Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt Explain how the Nile influenced the

development of Ancient Egypt Compare Old and Middle Kingdoms

of Egypt and describe the New Kingdom

Explain how Egyptian society was structured.

List the scientific contributions Egypt made to civilization.

Ancient Egypt

app. 10,000 sq. miles a ribbon of fertile land 600 miles long

half a dozen miles wide for most of its length compared to 165 miles in Mesopotamia Nile River

Longest in the World Lifeblood of Egypt. S N

The Nile River Valley 4500 B.C. villages spring up. Delta

Land made of deposits of silt and soil. Empties Nile River into Mediterranean

Resources• Rich Farmland• Abundance of water for irrigation.

Ancient Egypt, con’t

more arid and more fertile than Mesopotamia

divided into two parts the Delta (Lower Egypt) and the Upper

Nile

Unification

3100 B.C. Menes & Upper Egypt unite. Menes was the first Pharaoh and started a

dynasty. Menes ruled for 62 years.• Makes Memphis the Capital• Makes himself the Pharaoh

killed by a hippopotamus

Government and Pyramids One of the first civilizations to have

organized government

Largest pyramid was built by the Pharaoh Khufu in 2600 B.C. 500 ft. high or 48 stories high. Famous Sphinx is nearby.

Unification

The most important event in Egyptian history

What role did Menes play in religion and politics ?

How was unification maintained ?

Historical Schema

The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.) The Middle Kingdom (2000-1800 B.C.) The New Kingdom (1500- 1100 B.C.?)

The Old Kingdom

The Pharaoh – absolute control of the people.

Centralized govt., improved life, pyramid age.

Disruption & disorder ends the Old Kingdom around 2200 B.C.

The Middle Kingdom Pharaohs begin to pay attention to

the common person. Projects: Nile Delta, Canal from Nile

to the Red Sea. Increased use of transportation and

trade. 1800 B.C. a time of turmoil

Invaded by Hyksos of Western Asia.

The New Kingdom 1570 B.C. Nobles expel the Hyksos Egyptian power reaches its peak.

An empire is established. Flourishing economy. Thebes made capital of the empire.

Queen Hatshepsut 1st Woman ruler in history…

Ruled for 22 years.• Efficient Government• Trade Expedition to Somalia.

• Ivory, incense, gold, etc.

Succeeded by her step-son.• Thutmose III.

• Great military leader. Expanded Egypt to its greatest size.

Thutmose III Conquered Palestine and Syria

Organized navy. Helped keep cities subdued along coast.

The New Kingdom, cont. Decline in power.

Struggle w/the Hittites.• Under the leadership of Ramses II.

• Was last great leader in Egypt.• 1st treaty in history ends the struggle.

Power declined following Ramses• Defeated by Assyrians & Persians.• Alex the Great occupies the Nile, 331 B.C.• Cleopatra last Pharaoh, defeated by the

Romans

Writing

Hieroglyphic scripts Used pictures or signs to write. Wrote on papyrus or a form of paper. Scribes – wrote in hieroglyphics & were

trained to keep records. Rosetta Stone found in 1799

• Allowed the deciphering of hieroglyphics.

Egyptian religion

Believed in Egyptian Gods & Life after Death. Osiris – God of the Nile. Death was another part of life. Bodies were preserved with oils, salts, and

linen wrappings.

Worship of the Pharaoh was “nationwide”

Egyptian Society Social Classes

Ruling Class – Priests, nobles, etc.• Daily sacrifices to gods, cast spells to make

land fertile, and recited prayers to reach the souls of the dead to help reach afterlife.

Middle Class – Merchants, traders, doctors, and artisans.

Peasants/Slaves – Hard life of farming.

Women in Egypt Role of wife and mother

Highly respected and held great value.

Had the right to buy and sell property and to testify in court.

Had right to seek divorce. Property was inherited through female

line.

Education Originally provided to teach

priesthood. Most that attended were sons of the

wealthy. Evolves into a general education of

reading, writing, & arithmetic. Higher Education established.

