Ancient Civilizations: Egypt
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Ancient Civilizations: Egypt
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Ancient Civilizations: Egypt. Geography & Environment. The Geography. On which continent is Egypt located? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Ancient Civilizations: Egypt
Ancient Civilizations: Egypt
Geography & Environment
• On which continent is Egypt located?
• Africa; in the northeastern region
The Geography
• On which river did the ancient Egyptians settle?
• Nile River• WHY??
The Geography
The Geography• The Nile provided a small strip
of fertile land in the middle of a desert
• Annual flood; The Gift of the Nile
Religion & Government
• Polytheism: • The worship of
many gods• Worshipped
2000+ gods and goddesses
Egyptian Religion
Egyptian Religion• Primary Egyptian Gods: • Re – the Sun god• Osiris – the god
of the Dead• Isis – the goddess
of women
Who is this?
Egyptian Government
• Theocracy: • Type of gov’t
in which rule is based upon religious authority
Egyptian Government
• Pharaoh, Pharaoh…• Egyptians believed that their
kings, or pharaohs, WERE gods• Pharaohs VERY POWERFUL!• Ruled religion, government &
military
What is Ka?• Egyptians
believed that the Pharaohs possessed an eternal life force, also known as ka
What is Ka?• Ka allowed pharaohs to rule for
all of eternity; therefore, their tombs were even more important than their palaces on earth
Pyramids• Pyramids: • Tombs for the
Pharaohs• Built out of
limestone, granite & stone
The Great Pyramid at Giza
• The only surviving wonder of the ancient world, Egypt's pyramid of Cheops takes up 13 acres of land, and overlooks the neighboring pyramids belonging to this pharaoh's son and grandson. Experts speculate it took one hundred thousand laborers roughly 20 years to build the pyramid of Cheops alone
Northern Entrance
Culture
Egyptian Culture• Strong belief in the
afterlife• Believed that the final
judgment occurred at death • Does your heart weigh more
than a feather?
Weighing of the Heart
Mummification• Reserved for royals &
elites• What is mummification?• A technique that
involved embalming & drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying
Mummification• “First, they draw out the brains through the
nostrils with an iron hook…Then with a sharp stone they make an incision in the side, and take out all the bowels…Then, having filled the belly with pure myrrh, cassia, and other perfumes, they sew it up again; and when they have done this they steep it in natron (mineral salt), leaving it under for 70 days…At the end of 70 days, they wash the corpse, and wrap the whole body in bandages of waxen cloth.” - Herodotus
Mummification• Horrible Histories: Awful Egyptians, “
The Mummy Song”
Mummification• Coffins were
filled with items that could be used in the afterlife such as clothing, food, cosmetics & jewelry
Book of the Dead• Book of hymns, prayers &
magic spells that were intended to guide the soul in the afterlife
• Placed in the coffin
Society
Great to be an Egyptian?• A social hierarchy did exist in
Egypt; however, one was not locked into his or her social class
• Possible to change status via marriage, personal success, etc.
Royal Family
Upper Class:Priests, Army, Gov’t
Middle Class:Merchants and Artisans
Lower Class:Peasant Farmers and Laborers
Knowledge
The Importance of Writing• Earliest form of
writing was the pictograph
• Later developed into hieroglyphics
The Importance of Writing• In hieroglyphics:• Images stand for ideas,
as well as for sounds• The image of an OWL stands for
the m sound, as well as for the bird itself
The Rosetta Stone
