Ancient Egypt

How did geography influence the development of civilization in Ancient Egypt?

• “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile” – Greek Historian Herodotus

• Egyptian civilization depended on the yearly flooding of the Nile river, which brought rich, fertile soil that allowed the people to farm and grow food

• Nile floods rich soil farming extra food civilization

• People had to cooperate to control the floods, which led to a need for organization and early government to build dikes, ditches, and reservoirs

Uniting Two Regions• Ancient Egypt had 2 regions: – Upper Egypt (in the South, where the Nile started)– Lower Egypt (in the North, at the Nile Delta)

• 3100 BC: King Menes of Upper Egypt united the two regions– Founded the first capital at Memphis (near the Delta)– One of the world’s first unified states (instead of just city-

states)– Used the Nile as a highway• For officials and armies• For trade with Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean

The History of Egypt

• Ancient Egyptian History is divided into 3 main periods:– The Old Kingdom (2575 BC-2130 BC)– The Middle Kingdom (1938 BC-1630 BC)– The New Kingdom (1539 BC- 1075 BC)

• Power passed from one ruling family (dynasty) to another• Land remained united

The Old Kingdom

• Egyptian kings (pharoahs) established a strong, centralized state

• Pharaohs– Had absolute power– Were seen as gods but also as humans– Were expected to behave morally– Had a chief advisor (vizier) that supervised the

government– Various departments were in charge of tax

collection, farming, irrigation organization, etc.

Social Structure in the Old Kingdom

Pharaoh

VizierBureaucrats

Aristocrats (nobles)

merchants & scribesPoor farmers (peasants)

The Great Pyramids• During the Old Kingdom, many pharaohs built

necropolises (cemeteries) with giant pyramids around Memphis

• The pyramids were homes for the dead for them to live for eternity– Dead pharaohs were provided with everything they

would need in the afterlife– Their bodies were preserved– mummies!– Pharaohs would begin to build their pyramids as soon

as they came to power

The Middle Kingdom• The Old Kingdom collapsed:– Power struggles– Crop failures– Expensive pyramid-building

• Finally, more than 100 years later, new pharaohs reunited the land and the “Middle Kingdom” started

• Not as strong as the Old Kingdom– Nile didn’t flood as regularly– Corruption and rebellions were common– 1700 BC: Hyksos people invaded and took over the

government for 100 years• Egypt and Hyksos shared technology and ideas

The New Kingdom

• New Egyptian leaders took power again from the Hyksos• Egyptian Pharaohs created a large empire that stretched

all the way to Syria and the Euphrates River• First female ruler during this time– Hatshepsut• Later, Egypt went to war with the Hittites under Ramses

II. They eventually signed a peace treaty (the first known one in history)

• After 1100 BC, Egyptian power declined as Assyrians and Persians conquered the Nile region. Finally, the Greeks took control…and then the Romans. The end.