CHAPTER 4

ANCIENT EGYPT THE GIFT OF THE

NILE

MODERN EGYPT

Geography/Climate• Temperature can be 100+ in desert and high 80s

elsewhere• Hot dry summers• 3% arable land• Suez Canal• 84 million• 36% of population in under 15 years old• Most cities by Nile River

MODERN EGYPT

Culture/Religion• 94% Muslim• Arabic is language• Muslim Holy day is Friday• Family is valued

MODERN EGYPT

History• British protectorate• 1953 become republic• Close to other Arab countries• 7 Day War• Suez Canal• Anwar Sadat assassinated• Violence from extremist• Recently are struggling with democracy• Military is in charge of country

MODERN EGYPT

1 in 5 poor

Hosni Mubarak – 30 year ruler – military replaced

and arrested him

Most Sunni Muslims

Was a monarchy in the past

U.S. kept from becoming communist

MODERN EGYPT

27.3 M unemployed

82% of unemployed have HS diploma

Produce – petroleum and related products

Industry along the Nile

ANCIENT EGYPT

Geography played a huge role in shaping every

aspect of Egyptian culture.

97% of Egypt is bleak uninhabitable desert.

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ANCIENT EGYPT

Would be an empty wasteland if the Nile River did

not cut it in half.

Flows north and ends in channels forming a delta

It is the world’s longest river.

ANCIENT EGYPT

Gradual flood occurs each June and returns to

normal level by October.

Allows life because receding water leaves rich soil.

Kemet = “the black land”

Perfect for farming

Could grow 2 successive crops before next flood

ANCIENT EGYPT

Flood plain is 3% of Egypt

A few mile strip of paradise several 100 miles long

Most of population lives near Nile (80.72M)

Boundary between rich farmland and desert is

absolute.

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

Life, birth and rebirth is essential to Egyptian

religion

Egyptians were aware of the river cycles

Prayed to the river

Sun dominates Egyptian life.

Sun is born in the east and dies in the west.

Egyptian gods in the east and people buried in the

west.

ANCIENT EGYPT

Believed that people were reborn like the sun and

the river.

Reason for mummification was for the next life.

ANCIENT EGYPT

Isolated deserts to the east and west

Mediterranean Sea to the north

Difficult to travel from south to north due to

cataracts (?)

Physical isolation lets Egyptians dwell unbothered

unlike Mesopotamia

Egypt is eventually invaded

ANCIENT EGYPT

Divided into separate districts called nomes that

are similar to counties

Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt

Narmer 3100 BC unites Upper Egypt and defeats

Lower Egypt uniting the region

Egypt becomes a unified country within it’s natural

borders with Memphis as the capital

ANCIENT EGYPT

Saqqara Land of the Dead in West

Imhotep builds 1st pyramid (tomb or mestaba) out of

stone instead of mud

Shape represents steps to heaven

500 feet tall with 2 ton blocks

2 million pieces

Tallest structures until the Eiffel Tower 4000 years later

ANCIENT EGYPT

Built pyramids during the flood months when they

couldn’t farm

Honored pharaohs – not slave labor

Others want their bodies preserved for life after

death so other tombs surround pyramids

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

138 pyramids

Saqara and Giza

10s of thousands of workers

Most pyramids destroyed by desert sand

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT

Aristocrats gain power and economy becomes

strained

Old kingdom ends and it goes back to the nomes

1st Intermediate Period 2181 to 2141 BC – chaotic

with criminals, thieves and robbers

ANCIENT EGYPT

Mentuhotep unites Egyptians again in 2040 BC to

1782 BC which is known as the Middle Kingdom

Middle Kingdom’s kings are tested by aristocrats

1782 to 1570 BC – 2nd Intermediate period as

kingdom falls apart

Hyksos invades and conquers Lower Egypt uniting

kingdom once again

THE HYKSOS INVASION & REUNIFICATION

Hyksos invaded from Ancient Near East

Debate over whether they invaded or just migrated

Introduced metallurgy and chariots so they

dominated Egyptians

Chariots then became a central part of Egypt

Thebes and nomes unite and chase Hyksos to

Palestine

THE HYKSOS INVASION & REUNIFICATION

The New Kingdom 1570-1075 – Egyptian Empire (over 500

years)

Sent armies beyond their borders to seek wealth

Gold flows in from south

Trade and fought outside empires

Pharaohs became very wealthy

Fought Hittites

Pharaohs wanted life after death with all their possessions

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Old tombs robbed

Mummies destroyed losing chance at eternal life

New tombs were a secret and were underground in

desert valleys

Tombs were sealed and magnificent

Small rooms with multiple levels and treasures

Pharaohs spent most of their reign constructing

tombs

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

All tombs found and eventually robbed

King Tut died young and had a small 4 room tomb

put together quickly

Was a nobody whose tomb was forgotten

1924 Howard Carter found tomb – Tutunkhamen

Coffin was gold, in gold encased gold box

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

Akhenaten – monotheism

Rameses II – great builder

LATER EGYPTIAN RELIGION

Kingdom fragments again – 3rd Intermediate Period

Assyrians and Persians conquer at times

Isis and Osiris – married brother and sister

(common then)

Set is jealous evil brother who throw Osiris in a

box in the Nile

Isis searches and finds him

LATER EGYPTIAN RELIGION

Set then chops him into 14 pieces and Isis goes

searching again

Finds 13 of 14 pieces and puts him back together

Signifies the long journey of life for immortality

14th piece was replaced with a piece of wood!

MA’AT & THE AFTERLIFE

Ma’at = morality, justice, order and universal

equilibrium that lets you gain entrance to the

afterlife

Soul had to go on a journey before becoming

immortal

Believed you had to live a good life (today?)

Soul was located in your heart

If you were bad a monster ate your heart

MA’AT & THE AFTERLIFE

Next step was to meet with 42 gods and take an

oath in order to go to eternal paradise

Mesopotamians had an unstable view of the

universe compared to predictable view of the

Egyptians

Mesopotamians went to the underworld and

stumbled through constant desert and darkness

forever with no water and eating dust.