NILE RIVER Central geographic fact is Nile River –Began in lakes of equatorial Africa and flows northward into the Mediterranean Sea –Passes through rocky.

NILE RIVER• Central geographic fact is Nile

River– Began in lakes of equatorial

Africa and flows northward into the Mediterranean Sea

– Passes through rocky ledges (cataracts) which causes rapids and small waterfalls

– Calms down 750 miles south of the Mediterranean

• This 750 mile stretch was ancient Egypt

– Narrow valleyUpper Egypt

Lower Egypt

Floods every fall, leaving

behind fertile layer of silt

Gave region capability to support an abundant

agriculture and large

population

MORE GEOGRAPHY• Nile also served as excellent

artery of communication– Encouraged early and lasting

political unification• Isolated by cataracts in the south,

the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and huge deserts to east and west– Would protect Egypt from

periodic waves of new people which so often disrupted Mesopotamia

– Allowed civilization to develop in relatively peaceful and stable conditions

• Gave them cheerful and optimistic outlook

PREHISTORIC EGYPTIANS

• Original settlers were a mixture of people from Nubia, Palestine, Syria, and Lybian Desert– Settled in small villages

• Gradually cleared valley of swamps and wild animals by 4000 BC

– Some evidence of Mesopotamian influence

ZOSER

• Settlements along Nile unified into a single kingdom around 3100 BC– Perhaps by Zoser

• Egyptian history begins with this act– Old Kingdom (3100-

2000 BC)– Middle Kingdom (2000-

1575)• Each period divided

into Dynasties

OLD KINGDOM

• Zoser established capital at Memphis in Lower Egypt– Most records from

this period have been lost

• Most of our knowledge today comes from monuments and tombs of pharaohs

PYRAMIDS

• Pyramids would be normal form of burial for pharaohs until 1500 BC– About 80 are still standing

• Most within 70 mile stretch of desert near Memphis

– Largest is the Great Pyramid of Cheops

• 481 feet high, made from 6 million tons of stone, covering 13 square acres

• Foundation is almost perfectly level and its sides perfectly squareGreat Pyramid

PHARAOHS

• Pharaoh was, in theory, all-powerful ruler– But as time went on

and government became more complex, he was assisted by growing bureaucracy

• Began to dominate pharaoh and act independently towards end of Old Kingdom

REASONS FOR DECLINE IN PHARAOH’S POWER

• Partly caused by enormous drain of pharaoh’s resources in maintaining pyramids and priests

• Partly due to custom of rewarding loyal officials with large estates and treasure

• Partly due to power struggles with the royal family

• By 2000 BC, central authority had virtually disappeared and the Old Kingdom was over– Country plagued by anarchyOld Kingdom

bureaucrat

MIDDLE KINGDOM• Egypt recovered from decay of Old

Kingdom and entered age of tranquility and progress– 2000-1575 BC

• Regained strength under 12th Dynasty pharaohs– Large sections of Lower Egypt

brought into agricultural productivity by irrigation projects

– Pharaoh controlled bureaucracy– Established loose political

control over Palestine and trade contacts with Syria and Mesopotamia

FALL OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

• When power and prosperity of Middle Kingdom began to decay, the country was invaded by the Hyksos– Semitic tribe– Took over northern half

of kingdom– Destroyed political unity – Region enter 100-year

period of chaos, foreign occupation, and economic stagnation

FUNDAMENTAL RELIGIOUS MYTHS

• Sun rose daily in the east and traveled to the west, where it entered a mystical netherworld– Fought off forces of chaos and disorder and then

emerged in the east the next morning with renewed strength

• Nile river passed annually through a cycle of birth and death– Flooded every fall and then receded, leaving

behind fertile silt• These events served as models of the unchanging

rhythm of the universe– Egyptians saw themselves as a part of all this

THE DIVINE PHARAOH

• Orderly world was conscious creation of the gods– But could be disrupted

by evil forces• To make sure that evil

forces never succeeded, the gods delegated Horus to guard over the balance and harmony of the universe and serve as pharaoh– Pharaoh was Horus in

human form

MUMMIES• When human form died, Horus

returned to heaven and then returned in a new human form– In short, Horus continually died

and was reborn in an endless cycle of succeeding pharaohs

– Explains why Egyptians went to such lengths to preserve the body of a dead pharaoh

