1. The Old Kingdom 4-2 Pages 90-95

2. Early Egyptian Society Old Kingdom (O.K.) = time in Egyptian history from 2700 B.C. to 2200 B.C. Rule by pharaohs: ◦ The pharaoh was both god and king ◦ Had absolute power ◦ Government officials helped carry out the pharaoh’s duties ◦ Khufu was the most well-known pharaoh of the O.K./the Great Pyramid was built for him in Giza

3. Early Egyptian Society Social Structure: ◦ Pharaoh* ◦ Priests* ◦ Government officials* ◦ Scribes ◦ Craft workers/Artisans ◦ Merchants ◦ Farmers (where most Egyptians fell in the social pyramid) ◦ Slaves ◦ *Made up of nobles (people from rich and wealthy families)

4. Early Egyptian Society Egypt and It’s Neighbors: ◦ Contact and influence from other cultures: Nubia, Punt, Syria, and Sumer ◦ Attained  gold, ivory, slaves, and stone from Nubia  incense and myrrh from Punt  Lumber from Syria ◦ Sumerian designs found in Egyptian art ◦ Egyptians used Nubian poetry style

5. Religion & Egyptian Life The Gods of Egypt: ◦ Polytheistic ◦ Develop unified religion during the O.K. ◦ Temples built to honor the gods/goddesses ◦ Key Egyptian gods/goddesses:  Re/Ra or Amon-Re = the sun god  Anubis = god of the dead/mummification  Osiris = god of the underworld  Isis = goddess of magic and women  Horus = god of the sky and the pharaohs

6. Religion & Egyptian Life Afterlife: ◦ Entered an ideal and perfect world after death ◦ Ka = a person’s life force that becomes a spirit after death but is still tied to the body ◦ The ka still had the same needs in the afterlife that a person had on earth ◦ As a result of this belief, Egyptians were buried with objects ranging from furniture to clothes ◦ Families would bring food/drink to the burial sites

7. Religion & Egyptian Life Burial practices: ◦ The ka had to recognize the body or it would suffer in the afterlife ◦ To preserve the body, Egyptians practiced mummification ◦ Only the wealthy could afford to be mummified ◦ Average Egyptians were buried on the outskirts of the desert in shallow graves where their bodies were naturally preserved (due to lack of moisture).

8. The Pyramids Pyramids – huge stone tombs with four triangle- shaped walls that met in a point on top Pyramids began being built during the O.K. Pyramids are an example of the engineering accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians The size of the structures were a symbol of the pharaoh’s importance