Egyptians Culture

AIM: What were the accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians?

Do Now: Review What were the 8 basic characteristics of civilization?

HW: The Ancient Egyptians used their gods to teach lessons to the people. Create a story using some of the Egyptians gods & goddesses we discussed today.

Pyramids

The pyramids were built from LIMESTONE. The Great Pyramid, built for Pharaoh Khufu, contains over 2 million limestone blocks, each weighing roughly 2 tons!As the pyramids still stand today it is easy to see the ancient Egyptians knowledge in mathematics & geometry.

The diagram below shows the outside of the Great Pyramid.The buildings surrounding the pyramid are called MASTABAS, which were tombs that held nobles. The pyramids in front of the Great Pyramid were built for the Pharaohs Queens.A temple was built in front of the Great Pyramid to allow daily rituals, and where offerings were left.

The inside of the pyramid contained many different areas. Air Shafts Kings Chamber Other Chambers Grand Gallery Queens Chamber Underground Chamber

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound of natural rock. It is located in Giza where it guards the front of Khafras pyramid.

Legends have been told for many years about the Great Sphinx. These stories tell about the powers & mysteries of the Sphinx. Some people believe that there are hidden passageways or rooms underneath, but nothing has been found. yet!

Mummification: Process of embalming & drying corpses to prevent them from decaying.Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. They mummified the body so the soul could return later.

Anubis was the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died.After the embalming procedure, the mummys internal organs were placed in these clay Caponic jars.

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As you know, the ancient Egyptians practiced a polytheistic, animistic religion. Here are some of the key gods of the Egyptian religion. Notice their animalistic qualities. Next to each god you will see their name, and what they are a god of.

Ra the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians.Isis the protective goddess. She used powerful magic to help people in need.Anubis the god of embalming and the dead.Osiris god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld.

Seth the god of chaos.Atum the creator god. Believed to be the first god to exist. Sekhmet goddess of war.Horus god of the sky. Protector of the pharaoh.

The earliest form of writing in Egypt were pictographs, like the one you see below. Each picture stood for an idea. For example a picture of a bird would mean bird.

As time past, the scribes needed to find an easier way of writing. As a result, a newer form of hieroglyphics was formed. Another innovation came overtime. Papyrus, a paper-like material was developed. Now scribes could write on a more compact surface, instead of stone or clay.

As the Egyptian civilization declined, any chance of deciphering hieroglyphics was lost. That is until the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799.The Rosetta Stone contained a message in 3 different languages: HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics (in a simpler form)Greek

Finally, in 1822 the stone was deciphered!!

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