Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt                                                                   

Central Question… deities How did religion influence the development & sustainability of ancient egypt? art Pharaoh laws                                                                    afterlife Spirit Ba/ka politics nature ethics

What was the “SOUL” of Ancient Egypt?

Nile was the “Soul” of Egypt THE NILE was considered the SOUL as it was the source of life and path to immortality Egyptians lived on Eastern side but buried on Western side River was symbol of passage of one life to next (eternity) Yearly flooding – essential for agriculture Creation story began in swirling waters of the Nile when god Horus gave power to Pharaohs Creation Story link: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/story/main.html THE NILE was considered the SOUL as it was the source of life and path to immortality Egyptians lived on Eastern side but buried on Western side River was symbol of passage of one life to next (eternity) Creation story began in swirling waters of the Nile when god Horus gave power to Pharaohs Click here for Creation Story

Egyptian Deities What did the (gods and goddesses) resemble? Why? Why have so many gods and goddesses? The deities married, had families and children- why? religious roots were in the worship of nature deities – their first gods were in animal forms Egyptian Gods/Goddesses have divine strengths and human weaknesses Goddesses are usually shown with legs joined together Gods usually shown in motion, striding

What do you hypothesize? O-D-H Activity What do you observe? What do you deduce? What do you hypothesize?

Egyptian God- THOTH God of Wisdom, Time, Writing Represented by a male body with the head of an Ibis. Ibis=stork like bird with long legs and beak to catch fish in mud Ibis, symbolized wisdom because beak shaped like a pen and dips in the mud as if it was ink

What do you hypothesize? O-D-H Activity What do you observe? What do you deduce? What do you hypothesize?

Egyptian God- OSIRIS God of Vegetation and Underworld Represented by a male body with a greenish complexion and usually depicted wrapped in white linen The greenish complexion draws the connection with vegetation Wrapped in white linen like a mummy to connect with the underworld Notice: Osiris’ legs are bound together like a mummy different from most Gods

Goddess: Ma’at Ma’at- represented truth, righteousness and justice GUIDING QUESTIONS How would the concept of ma’at create balance and order in Egypt? How would ma’at affect everyone (from the Pharaoh to the people)? What is the connection of ma’at to life and the afterlife?

Egyptian Theocracy A theocracy is a form of government in which the government (in ancient Egyptian case- the Pharaoh) claims to rule on behalf of a god or deities Think aloud: -Why would a king promote the belief that he had the support of the gods? -How would theocracy create the idea of “divine kingship”? -How would the concept of ‘divine kingship’ affect the status of the pharaoh?

How did Pharaoh's rule? absolute rulers of the land believed to be the earthly embodiment of the god Horus who was the son of Amon-Re. Therefore they had the divine right to rule This allowed the Pharaoh to move between god and their people (hourglass analogy) People followed their orders because they believed they were from god = cult like status in life and in death No one would challenge the King’s authority and he could rule in relative peace

Fun Fact… -The throne passed on to eldest son of Principal Queen who was usual the eldest daughter of the previous king therefore the king’s __________ SISTER

What do you hypothesize? Dress of the Pharaoh What do you observe? What do you deduce? What do you hypothesize? http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcgov5e.shtml

Fit for a Pharaoh Crook and Flail Double Crown Royal Cobra (Eye of Ra) Headcloth Shaved heads Prominent Beard Gold Sceptres The symbols of the pharaoh associated him with the gods: the crook was to reward the innocent while the flail was to punish the guilty, the double crown showed his authority over the two lands, and the ureaus, or royal cobra, was the Eye of Ra, who would see all that the pharaoh did. The king was charged with settling legal disputes and leading religious rituals. He held the balance of maat, the rule of order over chaos. As long as he honoured the gods and obeyed their laws, all would be well. In the shape of a mirror or a knot, the ankhis a symbol of life. It was often carried by deities or people in a funeral procession, or offered to the king as the breath of life. Crook and Flail The crook and flail are two of the most prominent items in the royal regalia. Kings held them across their chest. The crook, in the shape of a shepherd's staff, is a sceptre symbolizing government and that may be related to the concept of a good shepherd leading his flock.   Crowns and Headgear Egyptian kings and gods are depicted wearing different crowns and headdresses. Before 3000 B.C., there was the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt. When Egypt was united, these two crowns were amalgamated into the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Starting in the eighteenth dynasty, kings also wore the blue crown, and the white crown with a plume on either side and a small disk at the top. Kings are often represented wearing thenemes headcloth, a piece of cloth pulled tight across the forehead and tied at the back, with two flaps hanging on the sides. Cobra (uraeus) and vulture heads were worn on the forehead. Kings shaved their heads but had a prominent beard. The Egyptian symbol for gold (nebu) is a collar with beads along the lower edge. Gold has long been associated with the gods and royalty. This imperishable metal reflects the brilliance of the sun and the hope of eternal life. Isis and Nephthys, two of the goddesses who protected the dead, are often shown kneeling on the gold sign at the ends of royal coffins. The scarab's habit of laying its eggs in a ball of dung, which is then rolled along the ground and dropped into a hole, made it an obvious symbol for the sun god. It represented the rising sun god and, through association, the pharaohs. Sceptres The sceptre, or rod, is one of the oldest and most enduring symbols associated with royalty and the deities. Two types of sceptres are found in Egyptian art. The was, a symbol of power and dominion, has a straight shaft, a crooked handle in the shape of an animal head and a forked base. Thesekhem symbolizes divine power and has a straight shaft with an enlarged cylindrical end.

