 Another river civilization—based on Nile  Unlike Mesopotamia—good natural boundaries  Deserts in east and west; cataracts on Upper Nile  Mediterranean sea in north.  Invasions not a factor in early Egyptian history

 Archaic Period B.C.  Old Kingdom B.C.  First Intermediate Period B.C.  Middle Kingdom B.C.  Second Intermediate Period B.C.  New Kingdom B.C. Egyptian priest writing for a Greek audience

 Even before Archaic Period, Egypt making inroads towards civilization  Copper tools  Hieroglyphs (sacred carvings)—inspired by cuneiform?  Settled life along Nile  Unlike Mesopotamia, Nile floods regularly at about the same levels  As a result, and with good natural boundaries— Egypt has a more benevolent view of nature.

 Manetho begins chronology with Archaic Period  C B.C. Warrior from Upper (southern) Egypt unites it with Lower (northern Egypt)  Narmer (Menes—catfish) warrior unites the 2 Egypts to create one political entity.  Unification important—free flow of goods and commerce along Nile; better coordinate building schemes and irrigation projects.

 Begins with the founding of Third Dynasty c B.C.  Djoser (Zoser) inaugurates period.  King but gradually became pharaohs (great house)—not common usage until New Kingdom  Old Kingdom = Age of Pyramids.  Djoser’s is first and step-shaped.

 Period of peace, great prosperity, and splendor  Pharaoh was absolute—considered a child of the gods—associated with sun god—Amon.  No separation between political/religious life.  King’s power absolute—but administrative tasks given to bureaucracy, administrators.  Ruled at capital city of Memphis (s. of Delta)

 Old Kingdom = period of grandiose building projects  Pyramids and peace.  Ma’at —stability and harmony  No invasions—Egypt isolationist and chauvinistic.  Despite stability, Old Kingdom collapses c B.C.

 Gov’t. spends heavily on pyramids, bankrupts the state.  Gradually more power given to administrators who rival pharaohs for power.  Provincial governors grew in authority at pharaoh’s expense.  Rival dynasties emerged—unity collapsed— Egypt split into 2 kingdoms again  Period of low Nile flooding led to crop failure and economic decline.

 First Intermediate Period was a period of anarchy and chaos.  Middle Kingdom emerges c when a king of Thebes in Upper Egypt gains control over Lower Egypt.  Different Egypt—pharaohs ally with groups to rival nobles—alliance with merchants, artisans, free farmers (“middle”) for administrative purposes—diminish the role of nobility.

 Also, pharaohs more responsible. Still divine god-king—but depicted now as a shepherd guiding his flock.  Result? Egypt society, religion more accessible to all.  --no pyramids—now temples (processions, rituals, and people oriented). Also, afterlife opened to all. Democritization of religion.  Mummification for all

 Buildings projects = irrigation, drainage, temples to benefit everyone.  Some expansion into Kush and Palestine— beginning of Egyptian imperialism.  Twelfth Dynasty ( B.C.) considered to be Egypt’s Golden Age: Economic prosperity, intellectual achievement and social responsibility of pharaohs.

 Another period of instability  Reaction by nobles against the pharaohs  Also—foreign invaders—Hyksos. Were Asiatic. The Hyksos had Canaanite names, worshiped Canaanite deities such as Anath and Ba’al. They introduced new tools of warfare into Egypt, most notably the composite bow and the horse-drawn chariot.  Also had bronze—Egypt still in Copper Age.

 Subject areas broke free  Hyksos bring bronze, chariot technology to Egypt.  improved arrowheads, various kinds of swords and daggers, a new type of shield, mailed shirts, and the metal helmet.  Opened up Red Sea area for trade.  Destruction of monuments? Later Egyptian history demonizes the Hyksos although natives reached a modus vivendi.

 Egyptians rallied to expel Hyksos— accomplished by Pharaoh Ahmose I.  Ahmose reunited Egypt, founded New Kingdom, and launched a new Imperialistic Egypt  = Egyptian Empire.  Conquered Palestine, Syria—extended empire to Euphrates River—led to frequent war with Hittites.  Conquered Kush.

 Gov’t. of New Kingdom resembles that of Old.  Focus on divinity of pharaoh.  But conquests actually diminished power.  New Kingdom created institutions which vied with the pharaoh’s power: army, royal bureaucracy, and a powerful priesthood.  When pharaoh away—bureaucracy is independent  Army commanders—almost independent  Provincial governors--independent

 The Battle of Kadesh took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and Hittite king Muwatalli II.  Kadesh in Syria had been Egyptian—defected to Hittites—led to an invasion.  Generally dated to 1274 BC,--it is the earliest battle in recorded history for which details of tactics and formations are known.  It was probably the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving perhaps 5,000–6,000 chariots.  Both sides claimed victory—bilingual peace treaty.

 Variety of factors:  Sea Peoples—destroyed Hittite Empire, settled in Canaan as Philistines, weakened Egypt. Egyptian severely reduced in power is now open to invasions.  Libyans, Nubians, Assyrians, briefly independent then conquered by Persians and later Alexander the Great. Falls under Hellenistic and Roman power.