ANCIENT EGYPT A FERTILE VALLEY CIVILIZATION

VOCABULARY Dynasty: a family that hands down power from one generation to the next Mummification: a ritual where all internal organs are removed from the body, which is dried in salt and wrapped in cloth Sarcophagus: a lavish coffin Hieroglyphics: pictorial script composed of hundreds of signs that represent objects, ideas and sounds Papyrus: a plant early paper was created from

THE NILE: A SACRED RIVER

THE NILE Without the Nile all of Egypt would be a desert and it’s soil infertile Thus Egyptians believed the Nile to be the source of life and revered it above all things With a dessert on either side of the Nile and cataracts in the river, ancient Egypt had natural defences that allowed their culture to flourish

POWER AND SOCIAL HIERARCHY Over a period of 25 centuries the pharaohs ruled Egypt There were over 30 different dynasties

CREATION MYTH

SOCIAL HIERARCHY: THE ELITE The pharaoh and the vizier The pharaoh is on the top of the social hierarchy He was king and high priest of Egypt He was considered the son of the sun God The pharaoh was responsible for many parts of society: irrigation, agriculture, trade, temples, religion, justice, public works and leader of the army He gave some of this power to the Vizier who aided him in his work

ELITE CONT’D: NOBLES Lords, High Officials and Priests made up the class of Nobles and the privileged They were very wealthy and influential During time of war or crisis high ranking military officials were included in this class

MIDDLE CLASS: SCRIBES, ARTISANS AND MERCHANTS Scribes held a privileged place in society Because they were so necessary to the nobles that they lived in the royal palace or temple They did not have to partake in manual labour They kept records, transcribed laws, and composed hymns Artisans could live well as they made jeweller, furniture and clothes sought after by the rich Merchants sold artisan products and gave them a certain status as well

PEASANTS Most Egyptians were peasants Even though they were very important to running Egypt they lived in very poor conditions They paid high taxes and had to do chores such as the maintenance of irrigation channels and working in the fields

SLAVES Slaves were the bottom of the social hierarchy most were prisoners of war Some toiled in mines while others worked in households