Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt                                                                   

Ancient Egypt

Gods and Goddesses Creation Story GEB NUT TEFNUT ATUM NUT MA’AT HORUS SHU ANUBIS ISIS Website: Gods and Goddesses ATUM

Religion: How did it contribute to stability? Atum Religion: How did it contribute to stability? The Egyptians were deeply religious people religious roots were in the worship of nature deities – their first gods were in animal forms Those responsible for creation were the most important gods (Atum is the creator God) They later developed national gods around the Middle Kingdom (Amon- local god of Thebes; gods of Dead: Osiris, Anubis, Horus and Thoth) Religion was instrumental to stability of Egypt (life, social structure, education, laws, rule of Pharaoh, economy, death, afterlife)

Geography: Populated Areas There were three main areas that were populated in Egypt: 1. The Nile Valley sole source of water for Egypt Predictable flooding provided rich fertile soil Both revered and feared (too much flooding or droughts) The Nile Delta Area were Nile empties into Mediterranean Sea Largest piece of fertile land Encompassed major centres of Egypt Faiyum Lake Moeris lies at end of branch of Nile is centre of oasis called Faiyum Irrigation from Nile made Faiyum the third most populated land

Geographic Effects on Egypt’s stability and history Fertile soil deserts provided protection and shelter from outside influences Access to Mediterranean increased and expanded trade and culture culture was one of stability and not rapid change Deserts were an important source of minerals and building supplies (copper, tin, gold and natron, the drying agent used in mummification) Geographic Effects on Egypt’s stability and history

Geography Highlights of Ancient Egyptian History UNIFICATION OF EGYPT: King Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt and wears double crown in 3100 BCE. Following Menes came 31 dynasties over 3000 years. AGE OF PYRAMIDS: Era of the Old Kingdom (2690 BCE), Pharaohs were absolute rulers and viewed as a god holding absolute secular and religious power. Stone monuments were embodiment of Pharaoh's power and a medium of immortality. Pyramids evolved from mastabas, then Step Pyramids, most known are Pyramids at Giza (2600-2500 BCE) IMHOTEP: not a ruler but revered and his life was recorded (architect, medicine, right hand to Pharaoh Djoser (2686-2613 BCE) NATIONAL GOD “AMON-RE”: Middle Kingdom: Under Theban Kings (south), the Theban god “Amon” merged with sun god “Re” which became Egyptian national god “Amon-Re” EXODUS: under the leadership of Moses, Hebrew slaves under Rames II leave Egypt in mass migration called Exodus (end of 13th century BCE). Moses receives the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai but never find the “Promised Land” Geography

Pharaohs 1470 BCE – Reign of Hatsheput (one of four female Kings) 1350 BCE – Reign of Akhenaton (Wanted to change religious beliefs to monotheism) 1334 BCE – Reign of Tutankhamun (Religious revolution is reversed) 1297 BCE - Reign of Ramses II. He had over 200 wives and concubines, approximately 90 sons and 60 daughters and reigned over 67 years! His reign saw massive building projects in Egypt. The Exodus of Jews from Egypt also occurred during his reign. 525 BCE – Persians conquer Egypt 332 BCE – Alexander the Great defeats the Persians and considered savior of Egypt 50 BCE – Cleopatra VII is crowned Queen of Egypt 30 BCE – Egypt becomes part of Roman Empire after death of Cleopatra VII and Mark Anthony

Politics 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 them to move between god and their people People followed their orders because they believed they were from god No one would challenge the King’s authority and he could rule in relative peace Politics

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 Pharaohs owned all the land – they had a hierarchy of government officials to help him rule Second to the Pharaohs were the scribes who would record the doings of the Pharaoh

What were the legal traditions? Law was governed by religious principle of Ma’at GODDESS MA’AT represented truth, righteousness and justice= balance and order Laws were applied equally to all classes specifically protected the family (children and wives) Punishments could be quite severe- act as a deterent or disgrace the guilty (Examples: minor crimes had 100 lashed; rapist were castrated; corrupt officials had their hands amputated; crimes that resulted in a death sentence could have choice= devoured by a crocodile, suicide, burning alive)

