Egypt

World History Core

Geography/Interaction with the Environment

Location West of the Fertile Crescent Africa Along the Nile River

Nile Floods yearly Flows NORTH (due to the elevation of the

highlands in Eastern Africa to the Mediterranean Sea)

Longest river (4100 miles)

Geography/Interaction with the Environment

“Gift of the Nile” 5th c. Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt

Predictable Floods Snows melted in highland which led to the

water flooding the Nile River region (every year around the same time)

Too Much WATER: ruin homes and granaries Not Enough WATER: poor crops and starvation

Geography/Interaction with the Environment

Deserts isolate and protect Small area of arable land Also provides protection from invaders

Upper and Lower Egypt

SOUTH

Higher Elevation NORTH

Lower Elevation

Geography/Interaction with the Environment

Delta 100 miles from the Mediterranean Sea Broad, marshy, Δ area of land formed by

deposits of silt at the mouth of a river

Power and Authority

Narmer United Upper and Lower Egypt

Combined the crowns of each to make one unified crown

Pharaohs God-King

Most powerful being

Theocracy Government based on religious authority

Power and Authority

Social ClassesKings, Queens, Royal Family

Upper Class: landowners, gov’t officials, priest, commanders

Middle Class: merchants, artisans

Lower Class: peasants and laborers

Power and Authority

Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt Old

2660 – 2180 BC Middle

2040 – 1640 BC New

1570 – 1075 BC

Religious and Ethnical Systems

Polytheistic Belief in more than one God

Re Sun God

Osiris God of the Dead

Isis Goddess, represents ideal mother and wife

Religious and Ethnical Systems

Ka Eternal life force

Afterlife A continuing life after death Anubis: God and guide of underworld

Judged deeds of people after they died• Weighed the heart, it had to be no heavier than a feather

to pass through the gates

Religious and Ethnical Systems

Mummification A method of preserving bodies Embalming/drying of corpus

Prevents decaying Book of the Dead

Scrolls of hymns/prayers for the afterlife to help guide the soul after death

Pyramids Elaborate tombs Filled with items people would need for afterlife Made of granite and limestone Each stone 2.5 tons

Religious and Ethnical Systems

King Tut Tutankhamen New Kingdom Pharaoh

Reign began at the age of 9 Made transition from Aten (monotheistic

religion) back to original, polytheistic religion One of the only intact tombs in the Valley of the

Kings

Cultural Interaction/Economics/Empire Building

Old Kingdom Led by pharaohs, 2660 – 2180 BC Limited Trade: due to geography

Middle Kingdom 2040 – 1640 BC Canal: built canal from Nile to Red Sea

Gave way to trade and transportation

Hyksos “Rulers from a Foreign Land”=Palestine Ruled Egypt from 1630 – 1075 BC

Cultural Interaction/Economics/Empire Building

New Kingdom 1570 – 1075 BC GOAL: strengthen empire

Hatshepsut• Woman pharaoh• Encourage trade instead of war

Thutmose III• Son of Hatshepsut• Eastward expansion to Palestine and Syria

Ramses II• Defended kingdom from Hittites

Hittites: from Palestine and Syria, Egypt had expanded to their area = bringing them to Egypt

Revolution

Amenhotep becomes Ikhnaton Changes name to Ikhnaton Tries to get Egypt to worship Aten (sun) only

making Egypt monothestic

Hatshepsut becomes first female Pharaoh Husband dies and his son is not worthy for

throne because his mother was a “lesser” Hatshepsut took over as Queen

Science and Technology

Hieroglyphics Picture form of writing

Rosetta Stone Papyrus

Reeds split and placed close together, wet and dried together

Calendar Track flooding and planting 365 days/12 months/30 days each/5 feast days

Science and Technology

Mathematics # system developed for tax and geometry purposes

Architecture Sphinx

Old Kingdom, located in Giza Considered guardians ½ human ½ lion

Valley of the Kings New Kingdom Pharaoh tombs

Medicine Discovered pulse Set bones Surgery