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