Egyptian Civilization

1. Egyptian Civilization The Gift of the Nile

2. Egypt was one of the first river valley civilizations The people of Egypt left records of their developing civilization.

3. Topics of Egyptian Civilization • Impact of Geography • Importance of Religion • Egyptian History • Society in Ancient Egypt • Writing and Education

4. Impact of Geography • The Nile River • The Nile is a unique river, beginning in the heart of Africa and coursing northward for more than 4,000 miles. • It is the longest river in the world • The Nile splits into two major branches. This split forms a triangular territory, called the delta. • The Nile’s most important feature was its yearly flooding.

5. The Delta • The Delta is what is known as Lower Egypt. • The land upstream to the south is called Upper Egypt. • Egypt’s important cities developed at the tip of the Delta, the point at which the Nile divides.

7. Natural Defenses • Unlike Mesopotamia, which was subject to constant invasion, Egypt was blessed by natural barriers that gave it protection from invasion and a sense of security. • The barriers included the desert, the Red Sea, rapids on the Nile and the Mediterranean Sea.

8. Importance of Religion • Religion gave the Egyptian’s as sense of security. • For the Egyptian’s a religious idea was an inseparable part of the entire world order. • They were a polytheistic society meaning that they believed in many Gods or Goddesses. They were broken in to two groups Sun Gods and Land Gods

9. Sun God • He was worthy of worship, due to the fact that the sun is the bringer of life. • This God took many names and forms depending on the specific role. • The main form or name for this God is “Re”. This is a being with a Human body and head of a Falcon. • The ruler of Egypt was known as the Son of Re

10. Land God • This is seen as the river and land Gods. • The two most important is Osiris and Isis. • Osiris was known as the one that brought civilization to Egypt. • Osiris is also known as the God of Resurrection. This gave the people hope that they would re-gain life. • All the Kings when placed in their pyramid tombs were given the name of Osiris.

12. Egyptian History • History of Egypt begins around 3100 BC when Menes united Lower and Upper Egypt. • There are four major parts to the History of Egypt. • The Old Kingdom • The Middle Kingdom • New Kingdom • Pyramids

13. The Old Kingdom • This Kingdom lasted from 2700-2200 BC, and known as the age of prosperity and splendor. • The rulers were powerful and ruled of a unified state. • Kingship was a divine institution in ancient Egypt and the ruler was known as______.

14. Pharaoh • The people obeyed the ruler believing that they were helping to maintain a stable world order. A breakdown in the government means that the Gods were mad. • The Pharaoh had absolute power over the land and the people in the land. • The Pharaoh had a council of offices known as _________ and the head of this was the _____. • In this time Egypt was broken up into 42 province run by governors. • The Old kingdom eventually collapsed and was followed by a period of chaos that lasted a ___ years.

15. The Middle Kingdom • A newroyal dynasty gained power and control of Egypt and began the Middle Kingdom that lasted from 2050-1652 BC. • This Kingdom was known as the Golden Age or the age of stability. • This kingdom had a newfound strenght. Egypt began a period of expansion. Nubia was the first place to fall. It lied to the south of Egypt and was used as a barrier to protect the new southern frontier.

16. Middle Kingdom • It came to an end around 1652BC with the invasion of Egypt from a group from Asia called the Hyksos. • For almost 100 years the Hyksos ruled Egypt. • The Egyptians learned a lot from the Hyksos like how to make Bronze and forge farm tools and weapons.

17. Pharaoh • In the Middle Kingdom there was a new concern of the pharaoh and the people. • In the Old Kingdom the pharaoh was god like in the Middle Kingdom he is portrayed as he shepherd of the people and expected to build public works and provide for the public welfare. • The Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom undertook a number of projects to help the people. Draining swampland in the Delta providing 1000’s of acres of new farmland and digging a cancel connecting the Nile to the Red Sea

18. New Kingdom • The new Kingdom was set up around 1567 to 1085 BC. • The Egyptians became a military state during the New Kingdom. They created an empire and became the most powerful state in Africa and southwest Asia.

19. Pharaoh • The wealth of Egypt boosted the power of the Pharaohs during this Kingdom. • The rulers were showed their wealth by building new temples. • Hatshepsut was the first woman Pharaoh of Egypt and she built a new temple near Thebes. • The kingdom was not with out trouble. The Pharaoh Amenhotep IV introduced a new god and closed all the temples for the other Gods. • His son Tutankhamen killed him and restored the other Gods.

20. Pyramids • The pyramids are the greatest achievement of the Egyptian civilization. • They were built during the Old Kingdom. • They were built as part of a larger complex of buildings dedicated to the dead, in effect a city for the dead. • There were many buildings around the pyramids. There were tombs for the Pharaoh’s family and they looked like small Pyramids, then there were mastabas that were tombs for his officials.

21. Pyramids • The tombs were well stocked for the residences. They had supplies, wealth, food, chairs, shoes, and dishes. • The reason for the material goods in the tomb was the Egyptians believed that you had two bodies, the physical and the spiritual which they called the “KA” • If the physical body was preserved right then the KA could return.

22. Mummification • This is the way to preserve the physical body after death. • The object is to slowly dry the body to prevent the body from rotting. • First the Liver, Lungs, Stomach, and Intestines were removed and placed in special jars that were put in the tomb with the Mummy. • Then the brain was removed through the nose. • The body was then dried out using natural salt to remove the water from the body. Then the priest would fill the body with spices and wrap it in linen soaked in resin

23. Pyramids • The largest and most magnificent of all the Pyramids was built under King Khufu. It was built in Giza around 2540BC and it covered 13 acres and stood 481 feet tall. • The stone slabs on the outside of the pyramids fit so close together that not even a hair could be pushed between the joints. • The Great Sphinx was built to watch over the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Sphinx is 240 feet long and 66 feet tall. • The great Pyramid still stand today as a visible symbol of the power of the Pharaohs of the old kingdom.

26. Society in Ancient Egypt • The class system is based like a pyramid. • On top is the Gods • Second is the Pharaoh, nobles and priests know as the upper class • Then comes the merchants, artisans, scribes and tax collectors which is the middle class • The largest class is the Lower class which is made up of the peasants who are the farmers.

27. Classes Contributions • Upper class is know as the ruling class. They ran the government and managed the land and provided much of Egypt’s wealth. • The middle class obtained products through trade of created goods. • At the bottom is the peasant class. They farmed the land and provided military service and forced labor for building projects.

28. Writing • Writing in Egypt started around 3000BC and today we call it Hieroglyphics. • Hieroglyphic system of writing which used both pictures and complex symbols. • Hieroglyphics were the first carved into stone and then later written of papyrus, a paper made from reed that grew along the Nile

29. EDUCATION • Education in Egypt was saved for the boys of the Upper class. • The Boys went to school at the age of 10. • The Girls remained at home and learned Housekeeping skills from their mom. • Egyptians made advances in math. • Egyptians made an accurate 365 day calendar.