Egypt
What do you think of when you think of Egypt? Preview & Processing What do you think of when you think of Egypt? What river runs through Egypt? What is considered the gift of the Nile? Who was Herodotus? Can you name at least one Egyptian ruler?
Facts about the Nile 4100 miles long Flooding predictable: June=flood Oct.=rich soil Herodotus called the silt the “Gift of the Nile” Worshipped as a god
Pop. Lived close to Nile bec. deserts on both sides of the territory Libyan (Sahara) and Arabian Helped to keep invaders out Farming villages: nomes wh = agric. district w/ own gov’t N. & S. Egypt w/ separate rulers
Egypt United 3200 BCE there were 2 Egypt's w/ 2 kings; upper and lower 3100 BCE Menes/Namar = upper Egypt Capt. @ Memphis Egyptian dynasties are born What colors and symbols did Menes place on his newly unified crown?
The Kingdoms of Egypt Old, Middle, New Old Kingdom (2660-2180BCE) Pyramids Lgest. In Giza: 481 ft tall and covers 13 acres Khufu Built by peasants and slaves 60 still standing
Pharaohs=gods Immortal Ka: rule from grave wh/ = need for pyramid 1st illness = Pharaoh's power doubted
Capt. Moved from Memphis to Thebes Phar. Concerned w/ common people Middle Kingdom (2080-1640 BCE) Capt. Moved from Memphis to Thebes Phar. Concerned w/ common people Dug canals for trade Channeled Nile for irigation Drained swamps for farm land Everyone w/ afterlife (no longer just for Pharaohs)
Hyksos “rulers of the uplands” Make bronze 2nd illness 70 yrs of civil War Invaders came to Egypt Hyksos “rulers of the uplands” Make bronze Wage war from horse drawn chariots New kind of bow New technique of spinning & weaving
Hyksos defeated by Pharaoh Kamose New Kingdom (1570-1075 BCE) Wealth & power Pharaohs buried beneath desert cliffs Tutankhamen Queen Hapshepsut (1478 BCE) Ramses II (1279-1212 BCE) 99:150 Temples w/ own likeness
Ramses II
Need to build empire Battle of Kadesh Hittites “brothers forever” official tie Ended E’s dominate power Over time E. would be controlled by the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans
Daily life in Egypt Social Classes Nobles: gov. generals, tax collectors, priest, etc. Women: property trade marriage, divorce Homes: gardens, wading pools
Hard work on “borrowed land,” high taxes Tombs, dams, canals Peasants Wall painting in tombs Hard work on “borrowed land,” high taxes Tombs, dams, canals Social mobility Pharoah’s service (i.e. army) Read & write Men & women
Slaves Homes or gold mines Religion Maat: live a good life; in search of truth & justice Osiris (god of the dead) Weigh heart Devourer of the Souls After life: nothing changed
Priest Magical charms, chants: Book of the Dead More power, slaves & land than pharaohs Akhenaton = Aton only = monotheism Tutankhamun = Amun (Amon) & return to polytheism
Education Arithmetic, geometry, surveying Calendar: Sirius: 365 days, 12 mos. of 30 days + 5 for holydays & festivals Medicine: heartbeat, broken bones
One of the ways we learned about the Egyptians Writing: hieroglyphics “sacred carvings” 1799 Rosetta Stone Found by French soldiers who were rebuilding Egypt 3 scripts being used in Egypt @ the time
Written in 196 BCE Found in the town of Rosetta Written by priest o honor the pharaoh Deciphered by Champollion in 1822 Papyrus: reed = paper
1st hieroglyphics=religious or important writings 2nd demotic=common 3rd Greek wh/ = occupying power @ the time.
The Rosetta Stone
Making the Connection Ticket out the Door : Why is the Rosetta Stone so important to unlocking the mysteries of ancient Egypt? How did Egypt influence modern societies?