• To ensure Horus’ safe journey back to heaven

– Built pyramids because they were meant to house the physical remains of what had once been a god

PHARAOH’S POWER

• Pharaoh’s authority was unchallenged and total (at least in theory)– Charged with being the shepherd

of his people• Symbolized by shepherd’s

staff– Sole source of law

• No written law codes– Obligated to administer law in

accordance with the natural order of the universe and with mercy

GODS

Seth

Nekhbet

Wedjet: half woman/half

cobra

Hathor

Some had human

form: Min, Ptah, Atum, and

Amon

Popularity of various gods rose and fell

with time

TEMPLES

• Temples build of stone and meant to last forever

• Laid out in a straight line with one room leading to another– Each one symbolically

further removed from the outside world

– Last room was were statue of god rested

• Only priests could enter this room

PRIESTS

• Were not a closed caste set above the rest of society– Ordinary laymen who spent part of

the year serving the gods and the rest of their time performing their secular occupations

• Played no ethical role, counseled no one, never tried to convert others– Sole function was to see that

temple operated properly and that the god was properly taken care of

• Religious technicians, not “holy men”

AFTERLIFE• Believed dead person had to be

provided with everything he or she might need to survive in the next world– Hence treasures piled in tombs of

pharaohs– Hence household items, agricultural

implements, tools and weapons in tombs of ordinary people

• Not sure what Egyptians thought their afterlife was like– Some believed it was just a

repetition of earthly life– Others believed souls became stars

after death– Others saw it as escape from

hardships of earthly life

ART• Tomb art not intended to be decorative

or artistic– Designed to serve a religious

purpose• to portray symbolically the things

that the dead person’s soul needed to survive in the afterlife

– Was also public• Served the needs of the state or

the gods• Never considered to be private

expression of an individual

HIERIOGLYPHICS

• Developed writing around 3000 BC– Always remained a clumsy

means of creative expression• Better for bureaucratic

reports than for literature• Very complex system

– Could only be mastered after years of study at special schools

• Because only small elite could read and write, there never was communication between writer and mass audience

LITERATURE

• Most concentrated on the greatness of pharaohs and the gods– Consisted of

repetitious refrains• Object was to evoke

strong feelings; designed for maximum verbal impact

• Intended to be read aloud at public events

WISDOM LITERATURE

• Developed at the end of the Old Kingdom

– Among scribes

– Practical advice on how to survive and advance in bureaucracy

• As time went on, it went beyond practical advice to aspiring bureaucrats and emphasized moral values

MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT I

• Both civilizations had powerful religious flavor– Religion dominated all aspects of life to a degree that

seldom occurred afterwards– Gods were seen as forces that directed and controlled

nature• Their ethical or moral qualities were at best incidental

– An ethical god would not appear until the development of YAHWEH by the Hebrews

• Had power of life or death over man– Frightened and/or inspired Mesopotamians and

Egyptians to devote so much energy, time, and wealth to religion

MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT II

• Mesopotamians in the grip of deep fear of their capricious and often cruel gods

• Egyptians more at ease with their more orderly and peaceful gods

• Difference influenced by geography– Wild rivers, rough terrain, and harsh climate of

Mesopotamia produced a pessimistic and brooding people– Totally predictable Nile produced a more optimistic and

cheerful people– Geography also fomented the early political unity of Egypt

and political fragmentation of Mesopotamia– Desire to control harsh environment caused

Mesopotamians to focus on science while appreciation of more gentle surroundings caused Egyptians to focus on art