Chapter 4.2 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE OLD KINGDOM

Chapter 4.2

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSKBOilYBiY&sns=em

• Egypt was first made of two kingdoms
  • Upper and Lower

  • Upper-Southern Nile River Valley

  • Lower-Northern Delta

• Menes was king of Upper Egypt
  • He led his army from the Southern Valley into Lower Egypt

  • Conquered the Lower Kingdom and married a princess

• His marriage united the kingdoms

• He wore two crowns, the Upper and Lower crowns
  • High White one from the south (Upper)

  • Low red one from the north (Lower)

• Menes declared a new capital of Egypt in Memphis
  • Border city

• 2600 BCE, the Old Kingdom arose (500 years)
  • Cities were centers of religion and government

  • City centers housed Kings, priests, government officials, and artisans

• Many Egyptians did not live in the city, but large estates on the Nile banks.
  • Rich owners had gardens and pools

• The homes had many paintings depicting daily life

• Family, servants and artisans lived there
  • Artisan were hired to build boats, weave linen, and make tools/pottery

• Most Egyptians did not live in the center of the city or on the banks of the Nile.
  • Most lived on the rich estates as farmers

• Homes made of reed and mud, and later sun-baked brick.

• Had one room, palm leave roof and built on high ground to avoid flood waters

• Worked fields, built monuments, dug ditches, and repaired roads

• Pharaoh is a king
  • Meaning “great house”

• Pharaoh was ruler, priest, and a god

• Center of life and ruled on earth as god’s ruled in heaven

• Owned all land, often gave as a gift to the rich

• Maintained the land, kept up with it to make sure it could produce

• Made sure canals were made and repaired

• Developed granaries to house the grain so people would not starve if a bad harvest

• Elected all officials

• Taxed and issued building permits, trade went through Pharaoh first

• Word of Pharaoh was law

• People believed fate of Egypt depended on Pharaoh’s actions

• Carried out rituals to ensure good harvest

• Treated with respect, flutes were played when he appeared

• Bowed and smelled the earth, or brought head to ground

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUbkjfW1Xc&sns=em

• Pyramids were built out of respect for the Pharaoh’s.

• Pyramids were great tombs built for Pharaoh’s as “Houses of Eternity”

• Built in west to avoid flood waters

• Built to protect Pharaoh and his belongings

• EVERYTHING was placed in tomb

• Farmers worked on them for the 3 summer months (flooded fields)

• Used copper tools to cut granite and limestone blocks that were shipped down the Nile from the quarries

• After unloaded workers brought them to building site and dragged the blocks up ramps to create the layers

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CpjMxXG52s

• Believed in many god’s

• River God Hapi and Sun God Re were most important
  • River brought water and fertile soil and sun grows crops

• Osiris is god of harvest and eternal life

• Egyptians used the technique of embalmment to preserve the bodies of the dead.
  • First only used with Pharaoh to preserve the body so the soul could live on and watch over Egypt

• Body placed in wood box and covered with natron
  • Natron dried up water in body and shrunk it

• Body was wrapped in linen

• Poor people were buried in sand, while rich in tombs