Astronomy.

Education, cont. Science

Land survey due to constant flooding Astronomy 365 day year, 12 month year calendar Engineering in construction.

Education, cont. Students learned by dictation.

After students completed studies, they either learned a trade or were apprenticed as scribes, or clerks, to priests or govt. officials.

Scribes Essential to government.

Kept records of taxes and expenses. Kept records of Pharaohs deeds. Kept track of daily life, births, deaths,

and marriages. May be appointed to be a noble by

being a scribe for a Pharaoh.

Scientific Accomplishments

Mesopotamia “Land b/w two rivers”

B/w Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Frequent Flooding Need for advanced network of canals

spur and advanced government.

Environment of Mesopotamia

Unpredictable flooding and droughts Could cause widespread famine or lack of

food.

River Resources Dry climate caused the need for irrigation

from the rivers.• Networks of dikes and canals for irrigation.• Through irrigation, farmers produced food

surpluses.• Allowed people to pursue other trades.

Rise of the City-States Large towns cooperate w/countryside for

mutual defense. Supervised the development and

maintenance of the canals. Frequent fighting b/w Mesopotamian cities. Religion

Ziggurat – Home or temple of the City-State God

Believe in more than one God Natural events blamed on the gods.

Mesopotamia Written Language

Cuneiform – the use of wedge-like shapes.

Legacy First to use the wheel. Complex irrigation systems. Invented the plow. Foundation of the 60 min hr. and 60

sec. minute. Mesopotamia ceases around 1750 B.C.

The First Empire Around 2350 B.C. Sargon, an

Akkadian Soldier founds the first empire. Extends from S. Mes. To the Med.

Babylon Babylon

• 1700 B.C. Hammurabi carves out an empire• Lush and lavish capital city• Hanging gardens of Babylon

Hammurabi Best known for code of laws 282 Laws

Trade, family, labor, real estate, & property.

Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a Tooth. Harsh punishment, yet distinguished

from major & minor offenses. Carved on stone column in the middle

of the city.

The Iron Age In 1600 B.C. Babylon fell to invaders Around 1550 B.C. the Hittites

controlled the area. First to use Iron weapons. Advantage over opponents. 1200 B.C. the Iron Age takes off.

The Assyrian Empire 1100 B.C. Conquests begin Harsh and brutal empire. 700 B.C. Babylon captured. By 625 B.C. Empire extends from

fertile crescent to the Nile River valley.

The Persian Empire In 550 B.C. Cyrus becomes king of

Persia. Within 20 years Cyrus controls the

fertile crescent. By 500 B.C. controls territory from

India to Egypt. Improvements

Road Systems and Eff. Government. Religion – Belief in good or evil.

Early Small States Phoenicians

Small city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Introduced the less advanced people to civilization.

Created an easy alphabet of 22 symbols.• Later adopted by the Greeks.

Lydians and Hebrews Lydians

Introduced the money economy or coin system.

Hebrews 2000 B.C. Hebrew settle near Palestine. Believed God to be the driving force of

civilization. Created Old Testament Around 1800 B.C. famine forces the Hebrews

to Egypt.

Hebrew Legacy Monolithic religion or the belief in

one god. Hebrew Law

No one was above God not even the king.

Ethical world view. Ten commandments. Old Testament (The Torah) Women had few rights, but were

respected.

Hebrews, cont. In Egypt, Pharaohs enslave Hebrews The Hebrews followed Moses

Moses presents the 10 Commandments Obedience to God allows the Hebrew to

stay together as they settled and established the Kingdom of Israel in 1025 B.C.

Hebrews, cont. Kingdom of Israel

David of Solomon reigns from 1000-930 B.C. • Israel Flourishes• Jerusalem created as the Capital• Builds powerful city and culture of peace.

In 772 B.C. the Assyrians conquered Israel.• Thousands are exiled across the world.• Later controlled by the Persians, Greeks, and

Romans.