Egypt

Biblical Dates 2000 B.C. –Abraham 1650 B.C. –Joseph 1000 B.C. –David & Solomon’s Dynasty

Social Structure Pharaoh Treated like a god Was the ultimate power in control of the land—responsible for flooding of Nile and rising of sun. Nobles Led a relatively good life Every noble owned a garden, pool, & servants Women were treated as equals They could own land They could file for divorce

Social Structure, cont. Peasants Had hard working lives. Field workers. Built pyramids and other public projects Lives were simple, but they always had enough to eat.

Social Structure, cont. Slaves (P.O.W.’s). Worked as house slaves, field workers, and miners Social Advancement You could advance by showing courage in the army You could advance if you became a scribe (learning to read and write)

Major Time Periods Old Kingdom (2660-2180) Religion and government were the same The Pharaoh was both the religious & political leader Had unlimited power Owned all the land Believed to control nature Married sisters to keep their bloodlines pure Their spirit (Ka) ruled forever in the afterlife

Old Kingdom, cont. Time of the Great Pyramids Used over 100,000 workers (Herodutus) OR 20,000-30,00 according to recent Egyptologists Pyramids were tombs—the final resting place for the pharaohs Largest pyramids!? Giza!!

The pyramids of Giza. The largest pyramids, from left to right, are Menkaure's pyramid, Khafre's pyramid, and the great pyramid of Khufu.

Question: Why mummify if the afterlife is spiritual? Mummification Preserved the body Question: Why mummify if the afterlife is spiritual? Answer: Even though the afterlife is spiritual, they believed they needed to enter their body at times in the afterlife.

First Illness It caused the downfall of the Old Kingdom The cause? Most likely famine

Middle Kingdom (2080-1640 B.C.) Pharaohs had to earn respect They began public projects to please people Religion changed. Why? Everyone had a ka and an afterlife All were judged by Osiris (god of the dead) based on their good deeds (maat) Priests began to have more power than the pharaoh This is when the Israelites came to Egypt under Joseph

Second Illness It caused the downfall of the Middle Kingdom The cause? The Hyksos

New Kingdom (1570-1075 B.C.) The Egyptians built a strong army. Why? The Hyksos conquered them during the 2nd Illness. This was the Egypt of Moses day (The Exodus) They began to trade and gain control of land far beyond the Nile They built the Valley of the Kings—tombs for New Kingdom pharaohs Egypt eventually fell in 671 B.C. to the Assyrians

The Egyptian Empire about 1450 B.C. Notice trade routes

Valley of the Kings

Kingdom? Kingdom? Kingdom? New Middle Old Kingdom? Kingdom? Kingdom? Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods. Egyptians built pyramids at Giza. Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom. Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River. Hatshepsut encouraged trade. Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria. Egyptian power declined. Large drainage project created arable farmland. Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete. Corruption and rebellions were common. Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.

Key Rulers Menes- first king over a united Egypt (3200 B.C.)

Key Rulers Hatshepsut—(New Kingdom) most important female pharaoh (1400’s B.C.) She encouraged trade, not war.

Key Rulers Thutmose III (son of Hatshepsut) Led Egypt during its strongest and richest era

Key Contributions to Society Hieroglyphics, numbers, geometry, surveying, and medicine

Key Contributions, cont. The Rosetta Stone—the key to unlocking Ancient Egypt’s mysteries.

The Rosetta Stone