1. Bellringer
Take out your notes on Egypt from last class and get ready to finish them.
Bad Joke of the Day: Why did the baker bake more bread?

2. Ancient Egypt: the Old Kingdom

3. Geography of Egypt Lower Egypt Memphis SINAI PENINSULA Sahara Desert
Egyptian civilization emerged on the banks of the Nile River, the longest in the world.
Climate and geography of Egypt was very constant. Green farmland along the banks of the Nile where the silt was deposited (the Black Lands), and desert beyond (the Red Lands).
Every year, the same cycle would occur. There’s a flood, then you plant, then there’s a harvest. In July, the rains and melting snow from the mountains caused the Nile to flood. The River would then recede in October, leaving behind silt. The farmers plant their crops, use irrigation throughout the winter, and then at the end of the winter, they harvest.
The Nile itself runs from south to north, from Upper Egypt to Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt is located south of the delta to the first cataract, and lower Egypt contains the delta region.
Lower Egypt was the northernmost region and consisted of the last 100 miles before the river emptied into the Mediterranean Sea.
River flows North
Upper Egypt

4. Cataracts: a point on the Nile River where jagged granite cliffs and boulders turn the river into churning rapids.

5. Delta: a broad, marshy triangular area of land formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of the river.

6. Boats were able to sail upstream due to prevailing winds that blew off the Mediterranean Sea straight towards Upper Egypt. The Egyptians developed boats with wide sails that could take advantage of the winds and so go against the current, promoting trade. How?
Difference between flooding of the Nile and the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates was that it was a constant and regular occurrence. In the Nile region, the residents knew exactly when and how much flooding would usually occur. However, the floods were still dangerous.
Natural Barriers:
Deserts: Located on both sides of the Nile. Forced people to stay close to the Nile which reduced interaction with other peoples. However, it protected them from invaders (unlike Mesopotamia). Cataracts: barrier on the river

7. ECONOMY
The Egyptian Economy was based on agriculture and the trade of ivory, copper and papyrus sheets

8. Pharaoh Menes Founded 1st dynasty around 3000 BCE
Government of Egypt
Menes was the first Egyptian leader to unite Upper and Lower Egypt
He also started a dynasty, as power was passed to other members of his family.
The leaders of Egypt came to be called pharaohs, because they were considered to be gods.
Theocracy: In Egypt: a ruler (head of the government) is a divine or god-like figure
Overall: a government controlled by religious leaders
Pharaoh Menes Founded 1st dynasty around 3000 BCE

9. The major responsibilities of pharaoh: to promote truth and justice, and to take care of the country’s well-being (caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flood, and the crops to grow).
Pharaohs were buried in pyramids during the Old Kingdom because their ka or spirit, continued to take part in the rule of Egypt after they died, so their tombs had to last forever as well. (had to be more important than palaces).
The massive pyramids demonstrate the power of the ruling dynasties because they had developed the economic strength to support public works as well as the leadership and government organization to carry them out.

10. Tutankhamen's Tomb

11. Egyptian Culture Religion and Life
Egyptians were polytheistic—2000 gods
Three most important gods:
Ra: sun god
Horus: god of light
Isis: the Mother of Egypt
Believed in the afterlife, meaning life that continued after death
God of the dead: osiris—weighed the heart of the dead person—had to be lighter than a feather (or the Devourer of Souls would pounce on the heart and eat it)

12. Mummification: embalming, and drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying
Quote: p. 37

13. Social Structure Middle Class: Merchants and Artisans
Pharaoh and Royal Family
Upper Class: wealthy landowners, gov’t officials, priests, army commanders
Middle Class: Merchants and Artisans
Lower Class: Farmers and Unskilled laborers
Slaves

14. Egyptian writing
The Egyptian style of writing is called hieroglyphics “sacred carving”—originally pictures stood for ideas, then later stood for letters
Egyptian writing was done on papyrus
The stalks of the papyrus plant are harvested.
- Next the green skin of the stalk is removed and the inner pith is taken out and cut into long strips. The strips are then pounded and soaked in water for 3 days until pliable.
-The strips are then cut to the length desired and laid horizontally on a cotton sheet overlapping about 1 millimeter. Other strips are laid vertically over the horizontal strips resulting in the criss-cross pattern in papyrus paper. Another cotton sheet is placed on top.
- The sheet is put in a press and squeezed together, with the cotton sheets being replaced until all the moisture is removed.
- Finally, all the strips are pressed together forming a single sheet of papyrus paper.

15. Calendar: https://worldhistoryatyhs. wikispaces
Number System:
Egyptian Science and Technology
Written number system developed to collect and assess taxes
Geometry: to survey and reset property boundaries after the floods
First to use stone columns in homes, palaces, and temples
Egyptians developed a calendar to keep track of the time between floods and plan for the planting season
--365 days a year—12 months of 30 days and 5 days for a holiday and feasting. Overall, the calendar was only off by 6 hours from our calendar today.

16. Doctors in Egypt could:
Check someone’s pulse
Set splints for broken bones
Effective treatments for wounds and fevers
surgery

17. Ahmose I defeating the Hyksos in 1570 BCE
After the Old Kingdom ended, marked by the decline of the power of Pharaohs. After an intermediate period, the Middle Kingdom emerged. The Middle Kingdom pharaohs, improved trade and transportation but were invaded by the Hyksos, who were Asian nomads. The Hyksos remained in power in Egypt for about 70 years.
Ahmose I defeating the Hyksos in 1570 BCE