 Centralized government – every aspect under the control of one person or body, in this case it was the Pharaoh.  The position of Pharaoh was hereditary – passed down through the family  Government and religion were inseparable in ancient Egypt – the Pharoah was the head of government and the divine representative of the gods on earth.  Polytheistic – belief in many gods  Religion and government brought order to society through:  The construction of temples  The creation of laws  Taxation  The organization of labor  Trade with neighbors  The defense of the country’s interests.

 To reinforce their image as powerful divine rulers, the Pharaohs believed that they were gods on Earth, sent to rule man.  They often depicted themselves as warriors, who single-handedly killed scores of enemies and slaughtered whole prides of lions.

 Ancient Egypt achieved stability through the co-operation of all levels of the population.  The Pharaoh was at the top of the social hierarchy.  Next to him, the most powerful officers were the Viziers, the executive heads of the bureaucracy – the different levels and areas of a government.  Under them were the priests, followed by royal overseers (administrators) who ensured that the 42 district governors carried out the Pharaoh's orders.  At the bottom of the hierarchy were the scribes, artisans, farmers, and laborers.

 The ancient Egyptians remained very conscious of social classes and barriers between the classes were quite rigid.  Climbing the social ladder was difficult, but it could be achieved through outstanding accomplishments in professions such as that of the scribes and the military.

 The Egyptian language was one of the earliest languages to be written down, perhaps only the Sumerian language is older.  The word hieroglyphic literally means "sacred carvings.”  Form of pictoral writing  The Egyptians first used hieroglyphs for inscriptions carved or painted on temple walls, but was used on other items such as papyrus, tombs, etc.

 Used during the mummification and burial process  Contains approximately 190 chapters of spells to assist the deceased on their voyage to eternity  Texts were originally written on papyrus and placed near the dead  One spell was inscribed on a heart scarab – an amulet placed over the heart either within the mummy's bandages or inside the body  Later, the spells were written on strips of linen that were wrapped around the mummies

 Medicine:  Egyptian doctors found cures for many diseases and some of their concepts are still used today.  They used castor oil as a laxatives  Tannic acid from the acadia tree was used to heal burns  Coriander in a tea for stomach illnesses  Cummin seeds on aching or arthritic joints and to calm a cough.  They also made and used tools for surgical use that are similar to the ones that we use today.  Calendar:  The year was 365 days long  It was divided into 12 months of 30 days each  The months were divided into 3 weeks, which were 10 days long

 Nubia was located directly south of Ancient Egypt  Trade partners  Traded Egyptian goods such as food, papyrus, fabric made from flax for Nubian gold  Heavily influenced by Ancient Egyptian culture  Blended aspects of their culture with Ancient Egyptian culture  Religious and funeral practices  Worshipped many of the same gods  Performed many of the same funeral practices  Pyramids