1. Egypt Note Taker: Old Kingdom
Student Notes

2. Historians have divided Egyptian history into three major periods:
the Old Kingdom
the Middle Kingdom
the New Kingdom

3. Timeline of Ancient Egypt

4. EGYPT
Old Kingdom
ca BC

5. Old Kingdom
ca BC
Most people were farmers who lived in villages on large estates near the Nile.

6. Old Kingdom
ca BC
Pharaohs organized a strong central nation and were considered gods.

7. Old Kingdom
ca BC
Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.

8. Old Kingdom
ca BC
Power struggles, drought, and crop failures, ended the Old Kingdom.

9. Two Kingdoms of Egypt: c.a. 3,500 B.C. Upper and Lower Egypt
same culture
same language
same gods

10. Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt - ca. 3100 B.C.
King Menes (Narmer) formed the first Egyptian dynasty in 3310 B.C.
A dynasty is a series of rulers who all come from the same family.
This double crown represented the union of the two lands.

11. Pharaoh was considered child of the sun god Ra (Re)
Powers of pharaoh were practically unlimited

12. The Crook & Flail
The crook and the flail are two of the most important items as symbols of royalty in ancient Egypt.

13. Bet You Didn’t Know…

14. Social Structure in Egypt
A Vizier was like a supervisor, appointed by the pharaoh
Slaves were often captured prisoners of war

15. The Old Kingdom was peaceful
There was little slavery

17. Mastaba – early Egyptian tombs rectangular in shape
Belief in an afterlife led to building elaborate tombs like the pyramids