The Egyptian Empire About 1450 B.C.

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Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt

• app. 10,000 sq. miles

• the same as Sumer and Akkad

• radically different in shape

• a ribbon of fertile land 600 miles long– half a dozen miles wide for most of its length

• compared to 165 miles in Mesopotamia

Egypt, con’t Egypt, con’t

• more arid and more fertile than Mesopotamia

• divided into two parts

• the Delta (Lower Egypt) and the Upper Nile

“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” – Herodotus

People settled and established farming villages along the Nile.

Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil.

Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches.

Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt.

The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.

Geography of the Ancient Nile Valley

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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 Egypt

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Early Dynastic Period c.a. 3100-2700 B.C.

The Old Kingdom c.a. 2700-2200 B.C.

First Intermediate Period c.a. 2200-2050 B.C.

The Middle Kingdom c.a. 2050-1652 B.C.

Second Intermediate Period c.a. 1652-1567 B.C.

The New Kingdom c.a. 1567-1085 B.C.

Post-empire c.a. 1985-30 B.C.

Historian have divided Egyptian history into three major periods: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. These were long periods of stability characterized by strong monarchical authority, competent bureaucracy, freedom from invasion, much construction of pyramids and temples, and considerable intellectual and cultural development and activity. These major periods were punctuated by ages of political chaos known as the Intermediate Periods, which were characterized by weak political structures and rivalry for leadership, invasions, a decline in building activity, and a restructuring of society.

Two Kingdoms, 3,500 B.C.Two Kingdoms, 3,500 B.C.

• two kingdoms

• upper and lower Egypt

• same culture

• same language

• same gods

UnificationUnification

• tradition is the only source

• Date? around 3000 (3200?) B.C., or so....

• Menes (Namar) the first pharaoh

• reigned for 62 years

• killed by a hippopotamus (ah, well...)

A mural of Narmer or Menes conquering Lower Egypt (c.a. 3100 B.C.)

Culture and CivilizationCulture and Civilization

• Egyptian culture distinctive and peculiar• already set prior to unification • continued to evolve through the Old

Kingdom period• by the Pyramid Age (3-4th dynasties, ca.

2700 B.C.) • it was set and would not change for 2,000

years

The first pyramid built was the graded one of Zoser, which exists even today, in Sakkarah, the necropolis of Menphis. Built in the year 2650 BC by the architect Imhotep, initially it was supposed to be a mastaba but later floors were added until they reached six. It is the oldest monumental work in stone known to man that exists. Its exterior walls, of white limestone, measures 545 metres from North to South and 227 metres from East to West. The wall has 14 doors, 13 of them false. Its height is 66 metres. In its interior, lies the sepulchral chamber of the Pharaoh Sneferu with cladding of pink granite and sealed with a block of stone of three tons weight.

The Pyramid of Meydum The Bent Pyramid

The Great Pyramids of GizaThe Great Pyramids of Giza

The new pharaoh established their capital at the strategic site of Memphis, just south of the delta, and over the next several centuries consolidated their rule. Probably no other dynasty in history has been so successful in creating an effective yet apparently timeless form of government. For thousands of years Egyptian pharaohs were able to convey to their subjects a sense of permanence and eternity while constantly adjusting the system to meet new needs. (Nagle, 23)

For administrative purposes, Egypt was divided up into provinces, or nomes. A governor, or nomarch, was at the head of each nome and was responsible to the pharaoh. These governors tended to amass large holding of land and power within their nomes, creating a potential rivalry with the pharaohs. Of special importance to the administration of the state was a vast bureaucracy of scribes who kept records of everything. Armed with the knowledge of writing and reading, they were highly regarded and considered themselves a superior class of men. Their high standard of living reflected their exalted status.

Seated Scribe, from Saqqara. c.a. 2400 BC.

Professor Fekri Hassan examining ancient hieroglyphs which tell of appalling suffering. A third of the population died and the most ordered of empires was brought to chaos. 

