Egypt

1ESO. HISTORY

1. Ancient river civilizations2. Ancient Egypt

2.1. The Nile2.2. Historical evolution2.3. Political power: the pharaohs2.4. Egyptian society2.5. Everyday life in ancient Egypt2.6. Egyptian religion2.7. Egyptian tombs2.8. Egyptian art

The first historical civilizations (those that use writing) appeared on the banks of large rivers (Tigris and Euphrates, Nile, Indus and Huang He) around 3500 BC.

They appeared in very distinct places but they share some characteristics:

These rivers sometimes overflowed and flooded the valleys, so the land produce abundant harvest, which led population growth.

The villages developed into large urban settlements.

The need to organise life in the cities created strong political power and hierarchical societies.

Ancient Egypt is one of the most important civilizations in History.

It emerged 6.000 years ago, along the River Nile.

Ancient Egyptians lived near the River Nile because of the fertile lands (floods).

The desert around isolated them from their enemies.

They also use the river as communication. Sailing ships transported people and goods along the river.

They had a god to represent the River Nile (Hati).

Ancient Egypt was divided into two areas:

Lower Egypt (the delta, in the north).

Upper Egypt (the Nile river valley)

Egypt developed from 4000

until 31 BC.

Draw a timeline in you notebooks with the historical evolution we’ve studied.

Egyptians called their king pharaoh.He had absolute power he

controlled everything: laws, land, trade, armies…

The pharaoh was a god: Nobody touched his body. Nobody could look at the pharaoh face. They believed that he had magical

powers.

They used symbols of power and royalty.

PRIVILEGED CLASSPharaoh: at the top with his family. Government officials: they owned a lot of

land and were very wealthy.Priests: they conducted religious rites and

controlled the land around the temple. Soldiers: they had some privileges. Scribes: they calculated taxes, organised

the army and transcribed the pharaoh’s orders.

Seated Scribe from Saqqara (Old Kingdom. Around 2500 BC)

The COMMON PEOPLE (majority of the population)

Merchants: sold goods (textiles, perfumes, wood…)

Craftsmen: they produced the things that merchants sold (textiles, pottery, papyrus, etc.)

Peasants: they had to work the land belonged to the pharaoh, the nobles and the temples. They also helped build pyramids and temples without any compensation.

Servants: free people who earned a low salary.

Slaves: no rights at all. They were war prisoners. They built monuments, worked in mines, etc.

Craftsmen in Ancient Egypt

Peasant in Ancient Egypt

WOMENThey had more freedom and rights than in

other ancient civilizations. Their role was mainly at home but they could

work. They did not have legal or economic restrictions.

The marriage was based on mutual affection and they could divorced.

The Pharaoh could have many wives but there was a chief wife, the favorite, who had a higher status.

There were important women such priestesses and some Pharaohs as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra.

Draw a diagram showing the different social groups of Ancient Egypt.

Why were scribes part of the privileged class?

Wealthy people had residences made of stone surrounded by high walls. These large houses and many rooms and buildings.

There were few cities. The city was where the pharaoh and the nobles lived, the cities also attracted traders and craftsmen from all over Egypt.

Most people in Ancient Egypt had a very simple diet. Their staple foods were beer and bread together with dried fish, lentils and peas. They also ate fruit (figs and grapes) and used honey and dates as natural sweeteners.

The wealthy had much more varied diets that included meat and vegetables.

Egyptian clothing was also very simple. Children were usually naked, women wore a linen robe and men wore a cloth tied at the waist with a belt.

The wealthy wore jewels, diadems…

How were the houses of the wealthy people different form those of peasants?

Why do you think traders and craftsmen settled in cities?

Draw a table and classify the foods in Ancient Egypt according to the different social groups.

They were polytheistic.They had a lot of gods:

Important gods: Ra (the Sun), Osiris (dead), Isis (fertility), Horus (war), Anubis (underworld)…

Certain animals, such as the crocodile. Natural features, e. g. River Nile. People, such as the pharaoh.

• Each god had a temple, a feast day and rituals.

Mummification by Anubis

Canopic jars

ActivitiesMatch the names with the description:OsirisIsisHorusAnubisRa

FertilityWarUnderworldDead Sun godPut the following actions in chronological

order:•The dead presented themselves for the Judgement of Osiris•Offerings and statues were placed in the tombs of dead•The body was mummified•The soul passed into the afterlife.

ARCHITECTUREColossal size. Made of stone. There were two types of buildings:

Tombs.Temples: homes of the gods.

TOMBS

Burying the dead was a big event in the lives of Egyptians. Only the pharaohs and the wealthiest nobles had large tombs. Poor people were buried in pits or beneath the desert sands.

Mastaba: Rectangular tombs with flat roof. Later, they developed into pyramids.

Pyramid: Monumental tombs designed to protect the pharaoh’s body and avoid robbery. They had rooms and passageways.

The pyramid entrance was hidden and pathways to false funeral chambers were built.

Hypogeum: due to frequent robberies, pharaohs were buried in underground tombs that were richly decorated with paintings and engravings.

Many written text preserved: literature, religious, scientific and technical treatises, etc.

They wrote over papyrus and inscriptions.

They used hieroglyphic writing: composed of symbols and drawings.

They had elementary mathematics and geometry.

They had advance medicine for the times. They had simple surgery and they could treat fractures.

They also created a calendar that divided the year in 365 days and every day had 24 hours.

We can understand the hieroglyphic writing thanks to the Rosetta Stone.

The

Rosetta

Stone

http://www.hyperstaffs.info/work/history/nixon/versions/flashindex.html

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Egyptians/egyptiansmain.htm