OBJECTIVE: Analyze the cultural achievements of the Ancient Egyptians.

Environment Nile River flows north longest in world flooding provides silt predictable farming wheat barley irrigation travel & trade

Environment Nile River worshipped by Egyptians as god who gave them life East – land of living sunrise cities, temples West – land of dead sunset tombs

Environment Deserts lack of rain Arabian Libyan east of Nile Libyan west of Nile both are part of Sahara Villages & cities built along Nile River first farming villages about 5000 BCE

Quick Write What are some geographical similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia?

Egypt Unites Menes (Narmer) Pschent King who united Upper & Lower Egypt into one kingdom Double crown around 3000 BCE Capital at Memphis Deshret of Lower Egypt Hedjet of Upper Egypt

Ptolemy VI

Pharaohs: God Kings Theocracy Pharaohs government in which rule is based on religious authority Pharaohs fully responsible for kingdom religion military run government promote justice & truth believed to make sun rise

Pharaohs: God Kings Ka eternal life force of king continued after death needs & pleasures must continue to be met

Pharaohs: God Kings Pyramids final resting place represent economic strength, technology & leadership of Egyptian civilization

Religion Polytheistic more than 2000 gods & goddesses believed in afterlife Anubis weighed each dead person’s heart all classes prepared for burials upper classes had great tombs filled with clothes, gems, tools, art

Ancient Egyptians Part II OBJECTIVE: Analyze the cultural achievements of the Ancient Egyptians.

Pyramids built by peasants Giza completed about 2556 BCE

Pyramid of Khufu an almost perfect square (deviation .05%) Orientation is exactly North, South, East, West 2,300,000 blocks, almost 500 ft high 20 years to build Average block weighs 2.5 tons Some weigh 9 tons!

Social Classes king, queen, family wealthy landowners, gov’t officials, priests, army commanders artisans & merchants peasant farmers & laborers largest slaves from war

Writing Hieroglyphics “sacred carving” started with pictures grew to resemble an alphabet first on stone & clay later papyrus

Writing The Rosetta Stone discovered by Napoleon’s troops 1799

Calendar Features: 365 days 12 months 30 days each 5 holidays tracked: flooding planting harvesting

Artwork

Art

History Old Kingdom 2660-2160 BCE ends with decline of pharaohs influence civil wars

History Middle Kingdom 2060-1750 BCE strong pharaohs restored order improved irrigation, trade, transportation with canal from Nile to Red Sea Hyksos invade from Palestine rule from 1630-1523 BCE

History New Kingdom 1550-1070 BCE Ahmose I expelled the invading Hyksos and reunited Egypt Known as the Empire period

History New Kingdom Militaristic & imperialistic nature incorporated chariot, bronze, horses development of a professional army became a slave based economy fueled by war and expansion

History Ramses II 1279-1213 BCE greatest New Kingdom ruler military leader of Egypt expanded into southern Turkey built many monuments to himself last gasp of Egyptian power