THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS: EGYPT

María Jesús Camposlearningfromhistory.wikispaces.com

THE FIRST URBAN CIVILIZATIONS: THE RIVER CIVILIZATIONS

Some 6 000 years ago, some Neolithic villages became cities as a result of the agricultural and commercial prosperity.

These civilisations invented writing.

The first great civilizations developed along large rivers surrounded by fertile land: Mesopotamia: Tigris and Euphrates River Egypt: Nile River India: Indus River China: Huang He (Yellow) and Yangtze (Blue)

Rivers

EGYPT AND THE NILE The Egyptian civilization

developed 5.000 years ago, along the River Nile.

The area is basically a desert irrigated by the Nile River, which runs from south to north.

The Nile provided: Fertility to the land

(agriculture) A way of transportation and

communication A geographical and

administrative organization.

FERTILITY TO THE LAND: Each year River Nile

rises and floods the surrounding area. When the water level decreases, it leaves mud that make the fields fertile.

As this flood happened every year, the Egyptians built dams and canals to carry the water and irrigate crops.

Thanks to the Nile, the Egyptians became an important agrarian civilization.

Flowing south to north, the Nile also provided an excellent way of transportation and communication

The Nile, also divided the area in two regions: Upper Egypt, in the

south: arid area fertilised by the Nile.

Lower Egypt, in the north: large valley formed by the Nile Delta.

The Nile was in the centre of the development of the Egyptian civilization.

It was so important for Egypt that they even had a god which represented the river.

EGYPT’S POLITICAL EVOLUTION

Around the year 5000 BC, some neolithic villages along river Nile learnt how to control and direct the river’s water, especially during the floods. Thus, developing an important agrarian civilization.

Agricultural and commercial development led to an urban civilization with independent city-states.

Around the year 3100 BC, King Menes unified the Lower and the Upper Egypt creating an Empire

Kingdoms/Empires: Old Kingdom: 3100 BC to 2200 BC. Capital city:

Memphis 1st Intermediate Period: division and

struggles. 2200 BC to 2050 BC. Middle Kingdom: 2050 BC to 1800 BC. Capital

city: Tebas. Expansion to the south. 2nd Intermediate Kingdom: 1800 to 1580 BC.

Started with a foreign invasion. New Kingdom: 1600 BC to 1100 BC. Conquest

of Libya and Syria. Foreign Rule: 1100 BC to 31 BC. Foreign people

invaded Egypt: Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans…

EGYPT’S POLITICAL ORGANIZATION The Pharaoh was the most

important position. He had absolute power:

Religious power: he represented god on Earth so he was worshipped.

Executive power: ruled the country, owned the land, controlled trade, decided everything.

Legislative and judicial power: passed laws and imparted justice.

Military power: led the army and decided between peace and war.

The pharaoh was advised by governors and civil servants that helped him in governing the territory and implementing his decisions.

Scribes were very important as they were in charge of collecting and controlling taxes, organising the army, transcribing the pharaoh’s orders, noting the commercial transactions and alliances, etc.

EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

PharaohHigh official in

the civil service / Priests

/ScribesSoldiers, Peasants, Farmers, Merchants,

Traders…

Slaves

Divided into privileged groups and non-privileged groups.

The Pharaoh was at the top of society. He owned all the land and had absolute power.

Privileged-groups: Noblemen: usually members from the upper

civil service. They received land and wealth from the pharaoh. They ruled the provinces and the army.

Priests: conducted religious rites. They received land from the pharaoh and supported him.

Scribes: they were in charge of official documents and taxation.

Non-privileged groups: protected the population or produced the products needed by society Soldiers Farmers, peasants, stockbreeders… Merchants, traders, craftsman...

Slaves: group without rights. They were their master’s property. They became slaves through conquest (war prisoners) or debts.

Egyptian women had some rights and more freedom than other women in the Ancient Age: Could own property Could inherit Could get divorced

They worked in the house or as peasants. Some also worked in the administration and like Hatshepsut , Nefertari or Cleopatra, became pharaohs.

EGIPTIAN RELIGION: GODS

Polytheistic Religion preserved the order of

the universe. Gods:

Ra: the sun (also Amun or Atum) Osiris: god of the dead Seth: god of darkness Horus: god of war Isis: goddess of fertility Anubis: god of the underworld Thot: god of wisdom

Each god lived in a temple or sanctuary in the form of a statue.

Priests worshipped them and made them offerings.

EGIPTIAN RELIGION: THE AFTERLIFE Egiptians believed there was

an afterlife, as long as the body was preserved.

Mummification: the dead body was dried and embalmed to make a mummy. The mummy was placed in a sarcophagus in a tomb.

The tomb contained all the things the dead person would need in the afterlife (food, jewels, furniture, clothes, servants…)

Egyptians believed that the dead person would present himself in front of Osiris. The Judgement of Osiris would weigh his/her soul. The trial would decide if the person would enter in the afterlife.

The type of tomb evolved during Egyptian history: Mastaba Pyramid Hypogeum

The tombs tried to preserve the body and the things from grave-robbers

EGIPTIAN ART Art was very important

in Egypt. Artists were the

pharaoh’s civil servants but they were considered craftsmen rather than artists so they rarely signed their works.

Purposes: Religious Political Decorative

Representations: Architecture: temples,

palaces and tombs Paintings: in the walls Sculpture: religious

meaning (gods, idols, afterlife…)

EGYPTIAN ART: ARCHITECTURE Strict rules Materials: Stone Supporting

structures: Columns Pillars Lintels

Supported structures: Flat roof Lintels

Other characteristics: Monumentalism:

power of the gods and the pharaohs

Decoration: paintings, engravings, and sculptures

Types of buildings: Temples Tombs Palaces

Temples: The house of the god Structure: An avenue of sphinxes led to the

entrance. The entrance had enormous pillars and obelisks. Inside the building there was a patio, followed by a columned hall with a high ceiling (a hypostile hall). At the end there was a dark sanctuary with the statue of the god.

Only the priests and the pharaoh could enter the sanctuary. Nobles and civil servants could go as far as the hypostyle hall. Common people would only enter the patio.

Ears were carved on the walls of some temples so that ordinary people could ask the gods for help.

Tombs: Built to preserve the

dead body for the afterlife.

Pharaohs and nobles had large tombs. Poor people were buried in pits or beneath the desert sands.

Richly decorated with engravings and paintings.

Types: Mastabas Pyramids Hypogeums

Mastabas: simple low rectangular buildings with underground funeral chambers.

Pyramids: Huge pyramid-shaped buildings. Secret entrance. Pathways to false funeral chambers. False walls to hide the real funeral chambers and its “treasures”.

Hypogeums: to prevent robberies. Excavated into the rock with large funeral chambers.

Pyramids: Keops, Kefren and Mikerinos Hypogeums: Tutankamon and Nefertari in

the Valley of the Kings. Temples: Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel.

EGYPTIAN ART: PAINTING

Strict rules Figures painted without

perspective. Figures and objects seen

from the front, although the head, arms and legs are seen in profile.

Idealised figures Static to show stability

and continuity. Simple colours Purpose: decoration,

religious purpose.

EGYPTIAN ART: SCULPTURE

Strict rules Idealised figures Static to show stability

and continuity. Simple colours Purpose: decoration,

religious purpose.

EGYPTIAN CULTURE

Hieroglyphs (writting): created 5000 years ago. Signs that represent ideas and/or sounds. Written horizontally, vertically, from left to right or from right to left.

Scribes The Roseta Stone:

discovered in the 19th century. Its a stone with the same text written in hieroglyphs, “demótica” and greek language.

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