Ancient Egypt

By: Hailey Lackey, Tyler Mullins, and Taylor Biggerstaff

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern Africa, concentrated along the lower

reaches of the Nile river in what is now the modern country.

What is Ancient Egypt?

The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. Studies have shown that the river gradually changed

its location and size over millions of years. The Nile flows from the mountains in the south to

the Mediterranean in the north.

The Nile River

The Nile river is important to the Ancient Egyptians

because: It kept them alive & developed their knowledge It gave them a source of food and something to

drink It fertilized their crops when it flooded It gave them water to bathe in It gave them a way of transportation It gave them protection from the other side of the

river

Why was the Nile so important?

The blue Nile god Hapi is holding the central palm leaf. This represents the annual flooding of the Nile which determines the harvest. In the picture the fertility god holds his hands over the two expanses of the Nile and the

Mediterranean.

Pharaohs had absolute power and were

considered gods on Earth. This is the only time period in which they built

pyramids. They stopped building these pyramids when

they realized the pyramids were very easy to spot, basically putting a big target for grave robbers.

The Old Kingdom (2700 BCE – 2200 BCE)

The Middle Kingdom was Egypt's golden age.

They accomplished arts and literature. They also had a very strong defending army.

Pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise rulers.

In this time, Pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs. These tombs were very hard to find. There are still tombs, yet to be found by modern archaeologist to this day.

The Middle Kingdom(2100 BCE – 1800 BCE)

The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period.

Egypt expanded its borders through military conquest and became a world power. 

Pharaohs were all buried in the same geographic area called the Valley of the Kings.

The New Kingdom(1500 BCE-1000 BCE)

Pyramids

Built By: Pharaoh Djoser Date: Circa 2630 B.C. Location: Saqqara Height: 204 feet It was the largest building of its time. Made to hold his mummified body.

*All that’s left of Pharaoh Djoser is his mummified left foot.*

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Maidum Pyramid Built By: Pharaoh Snefru Date: Circa 2600 B.C. Location: Maidum Height: 306 feet Influenced by The Step Pyramid of Djoser Pharaoh Snefru had 8 step levels built to raise

the chamber closer to the sun god. There is only 3 step levels visible today.

Built By: Pharaoh Snefru Date: Circa 2600 B.C. Height: 344 feet First attempt at a smooth sided pyramid Was designed to have very steep sides, but

the lack of stability caused otherwise.

The Bent Pyramid

Built by: Pharaoh Snefru Date: Circa 2600 B.C. Location: Dahshur Height: 341 feet Third attempt at the smooth sided pyramid. It worked out perfectly, and it was an elegant

precursor to the great pyramids at Giza.

Red Pyramid

Built by: Pharaoh Khufu Date: Circa 2550 B.C. Location: Giza Height: 481 feet It is the Earth’s largest pyramid This pyramid was built by captured slaves. Each stone block laid for this pyramid weighed

more than 5 tons each.

Great Pyramid

Built by: Pharaoh Khafre Date: Circa 2520 B.C. Location: Giza Height: 471 feet Located at the home of the Sphinx. In the burial chamber of this pyramid, explorers

discovered a small pit in the floor. It was built and designed to hold a canopica chest. In the chest included jars holding the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines of the deceased pharaoh.

Pyramid of Khafre

Built by: Pharaoh Menkaure Date: Circa 2490 B.C. Location: Giza Height: 213 feet Last of the great pyramids It is the smallest out of the three great

pyramids because the cost of the building was to high to finish the project.

Pyramid of Menkaure

Built by: Pharaoh Pepi 2 Date: Circa 2250 B.C. Location: Saqqara Height: 172 feet This pyramid was the end of the era. This pyramid was finished in the 30th year of

his reign, which was 60 years before he died.

Pyramid of Pepi 2

Built by: King Amenemhat III Date:2055-1650 B.C. It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the

original eleven pyramids at Dahshur in Egypt. Originally named Amenemhet is Mighty, the

pyramid earned the name the Black pyramid for its dark, decaying appearance as a rubble mound.

The Black Pyramid

The Sphinx had the body of a lion and the

head of a human.

The Sphinx is carved out of a single ridge of stone 240 foot long and 66 foot high.

Geologist confirmed that the extreme erosion on the body of the Sphinx was the result of water.

The Sphinx

There is a foregoing discussion that the

sculpture of the Sphinx may have existed at a time when there were no civilizations on earth and the humans had not yet evolved to the hunter-gatherer life styles.

The discussion then states that if the Sphinx is indeed that old, the development of civilization must be entirely reworked.

Major Temples

Karnak is the home of the god Amun who was an insignificant local god until the 12th dynasty when Thebes became the capital of Egypt.

It is the mother of all religious buildings, the largest ever made and a place of pilgrimage for nearly 4,000 years.

The temple covers about 200 acres.

Temple of Karnak

The temple of Luxor is close to the Nile and

parallel with the riverbank.

King Amenhotep III who reigned 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons.

This temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship right up to the present day.

Temple of Luxor

The Temple of Dendara was known as the

House of Hathor.

Hathor was the goddess of love, joy and beauty.

Hundreds of birds roost in small cracks and hollows in the walls of this temple seeming to contemplate their carved likeness in the hieroglyphic reliefs.

Temple of Dendra

The Temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis,

the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Isis is also the giver of life, a healer and

protector of kings. The temple at Philae was nearly lost under

water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s.

Every stone block of the temple complex was labeled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka island.

Temple of Philae

This temple was dedicated to Amun. The whole temple complex was surrounded by a

massive fortified enclosure wall, with an unusual gateway at the eastern entrance, known as the pavilion gate.

Originally a canal with a harbor outside the entrance, connected the temple to the Nile. But this was obliterated by the desert long ago.

In later times, because of its strong fortifications, it was the place of refuge during the civil war between the High Priest of Amun at Karnak.

Temple of Madinet Habu

The temple is unique because it is in fact a

double temple, dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god, and Horus the falcon-headed god. The layout combines two temples in one with each side having its own gateways and chapels.

Sobek’s chief sanctuary was at Kom Ombo, where there were once huge numbers of crocodiles. Until recent times the Egyptian Nile was infested with these ferocious animals, who would lay on the riverbank and devour animals and humans alike.

Temple of Kom Ombo

Composite statues like this often showed Thoth with a worshipper facing him and were donated to temples to demonstrate devotion to the god.

Thoth and Maat

Anubis, the god of mummification, is often depicted as a black jackal—common in ancient Egypt—guiding the dead through the underworld.

Jackal

These small, brilliantly colored glass vessels probably held ointments or perfumes.

Glass vessels

In the New Kingdom, the fingers and toes of royal mummies were sheathed with gold coverings, or stalls, to protect the small, brittle bones.

Toe stalls of Psusennes I

This statue combines attributes of two great hunters—the keen-eyed falcon and the mighty Nile

crocodile.

Falcon-headed crocodile

In 1859, Egyptian laborers discovered this mirror, pieces of jewelry, and fans belonging to

Queen Ahhotep.

Mirror of Queen Ahhotep

This has been the presentation by

Hailey, Tyler, and Taylor.

Thanks for watching!!!