Egypt
Importance of the Nile ò Irrigation ò Navigation ò Flooding provided rich, fertile mud ò Nilometer
Law and Social Order Law ò No written code ò Oral tradition ò Whatever the pharaoh said. Social Order ò Class system ò Upper class stability ò Lower class could move up via education
Timeline ò First & Second Dynasties (3100 – 2686 BCE) ò Old Kingdom (2686 – 2180 BCE) ò Middle Kingdom (2140 – 1786 BCE) ò New Kingdom (1570 – 1085 BCE) ò Third Intermediate Period (1085 – 332 BCE) ò Ptolemaic Period (332 – 30 BCE)
Palette of Narmer (Menes) 3100 BCE
Old Kingdom ò Central state ruled by pharaoh ò Pyramids ò Theocracy
Middle Kingdom The Good ò Large drainage project ò Contact with Crete and Middle East ò Egypt took Hyksos tech and used it to drive Hyksos out. The Bad ò Corruption and rebellions ò Invaded and occupied by Hyksos. Bronze weapons Chariots Compound bows ò Literature turned pessimistic
New Kingdom ò Conquests ò Culture ò Queen Hatshepsut ò Akhenaton ò Tutankhamen ò Ramses II
Third Intermediate Period ò Expansion weakens control of pharoah. ò Egypt splits in two. ò The Kush in Nubia rebel and seize Egypt. ò Ashurbanipal of Assyria conquers Egypt. ò Egypt left in turmoil and ripe for…
Ptolemaic Period ò Alexander the Great conquers Egypt ò He’s viewed as a savior. ò One of his generals, Ptolemy I, is given Egypt after Alexander’s death. ò We’ll pick up this story later.