Jan 17, 2018
Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt Egyptian Society The PHAROAH was at
the top of the social hierarchy.
Next to him, the most powerful officers were the VIZIERS and HIGH
PRIESTS, the executive heads of the bureaucracy, and religion. Next
were the ROYAL OVERSEERS (administrators) who ensured that the 42
DISTRICT GOVERNORS carried out the pharaoh's orders. At the bottom
were the SCRIBES, ARTISANS, FARMERS, & LABORERS. ROYAL PALACES,
were CITIES IN THEMSELVES, included separate residences, a temple
and a workers village. The HOMES OF THE WEALTHY were larger and
more luxurious.
SPACIOUS reception and living rooms opened onto a CENTRAL GARDEN
COURTYARD with a fish pond and flowering plants. Each bedroom had a
PRIVATE BATHROOM, and the walls, columns and ceilings were painted
with BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS inspired by nature. Elaborate and highly
DECORATED FURNITURE included beds, chairs, boxes and tables.
PAINTED CLAY POTS and vessels, as well as ALABASTER BOWLS AND JARS,
were also found in the homes of the nobles. A villa from the city
of Amarna CRAFTWORKERS lived in one- or two-storey FLAT-ROOFED
DWELLINGS made of mud bricks. The walls and roof would have been
covered with plaster and painted. Inside, there was a RECEPTION
ROOM, a LIVING ROOM, BEDROOMS and a CELLAR in which food and
beverages were stored. Food was prepared in an OUTDOOR KITCHEN
equipped with a mud-brick oven. Stairs on the exterior of the house
led to a ROOF-TOP TERRACE. Ancient Egyptian Housing
Middle Class Homes Peasant Homes Social Roles Role of Men Head of
the family
Men could have numerous wives but economically men had only 1 wife
Labourers, craftsmen Jobs were hereditary Jobs Labour required for
construction projects and was mostly filled by poor, serfs
Stability of Egypt thrivedas skilled trades were passed from father
to son Children always learned the trade from parents; seldom could
choose occupation Role of Women Well treated and hadconsiderable
legal rights compared to othercivilizations Same legal rights as
men (land, property, divorce) Women could be economically
independent Primary role was in domestic life Common title for a
married women in ancient Egypt was nebet per meaning the lady of
the house Bear and raise children Scenes of Ancient Egyptian Daily
Life Making Ancient Egyptian Beer Making Ancient Egyptian Wine An
Egyptian Womans Must-Haves
Mirror Perfume Whigs Egyptian Nobility Egyptian Priestly Class
Egyptian Scribe Papyrus Paper Hieratic Scroll Piece Papyrus Plant
Hieroglyphics Champollion & the Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone
What is the Rosetta Stone?
The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it in two languages
(Egyptian and Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic
and Greek). It was carved in 196 BCE. Why is it in three different
scripts? The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts (hieroglyphs
for religious documents; demotic- common script of Egypt; Greek-
language of the rulers of Egypt at that time) The Rosetta Stone was
written in all three scripts so that the priests, government
officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said. When was the
Rosetta Stone found? The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 by French
soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt (in a small village in
Delta called Rosetta (Rashid) What does the Rosetta Stone say? The
Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to
honour the Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the
pharaoh had done that were good for the priests and the people of
Egypt. Rosetta Stone Hieroglyphic Cartouche Hieroglyphics Alphabet
24 letters + 700 phonetic symbols History of Writing:
1)pictograms(sun= sun)2)ideograms (sun = sun, daylight, warmth,
light) 3)phonograms:symbols that suggest aparticular sound; related
ideas and also sound(Sun = sun, son, Sunday) Each hieroglyph found
in pyramids and tombs often symbolized more than one consonant. Not
only that, but actual Egyptian hieroglyphs were a combination of
sound-signs, pictograms, and ideograms. No wonder it was so hard to
decode them! Hmmm. Some birds, a half moon, a feather, and a oval.
Or maybe that half moon is a stone sticking out of the ground. And
maybe the oval is really a hole in the ground. Maybe what it means
is that two birds standing by a rock have a hole to jump in if
trouble happens by. That might make sense, but it's not quite
right. The pictures simply mean "water."Say what? How could that
possibly mean water, you ask? Good question. Want to know more?
