1. The Nile Valley Chapter 2, Section 1 World History Mrs. Thompson
Ancient Egypt
The Nile Valley
Chapter 2, Section 1
World History
Mrs. Thompson

2. Egypt was ruled by all-powerful rulers called pharaohs.
Main Idea
Egypt was ruled by all-powerful rulers called pharaohs.

3. The history of Egypt is divided into 3 periods:
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
Egypt’s Old Kingdom began in 2600 B.C. and lasted until 2300 B.C.

4. Egypt grew and prospered during the Old Kingdom
Egyptians
Built
Cities
Egypt was ruled by kings called pharaohs
Expanded
Trade
“Pharaoh” is a Greek term which means “great house”
Set up a Strong Government

5. The pharaohs’ word was law and had to be obeyed
Jobs of appointed officials:
make sure crops
were planted
control trade and
collect tax
payments
of grain from
farmers
make sure irrigation
canals and grain
storehouses were built

6. Egyptians served Pharaoh because: Believed unity of kingdom
depended on a strong leader
2. they considered the pharaoh
to be the son of the
god Re
– the sun god and a god on earth

7. playing music on flutes and cymbals
To show the
Pharaoh honor and
respect in public
bowing down to
smell
the earth or
touch their heads
to the ground

8. The pharaoh carried out ritual ceremonies that Egyptians believed helped control their welfare such as:
Riding a sacred bull around the capital city of Memphis to ensure fertility of the soil
(bull = symbol of fertility)
2. cutting the first ripe grain to ensure a good harvest.

9. Let’s Review…All about pharaohs
Were
all-powerful
Lived in
palaces
Carry-out
Religious
rituals
Details about
Egyptian
pharaohs
Considered
to be
gods on
Earth
Appointed
Government
officials

10. Main Idea
Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses and in life after death for the pharaohs.

11. Religion was deeply woven into Egyptian culture
Egyptians believed many deities or gods and goddesses controlled the forces of nature and human activities

12. The main Egyptian gods included:
1. Re, the sun god who ruled over the rising and setting of the sun, represented the importance of a sunny climate for good harvests

13. 2. Hapi was ruler of the Nile River who represented
2. Hapi was ruler of the Nile River who represented the importance of water for growing crops.

14. 3. Isis represented the loyal wife and
3. Isis represented the loyal wife and mother who ruled over the dead with her husband Osiris, god of the underworld and afterlife.

15. THE FAMILY OF THE EGYPTIAN GODSRA
SHU
TEFNUT
NEKHEBET RA
GEB
NUT
HATHOR
This is the family tree of the Egyptian Gods. It shows the names of the gods and their children or parents.
As you can see, RA was the father of all the gods.
OSIRIS
ISIS
SET
NEPHTHYS
OSIRIS
HORUS
ANUBIS

16. Let’s Review…Egyptians’ beliefs
hopeful view
of life
after death
for centuries,
believed only
elite had
afterlife
Belief in
many gods
Egyptian
Beliefs
Pharaoh
needed
body for
afterlife
Magic spells
needed to gain
life after
death

17. Egyptian Gods & Goddesses: “The Sacred ‘Trinity’”
Osiris Isis Horus

18. Egyptian Creation Myth
The Goddess Nut

19. Life After Death
Unlike the Mesopotamians, who imagined a gloomy life after death, the Egyptians thought the afterlife would be a place of peace and plenty

20. Journey to the Underworld
The dead travel on the “Solar Bark.”
A boat for the journey is provided for a dead pharaoh in his tomb.

21. Egyptian Book of the Dead

22. Egyptian Book of the Dead
Book of the Dead was a collection of spells and prayers that Egyptians studied to obtain life after death.
Egyptians believed they must lead a good life and know the magic spells to gain the afterlife.

23. Osiris met the dead in the next world and judged whether to grant them life after death.

24. The Underworld
The soul goes down into the Underworld were it must pass the judges and account for its life. Then it is led by Anubis to be weighed against the feather of Truth (Ma’at) and the decision recorded by Thoth, the god of scribes. If the sins committed during life cause the heart to be heavier than the feather of Truth, the soul is devoured by a great beast. If it is lighter, the soul is taken by Horus to green-faced Osiris, who is accompanied by Isis and Nephthys, and blessed.
This scene shows what Egyptians believed happened to the soul after it descended into the Underworld.

25. The Final Judgement
Osiris Anubis Horus

26. Egyptians
believed
it was vital for
the pharaoh’s
spirit to
reach the next
world where
he could
continue to
care for
Egypt.
Through the
embalming
process,
Egyptians
prepared
the pharaoh’s
body
to accept his
spirit in the
afterlife

27. Shabtis: The Pharaoh’s Servants in the Afterlife

28. mummy: Steps to making a 1. remove the brain remove the lungs, liver,
stomach, and intestines
and place in canoptic jars
3. wash the body with wine
4. salt the body with natron and store it in the desert sands to dry

29. 5. remove the body from the sands, fill it
5. remove the body from the sands, fill it with spices and perfumes, and stitch it closed.
6. cleanse the body with oils
7. wrap the body with long strips of cotton-linen cloth
8. place inside a wooden coffin and put it into a sarcophagus

30. Materials Used in Mummification
1. Linen Natron 2. Sawdust Onion 3. Lichen Nile Mud 4. Beeswax Linen Pads 5. Resin Frankinsense

32. Preparation for the Afterlife

33. Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II 1210-1200 B. C.
Egyptian Mummies
Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II B. C.
Seti I B. C.
Ramses II B. C.

34. Preparations for the Underworld
ANUBIS weighs the dead person’s heart against a feather.
Priests protected your KA, or soul-spirit

35. Egyptian Medicine Egyptian doctors world’s to treat first medical
used herbs and
drugs to treat
many different
illnesses
became skilled
at sewing up
cuts
and setting
broken bones
Egyptian
doctors
specialists
to treat
particular parts
of the body
world’s
first medical
books
on papyrus
scrolls

36. Main Idea
The Egyptians of the Old Kingdom built huge stone pyramids as tombs for their pharaohs.

38. Egyptians built mountain-like pyramids, entirely of stone, as tombs for the pharaohs
They were the size of several city blocks and were meant to protect the dead bodies of pharaohs from:
floods
wild animals
grave robbers

39. Pyramids were filled with supplies that the pharaoh might need in the spirit world such as:
clothing
furniture
jewelry
food

40. Who Were the Pyramid Builders?
Thousands of people and many years to build the pyramids
Most of the builders were farmers
Surveyors, engineers, carpenters, and stonecutters also lent skills to pyramid building

41. How Was a Pyramid Built?
Each pyramid sat on a square base with entrance facing north
Egyptians used astronomy to determine true north
Egyptians developed 365 day/12 month calendar which is basis for modern calendar

42. Egyptian advances in Math helped them determine angle measurements and amount of stone needed for pyramids

43. Advances in Mathematics System of written numbers based on 10
Creation of fractions and using
them with whole numbers
to add, subtract, & divide

44. Build a Pyramid

45. The Great Pyramid
About 2540 B.C., Egyptians built the largest and grandest of the pyramids known as the Great Pyramid

46. Great Pyramid Facts Located about 10 miles from Cairo
and stands in Giza on the west bank
of the Nile River
Rises nearly 5oo ft. above desert and
covers an area about 9 football fields
Contains more than 2 million stone
blocks, each about 2.5 tons

47. Great Pyramid Facts Largest of about 80 pyramids found in Egypt
Tallest structure on the world for more
than 4,000 years and is equal to
size of a 48 story building
Largest of about 80 pyramids
found in Egypt