Relief showing men, women, and Relief showing men, women, and children suffering from the effects children suffering from the effects of severe famineof severe famine

The End of the Old Kingdom

The Middle KingdomMiddle Kingdom (2050-1653 B.C.) was characterized by a new concern of the pharaohs for the people. In the Old Kingdom, the pharaoh had been viewed as an inaccessible god-king. Now he was portrayed as the shepherd of his people.

PHARAOHS CROWNED WITH SHEPHERD’S CROOK AND FLAIL

The Hyksos were the source of the new horse-drawn war-chariots introduced to Egypt in the second half of the Hyksos rule. This invention, never seen before in Egypt, was instrumental in the continued power of the Hyksos in this region. The Hyksos utilized superior bronze weapons, chariots, and composite bows to help them take control of Egypt, and by about 1720 BC they had grown strong enough, at the expense of the Middle Kingdom kings, to gain control of Avaris in the north eastern Delta. This site eventually became the capital of the Hyksos kings, yet within 50 years they had also managed to take control of the important Egyptian city of Memphis.

Ahmose and his army driving out the Hyksos.

Starting in 1567 B.C., the pharaoh Ahmose I eventually managed to defeat and expel the Hyksos from Egypt, reuniting Egypt and establishing the New Kingdom (c. 1567-1085 B.C.). The New Kingdom was characterized by a new militaristic and imperialistic path. A more professional army was developed.

Amenhotep IV (c. 1362-1347 B.C.) introduced the worship of Aton, god of the sun disk, as the chief god and pursued his worship with enthusiasm. Changing his own name to Akhenaten (“It is well with Aton”), the pharaoh closed the temples of other gods and especially endeavored to lessen the power of Amon-Re and his priesthood at Thebes.

Invasion of the “Sea Peoples” around 1200 B.C.Invasion of the “Sea Peoples” around 1200 B.C.The days of Egyptian empire were ended, and the New Kingdom expired with the end of the twentieth dynasty in 1085 B.C. For the next thousand years, despite periodic revivals of strength, Egypt was dominated by Libyans, Nubians, Persians, and Macedonians.

Egypt and NubiaFor centuries, Egypt traded or fought with

Nubia.

During the New Kingdom, Egypt conquered Nubia.

• Nubians served in Egyptian armies and influenced Egyptian culture.

• Egyptian art from this period shows Nubian soldiers, musicians, or prisoners.

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Egypt and Nubia

When Egypt declined, Nubia conquered Egypt.

• Nubians did not see themselves as conquerors. They respected Egyptian traditions.

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Section 1 AssessmentWhy were the Nile floods so important to the Egyptians?

a) They created a much needed supply of drinking water.

b) The Egyptians held religious ceremonies when the floods came. c) The floodwaters deposited silt, which made the land rich for farming. d) The floodwaters kept away potential invaders.

Which of the following was an achievement of the Middle Kingdom? a) The Egyptians drained land for farming. b) The Egyptians built the pyramids. c) Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria. d) The Egyptian empire reached the Euphrates.

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Egyptian Religious Beliefs

• Belief that many gods and goddesses ruled the world and the afterlife.

• Amon-Re was the sun god.• Osiris was the god of the underworld

and of the Nile.• The pharaoh was believed to be a god

as well as a monarch.

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Egyptian Religious Beliefs

• 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.

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Statues, paintings, and writings tell us about ancient Egyptian values and attitudes.

Developed painting style that remained unchanged for thousands of years.

Wrote hymns and prayers to the gods, proverbs, love poems, stories of victory in battle, and folk tales.

Built pyramids and other great buildings, such as temple of Ramses II.

Developed a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics.

Doctors diagnosed and cured illnesses, performed surgery, and developed medicines still used today.

Developed 12-month calendar on which modern calendar is based.Astronomers mapped constellations and charted movement of the planets.

Developed practical geometry.Skilled in design and engineering.

Advances in the ArtsAdvances in Learning

Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & Culture

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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

Class System in Ancient Egypt2

Section 2 Assessment

Who was the Egyptian god of the underworld? a) Amon-Re b) Osiris c) Isis d) Nefertiti

What is one reason the Egyptians developed practical geometry? a) to help in the mummification process b) to create large sculptures c) to please the gods d) to survey the land

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