1. Chapter 4 Section 2 The Old Kingdom
Around 2700 BC, after Dynasty One and Two ended (about 400 years), the Third Dynasty began. This was the beginning of what was known as the Old Kingdom.

2. Life in the Old Kingdom
What was the Old Kingdom? The Old Kingdom was a period in Egyptian history that lasted for about 500 years, from about BC.

3. God and King
The Egyptians developed a political system that was based on the belief that the pharaoh was both king and god. They believed that the pharaoh came to Earth to manage Egypt for the rest of the gods.

4. Many Responsibilities
Being pharaoh came with many responsibilities and expectations. If something good or bad happened, the people blamed it on the pharaoh.

5. Who was Khufu? He was a pharaoh who ruled around 2500 BC.
He was best known for building monuments known as the first pyramids.
He ruled for about 25 years.

6. Egyptian Social Pyramid
80% of
Egypt’s
population of
2 million were
farmers.

7. Trade in Egypt
Merchants traveled south along the Nile to Nubia, where they acquired gold, copper, ivory, slaves, and stone for building. They also traded with Syria for wood needed for fire.
Perfume
jar
Trading
for
Slaves

8. Religion and Egyptian Life
Horus, the sky god
or god of the
pharaohs
The Egyptians practiced polytheism.
The Egyptians built shrines to their gods. The temples collected payments from worshipers and the government. This payment allowed the temples to become very influential.
Temple At
Karnack

9. Other Egyptian Gods Amon-Re Sun god Osiris god of the underworld Isis
goddess of
magic
Anubis
god of
death

10. Emphasis on the Afterlife
King
Tut’s
tomb
What is the afterlife? It is life after death. Egyptians believed that the afterlife was happy and that after death, life was very similar to life on earth. At death, the Ka, or a person’s life-force, left the body and became a spirit. The Ka remained linked to the body and remained in the burial site forever. This is why Egyptians filled their tombs with personal needs, such as food, drink, and personal belongings.

11. Burial Practices
The Egyptians believed that the body had to be prepared and preserved for the afterlife so the Ka could recognize and return to the body when it left during the day. They did this by a method called embalming. The Egyptians preserved the body in the form of a mummy, a specially treated body wrapped in cloth. This process prepared the body for the afterlife.

12. Mummification Brains were removed through the nose.
Internal organs were removed and preserved and placed in canopic jars. The heart was left inside the body.
Body was dried with natron (salt), for approximately 40 days.
Body was then rubbed with oils and perfumes
Finally the body was wrapped with fine linens and draped with amulets

13. Who was Mummified?
Only royalty or the elite were mummified.
The elite were people of wealth or power.
Peasant families could not afford to be mummified. They buried their dead in shallow graves at the edge of the desert. The hot dry sand dried and preserved the bodies naturally.

14. Where’s my mummy?????
Queen
Hatshepsut
Ramese II

15. The Pyramids
What is a pyramid? It is a huge, stone tomb with four triangular-shaped sides that meet at a point on top.
Egyptians began building pyramids around 2700 BC.

16. The Evolution of the Pyramid The first tombs were called Mastabas

17. The Evolution of the Pyramid
The Bent
Pyramid
The Step
Pyramid

18. The Giza Pyramid Largest of all the pyramids Covers 13 acres
481 ft high
Built by
Khufu
Inside
passage
way of
tomb
Used more
than
2 million
limestone
blocks

19. Building of the Pyramids
Built by
Snofru
The Red
pyramid
What is engineering?
Engineering is the application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes.
As many as 100,000 workers may have been needed to build a single pyramid.
Other
Egyptian
architecture

20. How Were The Pyramids Built?
Temporary
stone ramps

21. Pyramids
2-ton
limestone
blocks
Wooden
sleds

22. Pyramids
Workers
removed
the temporary
ramps
Polished
white
limestone

23. Significance of the Pyramid
Amenemhet II in
Darfur
Burial in a pyramid
demonstrated a
pharaoh’s importance.
Pointing to the sky, the
pyramid symbolized the
pharaoh’s journey to the
afterlife. They believed
that the pharaoh’s link
to the gods, controlled
everyone’s afterlife. In
ruins

24. Pyramids of Egypt

25. Summary
During the Old Kingdom, new political and social
orders were created in Egypt. Religion was
important, and many pyramids were built for the
pharaohs.