1. Warm-Up What are the 5 characteristics of civilization?
Where did Hammurabi establish his capital?
What was the name of Sumerian temples?

2. Egypt
Copyright © Clara Kim All rights reserved.

3. Lower Egypt Memphis SINAI PENINSULA Sahara Desert River flows North
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. Geography Nile River – 4,100 miles long, flows northward
Every year in July the river flooded REGULARLY leaving behind rich soil.
The Nile is the longest river in the world!
Forbidden Deserts on either side of the Nile = Natural barriers
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.

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

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

7. Early Steps to Civilization
By 3800 B.C.E. the people of the Nile Valley were forming a complex society.
3000 B.C.E. they developed hieroglyphic writing, sacred carving in Greek.
The Egyptians also wrote on paper made from papyrus.

8. Papyrus

9. Egypt Unites In the beginning, Egypt was separated into two kingdoms:
1. Lower Egypt
2. Upper Egypt

10. King Menes Established a capital, Memphis
Established first Egyptian Dynasty
Unites Upper and Lower Egypt

11. United
United lower and upper Egypt and wore a crown that symbolized its united kingdom

12. Pharaohs Egyptian kings = pharaohs
The Egyptians viewed their pharaohs the same as the gods
KINGS WERE GODS
Stood as center of religion as well as government and army
Type of Government = Theocracy

14. Religion Polytheistic 2,000 gods and goddesses
Built huge temples to honor gods
Believed in afterlife

16. Egyptian gods Osiris: god of the dead
Ra: sun god – would merge with Horus later
Horus: god of light
Isis: goddess, represented ideal mother and wife; the Mother of Egypt

17. Osiris 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)

18. Anubis
Anubis is the Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife as well as the patron god of lost souls and the helpless
Met the Pharaohs at the scales of the afterlife

19. Mummification
People of all classes planned for their burials, so that they might safely reach the Other World.
Royal and elite Egyptians’ bodies were preserved by mummification, which involves embalming and drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying.

20. Mummification
Filled the tomb with items the dead person could use in the afterlife, such as clothing, food, cosmetics, and jewelry.
Many Egyptians purchased scrolls that contained hymns, prayers, and magic spells intended to guide the soul in the afterlife. This collection of texts is known as the Book of the Dead.

22. Trade By 3200 BC, Egyptians were trading with the Mesopotamians
Also traded up and down the Nile
Gold
Ivory
Cattle
Granite blocks

24. Social Very different from the city-states of Mesopotamia
Egypt’s united kingdom allowed
High degree of unity
Stability
Cultural continuity (staying the same)

25. Lower Class: Farmers and Unskilled laborers
Social Structure
Pharaoh and Royal Family
Upper Class
Middle Class: Merchants and Artisans
Lower Class: Farmers and Unskilled laborers
Slaves
Social
Upper class: wealthy landowners, gov’t officials, priests, army commanders
Slaves came later in history—prisoners of war, sell self, mom was a slave—some cases of slaves owning property or having some freedoms, but as far as we know, could not buy freedom
Social structure was fluid—you could advance in life

26. Intellectual Developed writing = hieroglyphics
Pictographic writing system
Developed written numbers for recording taxes
Addition, subtraction

29. Achievements Knowledge in math = skillful engineers
Pyramids
Palaces
Egyptian Architects first to use stone columns in homes, palaces and temples
12 month, 365 day calendar from studying the stars
So accurate it was only 6 hours off from today’s calendar year

31. Rosetta Stone Written in three different languages
Hieroglyphics
Demotic Egyptian
Ancient Greek
A French officer uncovered the Rosetta stone in Egypt in 1799.
Jean Francois Champollion translated the stone in 1822.

32. The Rosetta Stone

33. United Kingdom
In early Egypt there were two kingdoms. In 3100 B.C.E. Menes united the two kingdoms.
Egyptian history is divided into 4 eras;
The Old Kingdom
the Middle Kingdom
the New Kingdom
the Late Period – Talk about this later

34. Old Kingdom
2700 – 2180 BCE, The Old Kingdom, sometimes called the greatest time in Egyptian history.
Also called the Pyramid Age because the greatest pyramids were built during this period.
The Pharaohs’ power declined in BCE which ended the Old Kingdom.

35. Sphinx and Great Pyramid

36. Middle Kingdom
2000 B.C.E. - A strong group of pharaohs united Egypt again. The Middle Kingdom ended around B.C.E. due to rivalries for power.
Queen Sobekneferu ( B.C.E.), was the first confirmed female ruler of Egypt
In 1650 B.C.E. the Hyksos conquered Egypt using horse drawn carts. The Hyksos ruled lower Egypt for 80 years.

38. The New Kingdom
1567 – 1085 B.C.E.
The pharaohs used Thebes as their capital city
Largest and most powerful of the kingdoms
The era of the Ramses pharaohs
This is the era that King Tutankhamen ruled during