Afterlife: How is death is a new beginning? mummification = significance and connection to nature Monuments = significance of stone Items in tomb = significance Connection to nature: Deserts were an important source of minerals and building supplies (copper, tin, gold and natron, the drying agent used in mummification) What was the purpose of mummification? 2 Common Principles: 1) body preservation in a lifelike form 2) the deceased must have items necessary for life in the afterworld Personal belongings were usually placed in the tomb to make the Ka more at home and to assist the dead in their journey into the afterlife. Book of Dead was intended to guide the dead through the various trials that they would encounter before reaching the underworld. Knowledge of the appropriate spells was considered essential to achieving happiness after death Mummification focused on Egyptian belief of the importance of preserving the body Afterlife would be spent enjoying best of life experiences Body covered with natron and dried for up to 70 days Body wrapped in linen coated with resins and oils Middle Kingdom became customary to place a mask over the face Removal of organs (lungs, stomach, intestines, liver) in Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of four heads -- human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the four protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus. brain was sucked out of the cranial cavity and thrown away because the Egyptian's thought it was useless.

Education All children, regardless of social class, received some education Followed a moral and ethical guide “Instructions in Wisdom” Goal for education was to ensure youth exhibited self control and good manners Education respected for creating a well rounded individual

Egyptian Art: “Funerary Scene” Ka (soul /spiritual duplicate) ba (personality) akh (form mummy took in afterlife) ankh (the key of life) Anubis, Ma’at, Ammit, Thoth, Horus, Osiris This scene depicts what occurs after a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians. Beginning with the upper left-hand corner, the deceased appears before a panel of 14 judges to make an accounting for his deeds during life. The ankh, the key of life, appears in the hands of some of the judges. Next, below, the jackal god Anubis who represents the underworld and mummification leads the deceased before the scale. In his hand, Anubis holds the ankh. Anubis then weighs the heart of the deceased (left tray) against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice (right tray). In some drawings, the full goddess Ma'at, not just her feather, is shown seated on the tray. Note that Ma'at's head, crowned by the feather, also appears atop the fulcrum of the scale. If the heart of the deceased outweighs the feather, then the deceased has a heart which has been made heavy with evil deeds. In that event, Ammit the god with the crocodile head and hippopotamus legs will devour the heart, condemning the deceased to oblivion for eternity. But if the feather outweighs the heart, and then the deceased has led a righteous life and may be presented before Osiris to join the afterlife. Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom stands at the ready to record the outcome. Horus, the god with the falcon head, then leads the deceased to Osiris. Note the ankh in Horus' hand. Horus represents the personification of the Pharaoh during life, and his father Osiris represents the personification of the Pharaoh after death. Osiris, lord of the underworld, sits on his throne, represented as a mummy. On his head is the white crown of Lower Egypt (the north). He holds the symbols of Egyptian kingship in his hands: the shepherd's crook to symbolize his role as shepherd of mankind, and the flail, to represent his ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. Behind him stand his wife Isis and her sister Nephthys. Isis is the one in red, and Nephthys is the one in green. Together, Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys welcome the deceased to the underworld. The tomb-owner would continue after death the occupations of this life and so everything required was packed in the tomb along with the body. Writing materials were often supplied along with clothing, wigs, and hairdressing supplies and assorted tools, depending on the occupation of the deceased. Often model tools rather than full size ones would be placed in the tomb; models were cheaper and took up less space and in the after-life would be magically transformed into the real thing. Things might include a headrest, glass vessels which may have contained perfume and a slate palette for grinding make-up. Food was provided for the deceased and should the expected regular offerings of the descendants cease, food depicted on the walls of the tomb would be magically transformed to supply the needs of the dead. Images on tombs might include a triangular shaped piece of bread (part of the food offerings from a tomb). Other images might represent food items that the tomb owner would have eaten in his lifetime and hoped to eat in the after-life. Life was dominated by Ma'at, or the concept of justice and order. Egyptians believed there were different levels of goodness and evil. Egyptians believed that part of the personality, called the Ka, remained in the tomb. Thus elaborate and complex burial practices developed. The removed internal organs were separately treated and, during much of Egyptian history, placed in jars of clay or stone. These so-called Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of four heads -- human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the four protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus.

BIG IDEA… deities art Pharaoh religion influenced the development & sustainability of ancient Egypt through… laws                                                                    Spirit Ba/ka afterlife politics nature ethics