Social Roles Role of Men Head of the family Men could have numerous wives but economically men had only 1 wife Labourers, craftsmen Jobs were hereditary Jobs Labour required for construction projects and was mostly filled by poor, serfs Stability of Egypt thrived as skilled trades were passed from father to son Children always learned the trade from parents; seldom could choose occupation Role of Women Well treated and had considerable legal rights compared to other civilizations Same legal rights as men (land, property, divorce) Left women to be economically independent Primary role was in domestic life Common title for a married women in ancient Egypt was “nebet per” meaning “the lady of the house” Bear and raise children

What determined Egypt’s economic prosperity? Wealth Agriculture made up most of Egypt’s wealth – grain, vegetables, fruit, cattle, goats, pigs and fowl Abundance and management of food supplies (not royal treasury) was the measure of Egypt’s wealth = full granaries, plenty of wildlife and fish, and thriving herds were the signs of prosperity. These were the images used in the tombs of the Pharaohs to illustrate the wealth of their reigns Economy Simple economy based on food production and minerals from desert access to the Mediterranean their routes extended trade as far as Northern Europe, subtropical Africa and the Near East Trading was done by bartering goods (grain, oil, wheat) Taxes, salaries and loans were all paid entirely on goods extensive trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture, art, ideas and technology (ie. Western calendar was taken from the Romans who had borrowed it from the Egyptians) Trade eventually grew and expanded, bringing new ideas and goods into Egyptian society

Education Contributed to stability and continuity of Egypt 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 At 14, young boys followed fathers in jobs, and girls learned from mothers in the household Children of priests were schooled more formally Literacy was stressed for government jobs Education respected for creating a well rounded individual

Hieroglyphics

History of Writing: 1) pictograms (sun= sun) 2) ideograms (sun = sun, daylight, warmth, light) 3) phonograms: symbols that suggest a particular sound; related ideas and also sound (Sun = sun, son, Sunday) Each hieroglyph found in pyramids and tombs often symbolized more than one consonant. Not only that, but actual Egyptian hieroglyphs were a combination of sound-signs, pictograms, and ideograms. No wonder it was so hard to decode them! Hmmm. Some birds, a half moon, a feather, and a oval. Or maybe that half moon is a stone sticking out of the ground. And maybe the oval is really a hole in the ground. Maybe what it means is that two birds standing by a rock have a hole to jump in if trouble happens by. That might make sense, but it's not quite right. The pictures simply mean "water." Say what? How could that possibly mean water, you ask? Good question. Want to know more? Look at more hieroglyphs and see if you can crack the code.

New Kingdom= 700 hieroglyphs in common usage, while rest were phonograms 100 were strictly visual, while rest were phonograms Eventually scribes adapted hieroglyphic symbols By 700 BCE, script was refined to the demotic (or popular script) was used for secular matters such as letters, accounts and record keeping

Rosetta Stone What is the Rosetta Stone? The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek). It was carved in 196 BCE. Why is it in three different scripts? The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts (hieroglyphs for religious documents; demotic- common script of Egypt; Greek- language of the rulers of Egypt at that time) The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said. When was the Rosetta Stone found? The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt (in a small village in Delta called Rosetta (Rashid) What does the Rosetta Stone say? The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to honour the Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the pharaoh had done that were good for the priests and the people of Egypt.

Death viewed as a new beginning Life and Death Life and death was measured in accordance to Ma’at: the goddess and symbol of equilibrium of the universe and the king had to rule according to her principles Death viewed as a new beginning Afterlife common to all, regardless of social status (preparation varied as well as goods stored in tombs) 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. Text was read from the 'Book of the Dead' which was a collection of spells, charms, passwords, numbers and magical formulas for the use of the deceased in the afterlife. MA’AT -symbol of the equilibrium of the universe Ka (one’s own spiritual duplicate; stored in heart and at death was separated from body. The ka would inhabit the tomb to be near the body) Ba (non physical element unique to each person such as one’s personality) Akh (form that the mummy takes to exist in afterworld) Ma’at (truth, order and justice- essential to achieve harmony with gods and entry to the aftelife) 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

Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at Judgment of scale record of the outcome This scene depicts what occurs after a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians. panel of 14 judges Ka (soul /spiritual duplicate), ba (personality) ankh (form mummy took in afterlife / the key of life) Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at Judgment of scale record of the outcome 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.

Mummification 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.

Ancient Egypt: Why so stable? Ancient Egypt lasted for 3500 years due to factors in: Geography Politics Social structure Education Economy Religion = Stability was goal and change slow and cautious