1. Bell Ringer
Use your notes on Egyptian Religion to answer the following question:
What evidence suggests the afterlife was important to the ancient Egyptians?

2. Note - Taking
1. Copy down the chart on p. 88 into your classroom notebook 2. Make sure it is titled, “Ancient Egyptian Culture”

3. Everyday Life
Most of what we know about the ancient Egyptians is based on paintings from walls of tombs/temples and written records.
Social Classes:
Pharaoh
Small Upper Class: Priests, Court Members, Nobles with large estates
Middle Class: Merchants, Skilled Workers
Peasants
Slaves

4. Everyday Life
A person could rise up to a higher social class usually through service to the Pharaoh.
Slavery:
Prisoners captured in war
Slaves had rights – could own items, inherit land and be set free
Peasants:
Most worked the land of wealthier people
Lives were greatly affected by the seasons for farming
Women:
Looked upon as living models of the goddess Isis
Had most rights that men had – own property, run businesses, enter legal contracts

5. Achievements Writing in Ancient Egypt Writing Materials
Hieroglyphs: pictures and other written symbols that stand for ideas, things, or sounds.
Began to use hieroglyphs because they needed a way to keep track of the kingdom’s growing wealth.
Writing Materials
Papyrus: an early form of paper made from a reed found in the marshy area of the Nile delta.

6. The Mystery of Hieroglyphics Revealed
The ability to read Egypt’s hieroglyphic writing was lost after the 400’s A.D. – in an important discovery allowed scholars to translate the mysterious pictures
Rosetta Stone: large black stone discovered near the Nile River with hieroglyphs, another Egyptian script, and Greek letters that all had the same meaning allowing the translation of hieroglyphics.

7. Achievements
Astronomers: scientists who study the stars and other objects in the sky.
Figured out when the Nile River would flood based on star movements and the length of a year.
Mathmatics:
Used geometry along with adding, subtracting, fractions, etc.
Medicine:
Religion and medicine were closely connected
Performed surgery and used plants to create medicines

8. RACE Rubric Exercise
Use the rubric that was provided to you in order to answer the following question using the RACE writing strategy – you MUST use the text (p.88-93) in order to complete the assignment.
How did the learning achievements of the Egyptians affect later civilizations?