Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt                                                                   

Egyptian Society The PHAROAH was at the top of the social hierarchy. Next to him, the most powerful officers were the VIZIERS and HIGH PRIESTS, the executive heads of the bureaucracy, and religion. Next were the ROYAL OVERSEERS (administrators) who ensured that the 42 DISTRICT GOVERNORS carried out the pharaoh's orders. At the bottom were the SCRIBES, ARTISANS, FARMERS, & LABORERS.

ROYAL PALACES, were CITIES IN THEMSELVES, included separate residences, a temple and a workers’ village.

The HOMES OF THE WEALTHY were larger and more luxurious. SPACIOUS reception and living rooms opened onto a CENTRAL GARDEN COURTYARD with a fish pond and flowering plants. Each bedroom had a PRIVATE BATHROOM, and the walls, columns and ceilings were painted with BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS inspired by nature. Elaborate and highly DECORATED FURNITURE included beds, chairs, boxes and tables. PAINTED CLAY POTS and vessels, as well as ALABASTER BOWLS AND JARS, were also found in the homes of the nobles.

A villa from the city of Amarna

CRAFTWORKERS lived in one- or two-storey FLAT-ROOFED DWELLINGS made of mud bricks. The walls and roof would have been covered with plaster and painted. Inside, there was a RECEPTION ROOM, a LIVING ROOM, BEDROOMS and a CELLAR in which food and beverages were stored. Food was prepared in an OUTDOOR KITCHEN equipped with a mud-brick oven. Stairs on the exterior of the house led to a ROOF-TOP TERRACE.

Ancient Egyptian Housing Middle Class Homes Peasant Homes

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) Women could 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

Scenes of Ancient Egyptian Daily Life

Making Ancient Egyptian Beer

Making Ancient Egyptian Wine

An Egyptian Woman’s “Must-Haves” Mirror Perfume Whigs

Egyptian Nobility

Egyptian Priestly Class

Egyptian Scribe

Papyrus  Paper Hieratic Scroll Piece Papyrus Plant

Hieroglyphics

Champollion & the Rosetta Stone

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. Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphic “Cartouche”

Hieroglyphics “Alphabet” 24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols

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

Education Original purpose of schools was to train priests Subjects taught Reading & writing Math Religious ceremonies & rituals Eventually temple schools provided more general education Usually schools attended only by the wealthy Girls did not attend school Taught domestic skills at home Students took notes on scraps of pottery - Papyrus was expensive & only used by advanced students Strict discipline

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

Egyptian Math & Draftsmenship 1 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 What number is this?

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)

Religion Atum 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)

Egyptian Gods & Goddesses: “The Sacred ‘Trinity’” Osiris Isis Horus

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

Entering a Temple

MA’AT -symbol of the equilibrium of the universe 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

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.

Preparations for the Underworld ANUBIS weighs the dead person’s heart against a feather. Priests protected your KA, or soul-spirit

Materials Used in Mummification 1. Linen 6. Natron 2. Sawdust 7. Onion 3. Lichen 8. Nile Mud 4. Beeswax 9. Linen Pads 5. Resin 10. Frankinsense

Preparation for the Afterlife

Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II 1210-1200 B. C. E. Egyptian Mummies Ramses II 1279-1212 B. C. E. Seti I 1291-1278 B. C. E. Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II 1210-1200 B. C. E.

Journey to the Underworld The dead travel on the “Solar Bark.” A boat for the journey is provided for a dead pharaoh in his tomb.

Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at Judgment of scale record of the outcome Anubis Horus Osiris 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.

Egyptian Book of the Dead

Shabtis: The Pharaoh’s Servants in the Afterlife

Stepped Pyramid at Saqqara

“Bent” Pyramid of King Sneferu

Giza Pyramid Complex

Plan of the Great Pyramid of Khufu

Pyramids were part of a FUNERARY COMPLEX Pyramids were part of a FUNERARY COMPLEX. The complex includes a PROCESSIONAL CAUSEWAY that links a FUNERARY TEMPLE to the pyramid, SOLAR BARQUES buried on the four sides of the pyramid, and MASTABAS and smaller pyramids where the family of the king and nobles were buried

The Valley of the Kings

Archaeologist, Howard Carter (1922)

Entrance to King “Tut’s” Tomb

King Tutankhamon’s Death Mask 1336-1327 B. C. E.

King Tutankhamon

King Tutankhamun’s Tomb

Treasures From Tut’s Tomb

The Valley of the Queens Temple of Queen Hatshepsut 1473-1458 B. C. E.

Ankhenaton: First Monotheist? 1352-1336 B. C. E.

The Ankh – The “Cross” of Life

Queen Nefertiti

Abu Simbel: Monument to Ramses II 1279-1213 B. C. E.