Ancient Egypt:

Timeline• Old Kingdom 2700 BC – 2200 BC

Pharaoh was god and king. Khufu—trade begins

• Middle Kingdom 2200 BC – 1550 BC

Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt—Ahmose regained power

• New Kingdom 1550 BC – 1055 BC Military conquests make Egypt rich. Trade routes are

developed. (Hapshepsut) Ramses the Great

Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River.

Hatshepsut encouraged trade.

Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria.

Egyptian power declined.

Large drainage project created arable farmland.

Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete.

Corruption and rebellions were common.

Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.

Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods.

Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.

Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.

NEW KINGDOM

MIDDLE

KINGDOM

OLD KINGDOM

Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt1

Geography• Egypt is located in

northeastern Africa • The Nile River runs the

length of the country flowing south to north

• The river begins in the mountains of Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea

• The climate is hot and dry, part of the Sahara Desert

http://www.worldcountries.info/Maps/GoogleMap-Egypt.phphttp://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/explore/ter.html

• The grassy areas of Africa slowly grew drier. (Desertification)

• People moved into the Nile Valley (fertile) & near the Mediterranean Sea

• the Nile “Giver of Life”

• Nile spreads out to form a delta--(silt)

rich soil.They called the dried out

desert surrounding this area Kemet

• The Red Land (Egypt).

Geography

• Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions: Upper and Lower Egypt

• Lower (northern) Egypt consisted of the Nile River's delta made by the river as it empties into the Mediterranean.

• Upper Egypt was the long, narrow strip of ancient Egypt located south of the Delta.

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html

The Nile River• The Nile was the

lifeblood of ancient Egypt

• It made life possible in the otherwise barren desert of Egypt.

• It is the longest river in the world (over 4,000 miles).

• It served as a source of food for the people of ancient Egypt

• It was the major source of water for bathing and drinking

• The Nile was crucial for farming

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/outlinemaps/

White & Blue Nile Meet in Sudan

Floodplain

Floodplain

• The low strip of fertile land located on either side of the Nile River

• The river flooded during the annual rains

• It left the earth soaked and overlaid with a fresh layer of black silt.

• Most of the farming occurred here

• Most fertile soil in Africa

Bordered on the south, east and west by the Sahara Desert, and on the north by the sea, ancient Egypt was protected from outside influences.

Great Sahara Desert

Facts About the Nile River

Length 4,184 miles

2 Sources Lake Victoria, Uganda (White Nile); Lake Tana, Ethiopia (Blue Nile)

Mouth Mediterranean Sea, off Egypt

Countries Flows Through

Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi

Name Origin Greek word Nelios, which means "River Valley"

• Nile flooded each year carrying silt.

• Many times the Nile flooded and

killed many people, crops, animals.

• By studying the sky, they learned to predict when flooding would occur

• Watched the star (Sirius)

• using the first 365 day calendar.

• --used irrigation, dikes, dams, canals

• Also worshiped many gods-nature

Religion• Belief that many

gods and goddesses ruled the world and the afterlife Amon-Re: sun god Osiris: god of the underworld and of the Nile

Isis: goddess of magic Horus: sky god

• The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a ruler

Falcon Headed Sun God

Religion

• Belief in eternal life after death. Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through the afterworld.

• Practiced mummification, the preservation of the body for use in the next

life.

Book of the Dead

Collection of spells, hymns, and prayers intended to secure a safe passage to the underworld for the deceased

•By 3000 BC Upper Egyptian kings had control of Lower Egypt--united by Menes•This marked the beginning of the world’s first organized government• represented one group--lasted 3000•The first dynasty was formed—33 pharoahs•Hatshepsut was 1st woman pharaoh (dressed as man) pg 97

Writing

Making paper from papyrus

What is hieroglyphics?• Hieroglyphics is the picture writing used in

ancient Egypt. The word hieroglyphics is made up of two Greek words - hieros, which means sacred, and glyphe, which means carving.

• The Egyptian hieroglyphic writing system consists of seven hundred picture signs.

• Papyrus (our word for paper)-great

invention--made it easier to write• scrolls up to100 feet long--libraries

Phonograms represent sounds, much as alphabet letters do. Ideograms are signs that represent whole words or concepts.

• The Rosetta Stone—hieroglyphics

unlocked the recorded history

of the ancient Egyptians in 1822

• --3 languages

• Obelisk-granite w/hieroglyphics

Pyramids

• Pyramid-more advanced than ziggarats

• 1st-step pyramid--tomb for ruler

• 2nd-slanting sides & pointed peak

• Burial tombs• Mummy--preserved

bodies

• Souls of the dead-ready for afterlife Riches and servants buried with pharoahs

• Giza--Paraoh Khufu had built for himself-- 20 years to build

• As many as 100,000 workers

• 2 million blocks of stone 5,000 lb /gold

Pyramids

The Great Sphinx

• In 1539 B.C. Egyptians took back

• the empire

• Amenhotep IV 1353 BC & wife, Nefertiti -- urged people to worship only one god, the Aton

• pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaton-angered priest--may have been murderedWhen Akhenaton died, 9 year old boy became pharaoh-Tutankhamen ruled only 9 years--tomb 3,300 years ago

Nefertiti

King Tut

Mythology

Egyptian goddess Isis, tomb painting, ca. 1360 BC.

HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSESServed gods and goddesses

PHARAOHEarthly leader; considered a god

NOBLESFought pharaoh’s wars

MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANSMade furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for

pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs

PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVESWorked in the fields and served the pharaoh

Social Classes2

Daily LifeThe Egyptians - Daily Life

http://www.egyptweb.norfolk.gov.uk/eglife.htm

Egyptian clothing was often made of linen and usually white. Strangely, both men and women wore blue and green eye shadow and black kohl eyeliner. And if they could afford it, they usually wore gold jewelry.