Wild flooding

Crops washed away People and animals drowned

Common problems helped unite theAncient Egyptians. They were able to predict when

the yearly floods (inundation) would come.

To keep track of this event they created a 365 day calendar based on the sun.

The Egyptians divided the year into three seasons based on the river’s actions.

Inundation – the start of the new

yearEmergence – land emerged

frombeneath the

waterHarvest – the time when

crops wereready

Harvest – The final season. In mostyears farmers would havea large crop.

Very little rain fell in Egypt. The hot, dry climate was very harsh. The Ancient Egyptians developed irrigation so they could water their crops.

During Emergence they trapped water in ponds to use in case of drought.

They also built dams and dikes to hold back the river when there was too much flooding. Canals were built to carry excess water back to the river from the fields.

The Ancient Egyptians believed in manygods and used stories about themto explain events in nature. They believed the sun was a god that was born each day and died each night.

They believed religion was important to their survival in the Nile River Valley.

god of wisdom

goddess of love

ruled over the dead

god of the river

the sun god (most important)

The Egyptians prayed to their godsand believed in life after death.

A book of prayers called The Bookof the Dead was placed in their tombsTo be used as a guide in the afterlife.

About 5000 B.C. small farming villagesgrew up along the Nile.As populations grew, villages becametowns.Some towns became capitals of city-states called nomes. Leaders of nomescompeted for wealth and power.

By around 3,500 B.C. the city-statesjoined together forming two largekingdoms.The kingdoms were known as the “TwoLands.” (Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt)

Around 3000 B.C. the Upper EgyptianKings had gained control of LowerEgypt. Uniting Egypt marked theBeginning of the world’s first nation-state,which lasted for 3,000 years.

No one really knows. Legend saysKing Menes did. Some experts thinkKing Narmer did because in artworkhe is shown wearing a double crownthat combines the white crown of Upper Egypt and the redcrown of Lower Egypt.

How did the Nile bringpeople together?

What did the Egyptians do to controlthe river?How did the Egyptians explain eventsin nature?Why was uniting Egypt important?

dynasty

pharaoh

vizier

decrees

A series of rulersfrom the same family.

king

Important governmentofficial, advisor

commands

hieroglyphics

papyrus

pyramidmummy

Ancient systemOf writing using over700 symbols

Paper made from reeds thatgrew along the Nile.A burial place for the dead

A preserved body

Egyptians called their kings “pharaoh.” The word pharaoh means “great house”

and referred to the ruler’s palace. Pharaoh had total authority and was

believed to be the son of Re, the sungod.

Pharaoh was believed to be a link between man and the gods.

The pharaoh was obeyed withoutquestion.

The structure of the governmentdidn’t change.

Viziers carried out the pharaoh’sdecrees and took care of runningthe government.

There were many officials to helpgovern Egypt.

Officials collected taxes, planned

building projects, and enforced

laws.

Egyptians left written records. They developed hieroglyphics, a

system of writing.more than 700 symbols most stood for soundssome stood for whole

words or ideas

Scribes studied for years to learnhieroglyphics.

They also learned math. A scribe’s job often involved tax

collecting and record keeping. They wrote on stone and on papyrus. Books were scrolls – rolls of papyrus

joined end-to-end. Some were over100 feet long.

Scribes recorded Egyptian history.

The Old Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom

The New Kingdom

2625 to 2130 B.C.

1980 to 1630 B.C.

1539 to 1075 B.C.

Great achievements in building

Changes in government, trade expanded,changes in society

First full time army, empire expanded

Intermediate period

Intermediate period

Largest stone buildings in the worldBuilt as a burial place for the deadPyramids built for rulers and other

important peopleEgyptians believed they would need

their bodies in the afterlife.

Preserving a body took about 70 daysAll internal organs removed except the

heartOrgans placed in canopic jarsHeart – believed to be the home of the

soulBody covered with natron –a kind of

saltNatron absorbed the water in the body

Body was rubbed with special oils &

wrapped in linen clothEverything that a person might need

was placed in the tomb with the body.

The Egyptians believed the soul appeared before the god Osiris anda group of judges.

The dead person’s heart wasplaced on one side of a scale and a feather (thefeather of truth) was placedon the other side.

A balanced scale meant the soul wouldlive forever.

An unbalanced scale meant the soul was heavy with sin.

Egyptians believed the sinful soulwould be eaten by an animal thatwas part crocodile, lion, andhippopotamus.

Imhotep, architect for King Zoser, built the first stone tomb – a step pyramid.

Egyptians believed that pharaoh went toLive with Amon-Re, their most powerfulGod.

The step pyramid may have been Imhotep’s way to help the king “climb the stairway to heaven.”

The best known pyramids were built atGiza beginning in about 2600 B.C.The largest pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu.

The citizens of Egypt had to pay alabor tax by working for the government.As many as 10,000 farmers worked on the pyramids during inundation.

Workers cut and moved more than 2million stone blocks.

Each block weighed about 5,000 pounds.

The blocks were probably moved on sleds.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is about480 feet high and covers 13 acres.

Clothing – Women – long sleeveless

dressesmade of linen

Men – knee-length linen skirts with

or without short-sleeved shirtsMen & Women wore jewelry and

makeupWealthy often wore fancy wigs

Houses – made of mud brick & had ashrine for worship of household gods

Farmers worked for the governmentduring inundation.

Men – artists, carpenters, builders,stonecutters – worked 10 days, off 1 day

They listened to music, sang, & dancedat religious festivals & parties.

Women - in charge of household

matters, didn’t hold government jobs

Some women were craft workers.

Most weavers were women.

Women could own property and hadfull legal rights.

Children were seen as gifts from the gods.

They played games such as leap frog,tug-of-war, and wrestling.

Education – Girls learned weaving &

household skills from their mothers.

Boys learned their father’s trade.

Upper class children learned math,

literature, and writing.

Who controlled the land and people ofancient Egypt?

Why did the Egyptians preserve theirdead?

How did the Egyptian government getworkers to build the pyramids?

What were the periods between the three main kingdoms called?