Look at more hieroglyphs and see if you can crack the code. New
Kingdom= 700 hieroglyphs in common usage, while rest were
phonograms
100 were strictly visual, while rest were phonograms Eventually
scribes adapted hieroglyphic symbols By 700 BCE, script was refined
to the demotic (or popular script) was used for secular matters
such as letters, accounts and record keeping Education Original
purpose of schools was to train priests
Subjects taught Reading & writing Math Religious ceremonies
& rituals Eventually temple schools providedmore general
education Usually schools attended only by thewealthy Girls did not
attend school Taught domestic skills at home Students took notes on
scraps of pottery - Papyrus was expensive & only used by
advanced students Strict discipline Education Contributed to
stability and continuity of Egypt
All children, regardless of social class, received some education
Followed a moral and ethical guide Instructions in Wisdom Goal for
education was to ensure youth exhibited self control and good
manners At 14, young boys followed fathers in jobs, and girls
learned from mothers in the household Children of priests were
schooled more formally Literacy was stressed for government jobs
Education respected for creating a well rounded individual Egyptian
Math & Draftsmenship
1 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 What number is this? legal
traditions Law was governed by religious principle of Maat
GODDESS MAAT represented truth, righteousness and justice= balance
and order Laws were applied equally to all classes specifically
protected the family (children and wives) Punishments could be
quite severe- act as a deterent or disgrace the
guilty(Examples:minor crimes had 100 lashed; rapist were castrated;
corrupt officials had their hands amputated; crimes that resulted
in a death sentence could have choice= devoured by a crocodile,
suicide, burning alive) Religion Atum The Egyptians were deeply
religious people
religious roots were in the worship of nature deities their first
gods were in animal forms Those responsible for creation were the
most important gods (Atum is the creator God) They later developed
national gods around the Middle Kingdom (Amon- local god of Thebes;
gods of Dead:Osiris, Anubis, Horus and Thoth) Religion was
instrumental to stability of Egypt(life, social structure,
education, laws, rule of Pharaoh, economy, death, afterlife)
Egyptian Gods & Goddesses: The Sacred Trinity
Osiris Isis Horus Gods and Goddesses Creation Story GEB NUT TEFNUT
ATUM NUT MAAT HORUS
SHU ANUBIS ISIS Website: Gods and Goddesses ATUM Entering a Temple
MAAT -symbol of the equilibrium of the universe
Life and Death Life and death was measured in accordanceto Maat:the
goddess and symbol ofequilibrium of the universe and the king hadto
rule according to her principles Death viewed as a new beginning
Afterlife common to all, regardless of social status (preparation
varied as well as goods stored in tombs) 2 Common Principles: )body
preservation in a lifelike form2)the deceased must have items
necessary for life in the afterworld Personal belongings were
usually placed in the tomb to make the Ka more at home and to
assist the dead in their journey into the afterlife. Text was read
from the 'Book of the Dead' which was a collection of spells,
charms, passwords, numbers and magical formulas for the use of the
deceased in the afterlife. MAAT -symbol of the equilibriumof the
universe Ka (ones own spiritual duplicate; stored in heart and at
death was separated from body.The ka would inhabit the tomb to be
near the body) Ba (non physical element unique to each person such
as ones personality) Akh (form that the mummy takes to exist in
afterworld) Maat (truth, order and justice- essential to achieve
harmony with gods and entry to the aftelife) Book of Dead was
intended to guide the dead through the various trials that they
would encounter before reaching the underworld. Knowledge of the
appropriate spells was considered essential to achieving happiness
after death Mummification Mummification focused on Egyptian belief
of the importance of preserving the body Afterlife would be spent
enjoying best of life experiences Body covered with natron and
dried for up to 70 days Body wrapped in linen coated with resins
and oils Middle Kingdom became customary to place a mask over the
face Removal of organs (lungs, stomach, intestines, liver) in
Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of
four heads -- human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the
four protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus. brain was
sucked out of the cranial cavity and thrown away because the
Egyptian's thought it was useless. Preparations for the
Underworld
ANUBIS weighs the dead persons heart against a feather. Priests
protected your KA, or soul-spirit Materials Used in
Mummification
1. Linen Natron 2.Sawdust Onion 3.Lichen Nile Mud 4.Beeswax Linen
Pads 5.Resin Frankinsense Preparation for the Afterlife Queen Tiye,
wife of Amenhotep II 1210-1200 B. C. E.
