Egyptian Civilization World Studies October 21

Bell Ringer Write for 5 minutes what you know about Egypt. Don’t be afraid to put something that you aren’t sure is correct.

The Nile River The Nile begins in the heart of Africa and flows north 4000 miles. It is the longest river in the world. It empties into the Mediterranean Sea, but before doing so, it splits into two major branches. This split creates a delta, called Lower Egypt, and the land south, Upper Egypt. The important cities developed at the tip of the delta.

The “Miracle” of the Nile Yearly flooding was referred to by Egyptians as the “miracle”. The river rose in the summer, due to heavy rains in central Africa. These floods, reaching their heights in autumn, left a deposit of mud on both sides of the river. This mud land, called “Black Land” was fertile. The “Red Land” was the name given to the desert outside the fertile land.

The Nile Valley Farmers grew a surplus of food, which made Egypt prosper. Transportation was made easy by winds from the north pushing sail boats south and the current running north. Natural barriers protected Egypt: desert to the west and east, Red Sea to the East, the cataracts, or rapids, on the southern part of the Nile, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.

With the Nile floods… came a sense of comfort to Egyptians. The floods gave them confidence that everything was going the same as always. This helped create a degree of continuity over thousands of years.

Growth of Religion Even though they didn’t have a word for religion, they believed it represented an inseparable part of the entire world order (why and how things happen). They were polytheistic. Many gods were associated with heavenly bodies and natural forces. Two groups of gods had special importance to Egyptian well-being: sun gods and land gods (including river gods) were responsible for the fertile land.

The sun god The sun was the source of life. The sun god took on different forms and names. Egyptian rulers took the title “Son of Re” – Re is the name given to the sun god. Rulers were seen as an earthly form of Re.

Land gods River and land gods included Osiris and Isis. Ancient Egyptian Myth: – Osiris, who brought civilization to Egypt, had a evil twin brother Seth. – Seth cut Osiris up into pieces and threw him into the river. – Osiris’ wife, Isis, found the pieces and, with help of other gods, put Osiris back together. – Osiris became a symbol of resurrection, or rebirth.

Meaning of Osiris By identifying with Osiris, Egyptians hoped to gain new life after death. Dead were placed in tombs (pyramids for kings) and through ritual, would become Osiris and be reborn. The river flooding and Isis bringing Osiris back to life symbolize new life for Egypt.

Egyptian Kingdoms Egypt’s history begins around 3100 b.c. when King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt into a single Kingdom. This created the first royal dynasty (ruling family). The river connected and united Upper and Lower Egypt physically, the king united them politically.

Three Kingdoms of Egypt Old Kingdom b.c. Prosperity and splendor Ruled by powerful pharaoh Pharaoh had absolute power but had help ruling – in the beginning, their family helped Eventually, a government bureaucracy (administration with officials) was created to help. Egypt was divided into 42 provinces, each with a governor who reported to the vizier (steward of the whole land) and pharaoh

Achievements of the Old Kingdom Pyramids were built as part of a larger complex of buildings, dedicated to the dead. Large pyramids were for the pharaoh’s burial, smaller pyramids for his family, and other buildings for officials. Tombs were stocked with supplies (things needed in the rebirth), and even though the physical body was gone, the spiritual body could be surrounded by earthly comforts.

Mummification To preserve the physical body after death, Egyptians practiced mummification. Mummification is slowly drying a dead body so it doesn’t rot. Primarily, mummification was used by wealthy families, and carried out by priest. Internal organs were removed and placed in jars in the tomb. The brain was extracted through the nose. The body was covered with salt so the body’s water could be absorbed. The body was filled with spices and wrapped in layers of linen soaked in resin. Lastly, a lifelike mask was placed on the head and shoulders of the mummy and sealed in the tomb.

Great Pyramids The great pyramids were tombs for the mummified bodies of pharaohs. The largest and most magnificent of all was built under King Khufu at Giza. 13 acres, 756 feet wide and 481 feet high Believed to take 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build Speculation still surrounds the Great Pyramids and how they were built. The Great Pyramids still represent the power of the Egyptian pharaohs and is a constant reminder of the glory, power, and wealth of Egyptian civilization

The Great Sphinx Guarding the Great Pyramid at Giza is 240 foot long, 66 foot high statue of a lion body with a human head. This Great Sphinx is believed to be the likeness of King Khufu’s son, Khafre. Many believe the sphinx guards the sacred burial sites.

The Middle Kingdom With the collapse of the Old Kingdom, about 2180 b.c., brought about a 150 year period of instability and disorder. A new dynasty began with the Middle Kingdom, 2055 b.c. to 1650 b.c. This new kingdom was considered a golden age of stability.

Middle Kingdom Egypt begins a period of expansion. Nubia was conquered. Fortresses were built to protect Egypt. Armies were sent to Palestine and Syria. Traders were sent to Kush, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Crete.

Change from Old to Middle Kingdom In the Old Kingdom, pharaohs were seen more as god-kings, removed from the people. In the Middle Kingdom, the pharaohs were seen as shepherds of the people, working for the public good. They were expected to provide public works and provide for the public welfare. Examples: drained swampland to open up 1000s of acres of farmland. Dug a canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea aided trade and transportation.

After the Middle Kingdom The Middle Kingdom came to an end around 1650 b.c. with the invasion of Egypt by the Hyksos (western Asia). The Hyksos used horse drawn chariots to overwhelm the Egyptian armies and their donkey carts. The Hyksos ruled Egypt for almost 100 years. Egyptians learned how to use bronze to make tools and weapons and better military techniques from the Hyksos.

The New Kingdom The newly learned military techniques and weapons allowed the Egyptians to finally defeat the Hyksos. The pharaohs that led this successful ouster started a new dynasty that lasted from 1550 b.c. to 1070 b.c. Under this new dynasty, Egypt became the most powerful empire in the region.

The New Kingdom Massive wealth boosted the new pharaohs. This wealth was displayed by building new temples. Hatshepsut was one of the first women to become pharaoh. Amenhotep IV brought problems to the New Kingdom when he introduced Aten, god of the sun disk, as the only god. This change went against the thousands of years of polytheistic thought.

King Tut After pharaoh Amenhotep IV (he changed his name to Akhenaten to be closer to the god Aten) died, the boy-pharaoh takes over. King Tutankhamen, or King Tut, restores the old gods removed by his predecessor.

Loss of Egyptian Empire After Amenhotep IV made his changes, Egypt’s empire was weakened. Ramses II, 1279 b.c to 1213 b.c. led an offensive attack to re-strengthen Egypt. They regained control of Palestine but couldn’t expand on their empire. The “sea peoples” drove them back to their original borders and the New Kingdom collapsed in 1070 b.c.

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII tries to bring Egypt back to its greatness. She becomes involved with Rome and this led to her defeat and suicide. Egypt becomes a Roman province.

Homework Create a three column chart that addressed the three kingdoms of Egypt. Date of kingdom Important pharaohs Major events that strengthened the kingdom Major events that weakened the kingdom. Important details from the kingdom