Notes on Chapter 3: Egypt
Geography of the Nile1.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 5000 B.C.
Egypt's Powerful Kings and Queens-
2. Old Kingdom: -King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt
- Builders begin building the Great Pyramid
- statue of Sphinx built
- good rulers and government
Middle Kingdom: restored order
-focus on literature and art, irrigation projects
New Kingdom: King Tut ruled during this time
Focused on building and army, many soldiers and chariots
-New Kingdom became weak and was eventually conquered
by the Romans
Pharaohs - pharaohs had absolute power, also religious leaders
- King Menes- united Upper and Lower Egypt- first King
- Thutmose III named pharaoh but was too young to rule
- Stepmother made herself pharaoh, Hatshepsut, ruled about 22 years
- Thutmose III grew up and took over- one of the greatest pharaohs of the
New Kingdom
- He was a conqueror but also an educated man, showed mercy to defeated
people
- Other pharaohs- Tutankhamen, Ramses II, Ptolemy I, Cleopatra, Khufu,
Seti
Egyptian Religion
Afterlife and Mummies
- believed in an afterlife, joined with Osiris for a life of ease and pleasure
- bodies were preserved (mummies), possessions buried with the body
- took 2-3 months, 20 layers of bandages
- 3-4 coffins (sarcophagus was the outside coffin)
Pyramids
- built as tombs for the pharaohs
- most built during the Old Kingdom- Great Pyramid at Giza
- required a great deal of organization
- 20 or more years to build a pyramid
Gods and Goddesses
- religion explained the workings of nature (why there was no rain, what
caused sickness)
- tried to please their Gods
- many looked like humans with animals' heads
- Amon-Re - chief God, protected everyone
- Osiris- God of the afterlife
- Isis- powerful Egyptian Goddess, protected children (wife of Osiris)
- Horus- God of the Sky (son of Osiris)
- Thoth- God of Wisdom and Writing
Culture of the Ancient Egyptians
Daily Life
- had social classes
- Pharaohs- ruled Egypt
- Priests, member's of Pharaohs Court, Nobles- upper class
- Merchants and Skilled Workers- middle class (artisans)
- Peasants- largest class, mostly farming or building, worked the land of
the wealthy, busiest time was during the harvest
-could move up social classes, by serving the pharaoh
-women played a great role (own property, run businesses, some noble
women could influence the pharaoh)
Achievements of Egypt
- developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
- better way to keep track of Egypt's money
- developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)
King Tut: Tutankhamen
-became pharaoh at age 9, around 1333 BC
- ruled until age 17 or 18- speculate he was murdered or sent to battle to be
killed
- buried in place called the “Valley of the Kings”- tombs cut into the side
of hills, about 62 tombs located here
- King Tut’s tomb discovered on November 4th 1922 by Howard Carter,
many treasures discovered
- Some believe in mummy’s curse over tomb of King Tut
Geography of the Nile- Section 1 pg.60-66
1.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 4000 B.C.
Geography of the Nile- Section 1 pg.60-66
1.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 4000 B.C.
Geography of the Nile- Section 1 pg.60-66
1.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 4000 B.C.
Geography of the Nile- Section 1 pg.60-66
1.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 4000 B.C.
Geography of the Nile- Section 1 pg.60-66
1.
7.
-
- world's longest river (over 4, 000 miles)
Nile gave Egypt rich , fertile soil called silt
Also a highway for trade, could do fishing, hunting of ducks, birds
Communities appeared on the Nile around 4000 B.C.
Achievements of Egypt
developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
better way to keep track of Egypt's money
developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)
Achievements of Egypt
- developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
- better way to keep track of Egypt's money
- developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)
Achievements of Egypt
- developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
- better way to keep track of Egypt's money
- developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)
Achievements of Egypt
- developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
- better way to keep track of Egypt's money
- developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)
Achievements of Egypt
- developed heiroglyphics- pictures stood for ideas or sounds
- better way to keep track of Egypt's money
- developed a way to keep track of time through astronomy (figured out the
length of a year to be 365 days)
- contibutions to medicine (could perform surgery, remedies to help with
headaches, fever)