Chapter 2 First Civilizations: Africa and Asia 3200 – 500 B.C.

Chapter 2

First Civilizations:

Africa and Asia

3200 – 500 B.C.

2.1: Ancient Kingdoms of de Nile

The Nile The Nile river flooded yearly, providing a 10

mile strip of fertile land on either side of its banks

The “Black Land” was used by farmers to grow flax and wheat

The rest of Egypt, the “Red Land,” was primarily desert and sparsely inhabited

North vs. South

Egypt was actually two regions at the time, north and south

Upper Egypt was closer to the mouth of the river, while Lower Egypt contained the delta and Mediterranean coast

King Menes (3100BC) united Upper and Lower Egypt and used the Nile for transportation and communication,

The Kingdoms of Egypt

Egypt’s History is divided into three kingdoms: Old Kingdom (2700- 2200BC) Middle Kingdom (2050- 1800BC) New Kingdom (1550- 110BC)

Old Kingdom Old Egypt was ruled by

pharaohs, who claimed divine inspiration and were worshipped as gods

The pharaoh kept a vizier, who supervised the government, collected taxes, regulated farming, and maintained the irrigation systems

The Pyramids

The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom as temples to the gods and tombs for the dead

The Egyptians believed in an afterlife and embalmed the bodies (mummies) to preserve them

Workers hand-chiseled and hauled massive limestone blocks up earthen ramps to build the pyramids

The Pyramids at Giza

The Pyramids at Giza

The Middle Kingdom

Power struggles, crop failures, and the heavy cost of building pyramids signaled the end of the Old Kingdom

More than a century passed before Egypt would be united again under the pharaohs in the Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom saw the creation of a large drainage project which allowed for more usable farm land

The Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom was very turbulent with corruption and rebellion the norm

Egypt occupied gold-rich Nubia to the south Egypt was conquered by the Hyksos for a

century The Hyksos used horse-drawn war chariots,

which the Egyptians adopted The Hyksos were run out of Egypt after a century

of occupation

The New Kingdom

The New Kingdom saw the expansion of the Egyptian empire to the Euphrates River

This allowed for Egyptian culture to mix with those of Africa, Asia, and southern Europe

New Kingdom Rulers

Hatshepsut Powerful female ruler She encouraged trade

with eastern Mediterranean islands and the Red Coast of Africa

New Kingdom Rulers

Ramses II Extended Egyptian

rule to Syria Lead his soldiers to

victory against the Hittites

Produced a document, the first known to exist, proclaiming peace between the two peoples

Egyptian Decline

Following Ramses II, Egyptian power severely declined

New invaders such as the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans were eager to get their hands on the gold and fertile land of the Nile River Valley

Egypt and Nubia

Nubia, the kingdom to the south of Egypt, experienced a back and forth relationship

Nubians provided cattle, ivory, slaves, gold, and warriors to Egypt after their conquest

As Egypt declined, Nubia regained its independence and later took control of Egypt in 750 BC

The Nubians ruled Egypt as the pharaohs had once and treated the culture with great respect

Egypt and Nubia

The Nubians would later be driven out around 650 BC by the Assyrians, but would rule on for nearly 1000 years in their home lands

Ch2.2 Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian culture was based heavily on the gods and goddesses and the afterlife

The Tale of Osiris and Isis God of the Underworld Brother, Set Ankh – symbol of life

Osiris

Egyptian Religion

Each major phenomenon was ruled by a god The principle god in the Egyptian religion was

the sun-god, Amon-Re The pharaoh was also considered a god and

was the only one to hold ceremony with Amon-Re

Osiris and Isis were also very important Osiris was also god of the Nile and controlled

the annual flood Isis served as a role for women

The Afterlife

The gods Osiris and Isis promised life after death for all Egyptians

Each soul had to pass a test to enter the after life The dead soul would be ferried across a lake

of fire to the temple of Osiris Osiris would then weigh your heart against the

feather of truth Those found worthy would enter the Happy

Field of Food, guilty would be surrendered to the Eater of the Dead

The Afterlife

The Egyptians used the Book of the Dead to guide them to a successful afterlife The Book of the Dead contained spells,

charms, and formulas to reach the afterlife The Book of the Dead contains the Negative

Confession: “I have made no man suffer hunger. I have made

no one to weep. I have done no murder… I have not encroached upon the fields of another. I have not added to the weights of the scales to cheat the seller… I have not turned back water when it should flow… I am pure. I am pure. I am pure.”

The Afterlife

Mummification Egyptians believed the afterlife would be much

like life on earth and preserved the bodies of the dead for use in the afterlife

Bodies of the rich and powerful would be drained of blood, removed of their organs, stuffed with spices and preservatives, and carefully dried and wrapped in linen

The process was very costly and time consuming

Mummification

The Afterlife

Many pharaohs were buried in the pyramids at Giza, but others were buried in the Valley of the Kings

One such pharaoh included Tutankhamen, or King Tut

Tut died at the age of 18 and was a minor king

The tombs of many of the pharaohs were raided by looters because of their vast treasures of gold

The Afterlife

Egyptian Society

Early Egyptian society followed the usual class system described earlier

In the off-season, farmers helped build pyramids, temples, and serve the pharaoh

During the New Kingdom, trade and warfare increased, which allowed for increased social mobility

Egyptian Women

Egyptian women enjoyed more rights and freedoms than women elsewhere in the ancient world

Women could own property, enter business deals, buy and sell goods, go to court, and get a divorce

Women could also make textiles, perfumes, serve as priests to the goddesses, and doctors

Egyptian Woman

Egyptian Learning

Scribes were used to record everything from pharaoh’s orders, to ceremonies, taxes, gifts, to how to do math, medicine, and engineering

Scribes were one of the few professions that could easily elevate a peasant to a wealthy learned man

Hieroglyphics, an elaborate system of writing, was developed Earliest forms were carved into the stone walls

of temples and pyramids

Hieroglyphics

Scribes went from early ideograms to demotic, a simpler form of writing for everyday use

Scribes also invented a paper-like substance called papyrus, made from reeds that grew along the Nile

Major writings were still done on stone because it was more durable

Rosetta Stone

After the fall of the Egyptian civilization, the meanings of the hieroglyphics was lost

Not until the 1800’s, when Jean Champollion discovered the Rosetta Stone, could Egyptian writing be deciphered

The Rosetta Stone contained the same message written in hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek

This allowed scholars to translate ancient Egyptian writing for the first time

Rosetta Stone

Medicine and Science

Believed in magic Learned a great deal about the human body

through mummification Used herbal medicines and performed

complex surgeries Created the basis for our modern calendar

with 12 months of 30 days Used geometry and engineering to build

temples and pyramids

Arts and Literature

Arts and Literature

Ch2.3 City-States of Ancient Sumer

Need to Finish