Ancient Egypt

Land of Egypt -Nile River is the longest river in the world & is where Egypt was founded. The river runs northward. This causes Egypt to be divided into 2 parts --- -Upper Egypt, located in the South -Lower Egypt, located in the North. -The Nile River also floods every year & deposits a rich mud that the crops can be grown in. -Farmers were able to grow multiple crops b/c of the rich soil, which lead to a surplus of food. -Geographic Barriers of Egypt – They were there to protect the people of Egypt from invaders. They were bordered by deserts, the Nile River, the Red Sea to the East & the Mediterranean Sea to the North.

Egyptian Society -Social classes – There were 4 in Ancient Egypt, w/ the ruling class at the top & peasants at the bottom. There was a very rigid society but women did have more equal status. They were allowed to keep their property when they married but they married very young. -Writing – The Egyptians developed their own writing system called hieroglyphics. This form of writing was done by carving it into a stone. -Paper was made later called papyrus. It was made from the papyrus reed that could be found along the Nile River. -Scribes were masters at the art of writing & also taught others how to write. Young boys began to be trained as scribes at the age of 10.

Egyptian Society -Math – The Egyptians were able to calculate the area & volume & were able to use geometry to survey flooded land. -Anatomy – B/c of mummification, the Egyptians were able to gain a lot of expertise in anatomy. -Astronomy – They studied the stars & had a name for the brightest star, which was called Sirius. It let the Egyptians know when the Nile was about to flood. They were also able to develop an accurate 365-day lunar calendar based on the movement of the moon & the star Sirius.

Egyptian Religion -The Egyptians were polytheistic (worshiping many gods) & had a large number of gods dedicated to heavenly bodies & natural forces. -Re (Amon-Re) was the Sun god who helped control the growth of crops. -Osiris & Isis were husband & wife & he was the god of the river & land. He also judged people & was reborn after death like the Nile River. Isis was the Goddess of the Thorne & brought him back to life. -The Egyptians believed very strongly in an afterlife. B/c Isis brought Osiris back to life, all dead were placed in tombs, given the name Osiris, & were resurrected & become one w/ Osiris. -To be prepared for the afterlife, some of the Egyptian dead were mummified. This was the process of preserving the dead by drying out their bodies to prevent them from rotting. Once a dead person was mummified, they could be reborn & join Osiris.

Egyptian Economy -Large plantations were owned by the pharaoh. -Peasant workers had their land given to them by the pharaoh in exchange for them giving some of their harvest to him. They grew wheat, barley, flax, & cotton. -Most of their crops are given to the pharaoh or lords to pay taxes. -They traded excess foods to other nations instead of storing it. -They would trade in caravans, or groups of people who travel together to other civilizations to trade their goods. -They later came up w/ shipping advances by being able to ship things by boat down the Nile. -The Nile was not navigable once you reached a certain point b/c of cataracts.

Egyptian History -Menes was the king who united Upper & Lower Egypt into one empire to create the 1st Egyptian dynasty. -Egyptians are known for their pyramids. They were built as part of a large complex of buildings used for burials of pharaohs & their families. The largest & most magnificent was built at Giza & is 1 of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. They are guarded by the Sphinx, a figure w/ the head of human & body of a lion. -Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt -Old Kingdom – The title of pharaoh became popular & pyramids were built. -Middle Kingdom – Pharaohs during this time period took on helpful projects but the empire also declined. -New Kingdom – Many great rulers during this time, including Hatshepsut, who was the 1st woman pharaoh. -Other famous rulers – King Tut, who restored the old gods, Ramses II, who reigned from 1279-1213 & tried to regain the Egyptian empire, & Cleopatra, who tried to re-establish Egypt’s independence but was defeated b/c of her relationship w/ Rome.