Ancient Egypt

1
Ancient Egypt

• The Gift of the Nile

2
Geography

• Longest River in the world
• More than 4000 miles
• Civilization developed on 750 miles
• Upper and Lower Egypt
• Valley is 13 miles wide
• Cataracts
• Delta
• Floods silt
• Upper flooded in midsummer
• Lower flooded in the fall

3
Civilization Develops

• Hunter-gatherers moved in about 12,000 yrs ago
• Developed the farm land
• Learned to control the water like Mesopotamians
• Crops wheat, barley, fruits, vegetables
• Animals cattle, sheep, fish, wild geese, ducks
• Natural borders allowed growth

4
Unification of Egypt

• Land of 2 crowns
• Red Lower
• White Upper
• Pe capital of Lower
• Nekhen capital of Upper
• Scorpion King had tried to unify Egypt before
  3100 B.C.

5
Pharaoh Menes

• Around 3100 B.C.
• King of Upper Egypt
• Invaded Lower Egypt
• Married a princess of Lower Egypt
• First to wear the double crown
• 1st PHARAOH means great house
• 1st Dynasty lasted 200 yrs
• New Capital Memphis

6
The Old Kingdom

• 1st 2nd Dynasties ruled about 400 yrs
• 2700 B.C. 3rd Dynasty began the Old Kingdom
  2700-2200 B.C.
• Political system pharaoh is king god
• Believed Egypt belonged to the gods
• Pharaoh came to manage the land

• People blamed pharaoh
• Hired family members to work in government

7
Pharaoh Khufu

• Most famous Old Kingdom pharaoh
• 2500s B.C.
• Legend says cruel records say otherwise
• Great Pyramid
• 13 acres 481 feet tall
• 2 million stone blocks
• People are STILL unsure how the Egyptians built
  it!
• Built for burial purposes
• Pharaohs began to out build each other!

8
Trade

• Nubia neighbor to the south
• Gold, ivory, slaves, stone
• Punt near the Red Sea
• Incense, myrrh
• Used for perfumes and medicine
• Syria near the Mediterranean Sea
• Wood cedar!
• Sinai Peninsula - becomes focus of turquoise and
  copper trade
• Trade routes begin to develop to from Egypt

9
Religion of the Egyptians

• Polytheistic society
• Before 1st Dynasty, each city worshipped own god
• Old Kingdom tried to put structure on the
  religion
• Temples became powerful centers in the ancient
  world
• Certain cities became centers for worship

10
Gods of Egypt
Ptah creator of the world
Osiris god of the underworld
Re, or Amon-Re sun god
Isis goddess of magic
11
Gods of Egypt
Horus sky god
Thoth god of writing and knowledge
Anubis god of embalming
Maat goddess of truth, justice, and harmony
12
The Afterlife
Ka a persons life force Body had to be
preserved in order for Ka to survive This belief
led to the practice of mummification
13
Mummification

• Embalming was the beginning of process (term used
  today)
• First organ removed was the brain
• Removed 4 organs

14
Mummification

• Heart was left intact, Egyptians believed this
  was the persons soul
• Natron was poured over body (600 lbs!)
• Left for 40 days

15
Mummification

• Body was then chiseled out of the natron covering
• Body would lose all its moisture (100 of 160
  lbs!)
• Body then wrapped in linen and sealed with resin
  and oils, this would take several days

16
Mummification

• Opening of the Mouth Ceremony
• Performed so the dead could speak in the
  afterlife
• Also perform this to open the other senses

17
Middle Kingdom

• Old Kingdom ended in chaos (too expensive)
• Mentuhotep II brought stability
• 2050 1750 B.C.
• Hyksos invasion
• Conquered Lower Egypt
• Used new weapon Horses and chariots

18
New Kingdom

• Marked Egypts 18th Dynasty
• 1550 1050 B.C.
• Return to Egypts glory days

19
Ahmose

• War hero
• New Kingdom Pharaoh
• Restored Egypt to world power
• Defeated the Hyksos
• Introduced the chariot and bow/arrow
• Changed military ranks allowed soldiers to get
  promoted

20
Building an Empire

• Decided to prevent future invasions by conquest
• 1st homeland of the Hyksos peoples
• 2nd Syria
• 3rd Eastern Mediterranean shore
• 4th Kush
• Empire extended from Euphrates River to Nubia in
  the south
• Assyrians, Babylonians, Hittite kings sent gift
  to prevent invasions

21
Queen Hatshepsut

• First female pharaoh
• Most successful woman until Cleopatra
• Ruled for 22 years
• Restored Egypt to world power
• Began trading with Punt
• Disguised herself as a man in public
• Murdered by her son Thutmose II

22
Ramses the Great

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• Military leader
• Great builder
• Moved capital from Memphis to Thebes
• War with the Hittites
• Pharaoh from the Bible?? Battled with Moses??
• Abu Simbel Abydos

23
Fall of Egypt

• Tehenu people to the west
• Built forts to protect the west
• Sea People
• Mysterious people that were strong warriors no
  real clue to their identity

24
Egyptian Achievements

• Hieroglyphics
• One of the worlds 1st writing systems
• Pictures represented words and phrases
• Used more than 600 symbols
• Benefits?
• Papyrus
• Made from reeds found along the Nile