Egyptian Civilization Life and Religion in Ancient Egypt Chapter 2 Section 2

Egyptian Religion Believed in forces ruling this life and the afterlife Polytheistic Religion Many Gods and Goddesses

Amon-Re The Sun God Ruler of the other Gods Since Pharaoh was seen as a God/ruler too, he was linked closely with Amon-re Not really a God of the common man

Osiris God of the Underworld and God of the Nile Controlled the floods, so many people prayed to him

Isis The Wife of Osiris Love story appealed to human emotions Gave Osiris the cross with the loop at the top, known as the ANKH Women loved her Believed she taught first women to grind corn, spin flax, weave cloth, and care for children

Tests in the Afterlife To win Eternal Life ALL Egyptians had to pass a test Weighed your heart vs. the Feather of Truth If your heart was heavier than the feather you would be fed to the Eater of the Dead If you pass, you go to the “Happy Field of Food” (Egyptian heaven)

Mummification Preservation of the dead Removal and drying out of the vital organs Wrapped the body in strips of linen Took months to complete

Valley of the Kings Burial place of many Pharaohs Filled with riches Robbed many times

King Tutankhamen King Tut’s tomb found in 1922 One of the few tombs whose wealth had not been taken, practically untouched Artifacts are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo Includes chariots, weapons, furniture, jewelry, toys, games, and food Not even a great pharaoh

King Tut’s Tomb

King Tut Now and Then

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut

Egyptian Society As the Empire grew so did society Trade and War increase cultural diffusion Many new ideas are spread

Women in Ancient Egypt Women enjoyed high status Rasmes II himself said: “The foot of an Egyptian Woman may walk where it pleases and no one may deny her” Not many women learned to read or write

Lasting Records Hieroglyphics A form of pictogram Scribes learned Demotic- or a simpler form for everyday use Wrote on Papyrus- paper like writing material that grew along the Nile River Can you decipher the code?code

The Rosetta Stone Found in 1799 by French Troops Found in Rosetta, Egypt (in the Delta) Jean Francois Campollian deciphered it 23 years later Written in 3 languages Heiroglyphics Demotic Greek Cracked the code and allowed us to study written Egyptian Records

Medicine in Ancient Egypt Believed in various magics Very skilled in how the human body works Many medicines are still used today Anise, Castor beans, saffron

Astronomy and Mathematics Developed a calendar that our calendar is based on 12 months of 30 days each +5 days at the end of each year Developed basic Geometry to measure fields due to flooding and pyramid blocks

Temple of Ramses II

Inside the Temple of Ramses II