Ancient Egypt
Jan 22, 2016
Ancient Egypt
Central Question…
politics
laws
ethics nature
Pharaoh
afterlife
deities
art
Spirit Ba/ka
THE NILE was considered the SOUL as it was the source of life and path to immortality
Egyptians lived on Eastern side but buried on Western side
River was symbol of passage of one life to next (eternity)
Yearly flooding – essential for agriculture
Creation story began in swirling waters of the Nile when god Horus gave power to Pharaohs Click here for Creation
Story
Egyptian Deities What did the (gods
and goddesses) resemble? Why?
Why have so many gods and goddesses?
The deities married, had families and children- why?
O-D-H Activity
Egyptian God- THOTH God of Wisdom, Time,
Writing
Represented by a male body with the head of an Ibis.
Ibis=stork like bird with long legs and beak to catch fish in mud
Ibis, symbolized wisdom because beak shaped like a pen and dips in the mud as if it was ink
O-D-H Activity
•God of Vegetation and Underworld
•Represented by a male body with a greenish complexion and usually depicted wrapped in white linen
• The greenish complexion draws the connection with vegetation
• Wrapped in white linen like a mummy to connect with the underworld
Notice: Osiris’ legs are bound together like a mummy different from most Gods
Egyptian God- OSIRIS
Goddess: Ma’at
Ma’at- represented truth, righteousness and justice
GUIDING QUESTIONS
How would the concept of ma’at create balance and order in Egypt?
How would ma’at affect everyone (from the Pharaoh to the people)?
What is the connection of ma’at to life and the afterlife?
Egyptian TheocracyA theocracy is a form of government in which the
government (in ancient Egyptian case- the Pharaoh) claims to rule on behalf of a god or deities
Think aloud:-Why would a king promote the belief that he had the support of the gods?-How would theocracy create the idea of “divine kingship”?-How would the concept of ‘divine kingship’ affect the status of the pharaoh?
How did Pharaoh's rule?
•absolute rulers of the land
•believed to be the earthly embodiment of the god Horus who was the son of Amon-Re. Therefore they had the divine right to rule
•This allowed the Pharaoh to move between god and their people (hourglass analogy)
•People followed their orders because they believed they were from god = cult like status in life and in death
•No one would challenge the King’s authority and he could rule in relative peace
Fun Fact…
-The throne passed on to eldest son of Principal Queen who was usual the eldest daughter of the previous king therefore the king’s __________
Dress of the Dress of the PharaohPharaoh
What do you observe?
What do you observe?
What do you deduce?
What do you deduce?
What do you
hypothesize?
What do you
hypothesize?
Fit for a PharaohFit for a PharaohCrook and FlailCrook and Flail
Double CrownDouble Crown
Royal Cobra (Eye ofRoyal Cobra (Eye ofRa)Ra)
HeadclothHeadcloth
Shaved headsShaved heads
Prominent BeardProminent Beard
GoldGold
SceptresSceptres
Education
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
Education respected for creating a well rounded individual
Law Law was governed by religious principle
of Ma’at
Laws were applied equally to all classes specifically protected the family (children and wives)
Women shared the same legal rights as men (free slaves, make adoptions, divorce, own property)
Punishments for crimes could be quite severe- act as a deterrent or disgrace the guilty (Examples: minor crimes had 100 lashes; corrupt officials had their hands amputated; crimes that resulted in a death sentence could have choice= devoured by a crocodile, suicide, burning alive)
What determined Egypt’s Wealth?
Egyptian Wealth Agriculture made up
most of Egypt’s wealth – grain, vegetables, fruit, cattle, goats, pigs and fowl
Abundance and management of food supplies (not royal treasury) was the measure of Egypt’s wealth = full granaries, plenty of wildlife and fish, and thriving herds were the signs of prosperity. These were the images used in the tombs of the Pharaohs to illustrate the wealth of their reign
Economy and Trade
Simple economy based on food production and minerals from desert
access to the Mediterranean their routes extended trade as far as Northern Europe, subtropical Africa and the Near East
Trading was done by bartering goods (grain, oil, wheat)
Taxes, salaries and loans were all paid entirely on goods
extensive trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture, art, ideas and technology (ie. Western calendar was taken from the Romans who had borrowed it from the Egyptians)
Trade eventually grew and expanded, bringing new ideas and goods into Egyptian society
Social Roles
Role of Women
Well treated and had considerable legal rightscompared to other civilizations
Left women to 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
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 thrived as skilled trades were passed from father to son
Children always learned the trade from parents; seldom could choose occupation
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.
Afterlife: How is death is a
new beginning?
• mummification = significance and connection to nature
•Monuments = significance of stone
•Items in tomb = significance
Egyptian Art: “Funerary Scene” Ka (soul /spiritual duplicate)
ba (personality)
akh (form mummy took in afterlife)
ankh (the key of life)
Anubis, Ma’at, Ammit, Thoth, Horus, Osiris
BIG IDEA…
politics
laws
ethics nature
Pharaoh
afterlife
deities
art
economy
Social roles