EGYPTTHE GIFT OF THE NILE

GeographyEgyptian civilization emerged in the Nile River Valley

The Nile is the longest river in the world - 4,000 miles longThe Nile flows from Lake Victoria, located in east central Africa, northward to the Mediterranean Sea

Three main regions of Egypt:Upper EgyptLower EgyptNile Delta

The richest and most fertile soil found anywhere in Africa is found in the Nile Delta

Delta = a triangular region formed at the mouth of a river by deposits of silt

Water from the Nile was used for: - Irrigation, drinking, bathing, transportation

Yearly flooding left silt which made rich soil

The Nile was controlled by dams

Known as the Bread Basket of the Mediterranean

Egypt also had natural barriers that gave protection from invaders and a sense of security

Deserts to the east and west (especially the Sahara)Red Sea to the eastMediterranean Sea to the northCataracts on the southern part of the Nile

Cataracts = rocky stretches marked by swift currents, rapids, and waterfallsThere are six cataracts

HistoryFirst farming villages appeared in 5000 BC

Consolidated into two kingdomsKingdom of Lower Egypt – worshipped a cobra goddessKingdom of Upper Egypt – worshipped a vulture goddessSpoke different dialects and had different customs

Dynasty = a series of rulers from the same familyThere were a total of 31 dynasties

Egyptian history is divided into three major periods which are characterized by long-term prosperity and strong leadership

Old KingdomMiddle KingdomNew Kingdom

Between these periods were times of chaos and invasion known as Intermediate periods

Old Kingdom 2700 - 2200 BC• Age of prosperity and splendor

• Powerful rulers took the title of pharaoh

• Kingship was a divine institution and pharaohs had absolute power– Belief that the pharaoh was a god in human

form– Pharaohs and his priests had to perform

elaborate rituals everyday– Egypt was a theocracy, a state ruled by a

religious figure

• Surrounded by a well-established bureaucracy– Bureaucracy = a highly structured

organization, often governmental, managed by officials who did what the pharaoh wished.

Pyramids were first built during the Old KingdomPyramids were tombs for dead pharaohs

The Great Pyramid was constructed at Giza by King Khufu

Took 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build itThe Great Sphinx guards the Great Pyramid

Most pharaohs started building their pyramid as soon as they began their rule

Workers built the pyramids from the inside out

Most of the workers were peasants, not slaves, who were required to work for the govt one month out of the year

Religion• Egyptians were polytheistic, had many

important gods and goddesses– Key god was the god of the sun = Re or

Amon-Re – Father of the pharaohs.– Anubis = protector of the dead– Osiris = introduced civilization into Egypt,

also became a judge of the dead– Isis = goddess of nature and protector of

women– Horus = god of the sky, pharaohs are

human forms of this god

• Believed that gods controlled all natural events

• Priests performed rituals to fulfill the needs of the gods– Believed that the rituals refreshed the gods and kept them

alive– In return the gods would grant the pharaohs immortality

and bring prosperity to Egypt

SocietySimple social structure

Pharaoh and royal familyGov’t officials, priests, military leaders, scribes, landowners, doctorsArtisans and merchantsPeasant farmers – made up 90% of the populationslaves

Lived in family unitsPatriarchical society, husband in charge, but wives well-respectedGeneral rule was one marriage at a time

Women kept property and inheritance even after marriage

There were divorces, with compensation for the wife

People married young and had arranged marriages

Pharaohs often married their sisters to keep the royal blood pure

Many upper class people shaved their heads and wore wigs, for both fashion and sun protection

Also wore dark eyeliner as a form of sun protection

AdvancementsMain writing system was hieroglyphics– Used picture symbols to represent objects, sounds, and ideas– Carved into stone and written on papyrus – Developed in 3200 BC, considered one of the world’s first writing

systems - Only Sumerian cuneiform is older

• In 1799 a French soldier found a granite slab, now called the Rosetta Stone, which enabled historians to read hieroglyphics

Math– Used geometry to survey flooded land– Used math to build monuments– Could calculate volume and area

• Developed an accurate 365 day calendar

• Mummification led to medical expertise in human anatomy– Doctors set broken bones, treated wounds, performed simple surgical

procedures, and even removed some types of tumors– Doctors also encouraged regular bathing

Mummification• Central belief of the Egyptians was a belief in the afterlife

• Egyptians believed that people had two bodies, a physical one and spiritual one they called the ka– When a physical body died, the ka escaped– The ka was essentially an individuals personality separated from the

body– If the physical body is preserved, the ka could return– If the body decomposed, the ka would shrivel and vanish

• Practice of mummification = slowly drying a dead body to preserve it and stop it from rotting– Run by priests primarily for wealthy families who could afford it

• Discovered after early Egyptians buried their dead in the desert, found that the bodies were being preserved– Unfortunately jackals were eating the dead bodies

• Steps of mummification– Remove all internal organs– Brain was liquefied and drawn out the nose– The heart was left inside – controlled emotions and intelligence– Organs were placed in canopic jars to be buried with the mummy– Body was packed with various materials to help keep its shape– Salts were placed on the body to dry it out– Finally the body was wrapped in strips of linen

• Dead Egyptians were buried with their material possessions and sometimes loved ones or pets and servants

• Rooms were stocked with supplies and material goods for the return of the ka– Also believed that people in paintings on the wall would come to

life as well

FAMOUS PHARAOHS

• Hatshepsut– Took power after her husband the pharaoh died

• Officially she was only regent for her young son

– However she proclaimed herself pharaoh, the first woman to do so

– She dressed like a man and wore a false beard• All statues of her made her out to be a man

– Best known for a successful trading expedition that went to a kingdom on the Red Sea

– After her death, her nephew became pharaoh and destroyed almost all of the statues of his aunt

• Amenhotep IV– Took the name Akhenaten– Tried to make Egyptians monotheistic by only

worshipping one god, Aten the sun god– Banned the worship of all other gods and goddesses

• Tutankhamon– Son of Amenhotep, restored the worship of Egypts

traditional gods

• Ramses II the Great– Great military leader, stopped the Hittites from invading

and married a Hittite princess– Ramses ruled for 60 years and brought much wealth to

Egypt– Built more temples and monuments than any other

pharaoh– Most admired pharaoh