Egyptian CivilizationChapter 2 section 4
Chief Gods and Goddesses
• Amon-Re – great lord of the gods– Pharaohs were believed
to receive their right to rule from Amon-Re
• Osiris – god of the Nile• Isis – promised the
faithful they would have life after death
A Pharaoh Tries to Reshape Religion
• Akhenaton- ordered priests to worship only Aton (a minor god) and to remove the names of other gods from their temples– radical
• Was he effective?
Proving Oneself to Osiris
• Each soul had to pass a test to win eternal life• To survive the journey in the underworld, Egyptians
relied on the Book of the Dead– Contained spells, charms, and formulas for the dead to
use in the afterlife
Preparing the Dead for the Afterlife
• Egyptians believed the afterlife would be much like life on earth
• People were buried with everything they would need
• Mummification – preservation of dead bodies by embalming them and wrapping them in cloth
• During the New Kingdom, pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings– Tutankhamen (“King Tut”)
King Tut’s Tomb
Egyptians Organize Their Society
Pharaoh & Royal Family
Govn’t Officials, High Priests & Priestesses
Merchants,Scribes,Artisans Peasants
Egyptians Organize Their Society
• Most Egyptians were peasant farmers or slaves• In the off season they would serve the pharaoh– Temples, palaces, tombs
• Women would raise children, collect water, & cook• Egyptians women had more power than other
women in the ancient world
Keeping Written Records
• Hieroglyphics – a system in which symbols or pictures represent objects, concepts, or sounds
• Hieratic demotic symbols – a cursive form of writing
• Papyrus – a paper like writing material
The Clues of the Rosetta Stone
• 1800s Jean Champollion deciphered the meanings of ancient hieroglyphics
• Rosetta Stone – hieroglyphics, demotic script, and Greek
Furthering Science and Mathematics
• Physicians performed surgery and believed in magic as well
• Mapped constellations and movement of planets• Made a 12 month with 30 days calendar with 5 days
added on the end• Developed geometry