1. The Land of Mystery and Intrigue!
Egypt
The Land of Mystery and Intrigue!

2. Essential Questions
What role does the Nile play in our understanding of Ancient Egypt?
What kind of life did the Egyptians lead?
How did their understanding of religion and the afterlife affect their life on this earth?
What is Egypt’s most important legacy?

3. What is this about a River?
Egypt grew in connection to the Nile River
The Nile is predictable as was the development of Ancient Egypt
Stability is what Egypt is known for as it lasted for over years.
How did the Nile and geography isolate and protect Egypt and how did it affect it’s development?

4. Unification Egypt was unified under King Menes around 3100 BCE
When we consider Egypt we look at three eras generally
The Old Kingdom BCE
The Middle Kingdom BCE
The New Kingdom BCE

5. The Old Kingdom
Prior to 3100 BCE it is likely Egypt was just a collection of unorganized societies
King Menes is the ruler who is believed to have been the first to unite Egypt and the two kingdoms under one crown
As a result, King Menes is the first ruler in Egypt to wear the double crown representing the unity of both kingdoms

6. The Pharaoh as God
Ancient art tells us that the Egyptians believed the Pharaoh was a god on earth
This gave him absolute power over all affairs in Egypt
The Old Kingdom reached it’s peak during the fourth dynasty and saw trade throughout much of the Mediterranean as well as mining
This made the Egyptians quite wealthy

7. Some Big dogs in the 4th Dynasty!
Khufu (Cheops) - responsible for the great pyramid
Khafre - Built himself a temple too
Menkaure - He also had a pyramid
Imhotep - He was the first doctor in Egypt as he founded the Egyptian system of medicine

8. The Middle Kingdom
The end of the Old kingdom sees a civil war of about 150 years
Egypt was unified again by the Theban Kings by 2050 BCE
They were called the Theban Kings because they ruled from Thebes (go figure)
The capital was eventually moved to Memphis (this is not where Elvis lived or lives either because the dude is dead, sorry)

9. Middle Kingdom Con’t
During this period the god Amon was merged with the Sun God Re to become Amon- Re a National god of Egypt
Egypt’s boundaries expand during this period and the middle class is expanded through promotion creating social mobility
As a result there is a period of peace they experience that is sustained

10. The Hyksos! The Hyksos are one of Egypt’s biggest rivals
They are a warlike people from what is now Syria and Palestine and they invaded Egypt during this period
The Egyptians were technologically inferior to the Hyksos particularly on the battlefield and as a result the Hyksos were able to conquer and take over administration of Egypt for 150 years
They didn’t really change anything and over time the Egyptians mastered the new weapons and drove the Hyskos out.

11. Trade
Due to the technology of their ships and their political reach the Egyptians had a vast trade network
This network reached as far as Northern Europe, subtropical Africa and the Near East
Through discovery it has become apparent that trade was much more expansive that we originally thought and cultural practices and understanding was spread from kingdom to kingdom as a result
The Egyptians traded with Mesopotamia regularly and also learned from them in the areas of mathematics and writing

12. Law Law in Egypt was governed by religious principles
The Goddess Ma’at personifies the essential foundations of law in Egypt which are: truth, righteousness and justice
As a result of this connection between law and faith the Egyptians seem to have been very law abiding people
Plus, punishments were pretty severe - minor crimes were often punished with 100 lashes and forced labour
If you escaped or tried to escape from a labour camp could be punishable by an ear or a nose being cut off!

13. Economics
The economy was controlled entirely by the Pharaoh since they technically owned all the land
There was a large agrarian population
The barter system was still largely used as coinage isn’t universally employed until, you guessed it, the Romans
Trades were highly valued - if you were a builder it was hard work but you were treated and compensated very well for it

14. The New Kingdom This is Egypt’s golden age
This is when they truly become an empire
The military is the most powerful it ever becomes

15. Military Tradition
During this period Egypt has one of the best trained armies in the ancient world
Egyptians didn’t really need to carry out wars because they got everything they needed from the Nile to survive
Their vast riches made it necessary for them to have a powerful army to defend what was theirs

16. Women in Ancient Egypt
The role of women is primarily derived from tomb art
Women were generally well treated and enjoyed considerable legal rights in Egypt compared with women from other civilizations
In theory they actually shared the same legal rights as men such as the right to own land and property, the right to seek a divorce and the right to initiate a court case and be a witness
Women did not hold important titles and they are often pictured with light skin that tells us they led a more sheltered lifestyle from those that worked in fields

17. Education
All children regardless of class received some level of education
The primary goal of education was to make youth contributing members of society
At age fourteen children were streamed in to career paths