Egyptian Mummies Ramses II B. C. E. Seti I B. C. E. Queen Tiye,
wife of Amenhotep II B. C. E. Journey to the Underworld
The dead travel on the Solar Bark. A boat for the journey is
provided for a dead pharaoh in his tomb. Weighing of the heart vs
Maat Judgment of scale record of the outcome
Anubis Horus Osiris This scene depicts what occurs after a person
hasdied, according to the ancient Egyptians. panel of 14 judges Ka
(soul /spiritual duplicate), ba (personality) ankh (form mummy took
in afterlife / the key of life) Weighing of the heart vs Maat
Judgment of scale record of the outcome This scene depicts what
occurs after a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians.
Beginning with the upper left-hand corner, the deceased appears
before a panel of 14 judges to make an accounting for his deeds
during life. The ankh, the key of life, appears in the hands of
some of the judges. Next, below, the jackal god Anubis who
represents the underworld and mummification leads the deceased
before the scale. In his hand, Anubis holds the ankh. Anubis then
weighs the heart of the deceased (left tray) against the feather of
Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice (right tray). In some drawings,
the full goddess Ma'at, not just her feather, is shown seated on
the tray. Note that Ma'at's head, crowned by the feather, also
appears atop the fulcrum of the scale. If the heart of the deceased
outweighs the feather, then the deceased has a heart which has been
made heavy with evil deeds. In that event, Ammit the god with the
crocodile head and hippopotamus legs will devour the heart,
condemning the deceased to oblivion for eternity. But if the
feather outweighs the heart, and then the deceased has led a
righteous life and may be presented before Osiris to join the
afterlife. Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom stands at the ready
to record the outcome. Horus, the god with the falcon head, then
leads the deceased to Osiris. Note the ankh in Horus' hand. Horus
represents the personification of the Pharaoh during life, and his
father Osiris represents the personification of the Pharaoh after
death. Osiris, lord of the underworld, sits on his throne,
represented as a mummy. On his head is the white crown of Lower
Egypt (the north). He holds the symbols of Egyptian kingship in his
hands: the shepherd's crook to symbolize his role as shepherd of
mankind, and the flail, to represent his ability to separate the
wheat from the chaff. Behind him stand his wife Isis and her sister
Nephthys. Isis is the one in red, and Nephthys is the one in green.
Together, Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys welcome the deceased to the
underworld. The tomb-owner would continue after death the
occupations of this life and so everything required was packed in
the tomb along with the body. Writing materials were often supplied
along with clothing, wigs, and hairdressing supplies and assorted
tools, depending on the occupation of the deceased. Often model
tools rather than full size ones would be placed in the tomb;
models were cheaper and took up less space and in the after-life
would be magically transformed into the real thing. Things might
include a headrest, glass vessels which may have contained perfume
and a slate palette for grinding make-up. Food was provided for the
deceased and should the expected regular offerings of the
descendants cease, food depicted on the walls of the tomb would be
magically transformed to supply the needs of the dead. Images on
tombs might include a triangular shaped piece of bread (part of the
food offerings from a tomb). Other images might represent food
items that the tomb owner would have eaten in his lifetime and
hoped to eat in the after-life. Life was dominated by Ma'at, or the
concept of justice and order. Egyptians believed there were
different levels of goodness and evil. Egyptians believed that part
of the personality, called the Ka, remained in the tomb. Thus
elaborate and complex burial practices developed. The removed
internal organs were separately treated and, during much of
Egyptian history, placed in jars of clay or stone. These so-called
Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of
four heads -- human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the
four protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus. Egyptian
Book of the Dead Shabtis:The Pharaohs Servants in the Afterlife
Stepped Pyramid at Saqqara Bent Pyramid of King Sneferu Giza
Pyramid Complex Plan of the Great Pyramid of Khufu Pyramids were
part of a FUNERARY COMPLEX
Pyramids were part of a FUNERARY COMPLEX. The complex includes a
PROCESSIONAL CAUSEWAY that links a FUNERARY TEMPLE to the pyramid,
SOLAR BARQUES buried on the four sides of the pyramid, and MASTABAS
and smaller pyramids where the family of the king and nobles were
buried The Valley of the Kings Archaeologist, Howard Carter (1922)
Entrance to King Tuts Tomb King Tutankhamons Death Mask
B. C. E. King Tutankhamon King Tutankhamuns Tomb Treasures From
Tuts Tomb The Valley of the Queens Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
B. C. E. Ankhenaton: First Monotheist?
B. C. E. The Ankh The Cross of Life Queen Nefertiti Abu Simbel:
Monument to Ramses II
B. C. E.