1. Egypt’s Old Kingdom
2600 BCE BCE

2. Egypt’s Old Kingdom Rulers
2600 BC to 2300 BC – Egypt grew and prospered; built cities,
expanded trade, kings set up strong government
Pharaoh means: “great house”
lived with families in grand palaces
All powerful ruler who guided all Egypt’s activities
Word was law and unquestionable
Appointed officials who built and repaired irrigation canals and grain storehouses, planted crops, collected tax payments of grain
Carried out rituals thought to benefit kingdom
Egyptians willingly serve the pharaoh:
Believed unity of kingdom depended on strong leader
Considered pharaoh to be son of Ra (Egyptian sun god)
Thought pharaoh was god on earth who controlled Egypt’s welfare

3. Egypt’s Religion
worshipped many deities – believed they controlled the forces of nature and human activities
Ra - main god, the sun god and Hapi – ruled the Nile River
Isis – most important goddess, represented the loyal wife and mother and ruled over the dead with husband Osiris

4. Life After Death
Afterlife better than life on earth – place of peace and plenty
Book of the Dead – collection of spells and prayers Egyptians studied to obtain life after death
Believed Osiris would meet newcomers at entrance to next world if had lived a good life and knew the spells
Believed only pharaohs and elite few could enjoy afterlife
Believed pharaoh’s spirit needed a body to make journey to afterlife; if decayed before death, spirit would wander forever
Pharaoh’s spirit had to make it to afterlife where the pharaoh would continue to care for Egypt so Pharaohs body was embalmed
Priests removed body’s organs and used special salt (natron) was applied to body and stored for days to dry
Body was filled with spices and perfumes, then stitched closed, Cleaned with oils and tightly wrapped with linen
Egyptian Medicine
Mummy was put in several coffins, one fitting inside the other and then buried in a tomb

5. Egyptian Medicine Used herbs and drugs to treat illnesses
Skilled at sewing up cuts and setting broken bones
Some doctors focused on treating particular parts of the body, becoming first specialists in medicine

6. The Pyramids
Pyramids protected the bodies of dead pharaohs from floods, wild animals and grave robbers.
Held supplies pharaoh might need in spirit world (ie. Clothing, furniture, jewelry, and food)

7. How Was a Pyramid Built? Took thousands of workers many years to build
Most work done by farmers during Nile floods
Also required surveyors, engineers, carpenters and stone cutters
Pyramid set on square base with entrance facing north
To determine north, they studied and developed principles of astronomy and thus invented a 365-day calendar with 12 months and 3 seasons. (became basis for our present day calendar)
Made advances in mathematics to determine amount of stone needed and angles necessary
Invented system of numbers based on 10
Created fractions; with whole numbers to add, subtract, and divide
Traveled to get stone
Used copper tools to cut stone into blocks
Tied blocks to wooden sleds and bulled them to the Nile
Loaded stones into barges to the building site
Blocks dragged or pushed up ramps to be set

8. The Great Pyramid The largest and grandest of the pyramids
Built for King Khufu & one of three still standing in Giza on west bank of Nile
Rises almost 500 feet above desert, covers area about nine football fields and contains more than 200 stone blocks (each weighs about 2.5 tons).
Was tallest structure in world for more than 4,000 years; size of 48 story building and is largest of about 80 pyramids in Egypt
Built without beast of burden, special tools or wheel