Egyptian Civilization
Mr. Lee
World History
Objectives 2.2 / 4.1
Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
•Summarize the effects of geography on the
development of Egyptian culture
•Explain how Egypt united into a kingdom
•Explain why Egypt declined and was
conquered by the Hykos
•Identify key developments during the New
Kingdom that led Egypt to become an empire
Ancient Egyptian History
Periods
Time Frame
Nile Culture Begins
Unification /
Dynasties Begin
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
3900 B. C. E.
3100 – 2650 B. C. E.
2650 – 2134 B. C. E.
2040 – 1640 B. C. E.
1550 – 1070 B. C. E.
A View of Egypt by Satellite
The Fertile Nile Valley
•Nile River—4,100 miles
long and flows northward
into the Mediterranean
•Lower Egypt→ contains
the Nile delta region—
broad, marshy area of land
formed by deposits of silt
(fertile black mud)
The Annual Flooding of the
Nile
Environmental benefits:
•-predictable
•-transportation
•-Surrounded by vast areas of
desert—acted as natural
barriers
Environmental challenges:
•Forced Egyptians to live on
small portion of land
•Limited cultural diffusion
• Drought could cause starving /
too much rain could destroy
homes and farms
Unification of Egypt
•Narmer—recent evidence
suggests he was the first
king to rule a unified
Egypt—conquered Lower
Egypt circa 3000 B.C.
•In ancient tradition, Menes
(the Scorpion King) was
believed to be the first to
rule an unified Egypt
•2920 B.C.—Egyptian date
for foundation of the first
Palette of Narmer, 3000 B.C.—
tells the tale of Narmer’s conquest dynasty
of Lower Egypt (used to prepare
cosmetics)
Pharaohs—god-kings
•Ancient Egypt→ theocracy: government
in which rule is based on religious
authority
•Pharaohs controlled religion, the army,
and the government
•Well-being of the kingdom depended on
the pharaoh
Building the Pyramids:
Centuries of Innovation
Stepped Pyramid at
Saqqara
Djoser’s royal tomb
became a model for
later
pharaohs—architect
(& high priest)
Imhotep designed the
world’s first pyramid
& started a revolution
in tomb design using
cut granite
Stepped pyramid for pharaoh Djoser (2,650 B.C.)—
Djoser is the first pharaoh to be worshipped as a god
Link to video segment
on Djoser
Imhotep: Famous Architect of
Djoser’s Pyramid
Red Pyramid:
Important Step Forward in Design
•Built by pharaoh
Snafu (circa 2,575 B.C.)
•Movement towards
true pyramid
shape—sloped
smooth sides (this is
the pharaoh’s 3rd pyramid he
built trying to achieve
perfection)
Glimmering in the Sun:
White Limestone Covered Inner Core of the
Pyramids
Great Pyramid at Giza
• Great Pyramid at Giza is one of
the 7 Wonders of the Ancient
World—only one still standing
•
•
•Ka: the eternal life force
•Pharaoh’s ka remains alive after
death—must have its needs and
pleasures met
•Old Kingdom pharaohs had pyramids
built as their resting place after death
http://www.history.com/videos/t
he-great-pyramidsdeconstructed#the-greatpyramids-deconstructed
Plan of the Great Pyramid
of Khufu (Cheops in Greek)
http://www.geocities.com/athens/delphi/3499/gp1.htm (facts
about the Great Pyramid)
Pyramid & Sphinx of
Khafre(son of Khufu)
•Khafre, Khufu's son, built beside his father's pyramid.
His is the smaller pyramid, but as it is built on higher
ground, and has a slightly steeper angle, it appears the
larger. The Great Sphinx crouches beside Khafre's
Valley Temple---consists of the king's head, 22 times
life-sized, perched on a massive lion's body.
•http://www.history.com/videos/the-great-sphinx-is-theworlds-oldest-statue#the-great-sphinx-is-the-worldsoldest-statue
Pyramid & Sphinx of
Khafre
http://www.history.co
m/videos/the-greatsphinx-is-the-worldsoldest-statue#thegreat-sphinx-is-theworlds-oldest-statue
Great Pyramid—made of
granite and limestone taken
from quarries
•
Pyramids at Giza—built
over an 80 year period
Each block weighed at least
2.5 tons and there are 2
millions blocks used—fitted
together with exact precision
Pyramids reflected the power
of ancient Egypt
Economic strength and
technological advancement
needed to support these
massive public works
projects
The orientation of the pyramids runs east to
west—connects the pharaoh to the rising and
setting sun
Egyptian Religion:
Foundation of their
culture
Egyptian Gods & Goddesses:
“The Sacred ‘Trinity’”
Osiris
Isis
Horus
Underworld
Magic
Pharaoh
voicethread.com/share/681436
Preparations for the
Underworld
ANUBIS weighs the dead
person’s heart against a
feather.
Priests protected your
KA, or soul-spirit
Materials Used in Mummification
1. Linen
http://voicethread.com
2. Sawdust
/#e684373
3. Lichen
4. Beeswax
5. Resin
6. Natron
7. Onion
8. Nile Mud
9. Linen Pads
10. Frankinsense
Preparation for
the Afterlife
Egyptian Mummies
Seti I1291-1278
B. C. E.
Queen Tiye,
wife of
Amenhotep
Ramses
II1279-1212 B. C.
E.
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.
Egyptian Book of the Dead
•Ancient Egyptian collection of funerary texts
made up of spells and charms
• Placed in tombs to aid the deceased in the
next world.
•Scribes produced and sold copies, often
colorfully illustrated, for burial use.
•Believed to have 200 chapters but none of
the surviving copies are complete
http://www.history.com/topics/ancientegypt/videos#journey-to-the-afterlife
Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Final Judgment
Anubis
Osiris
Horus
The Pharaoh’s Servants
in the Afterlife
The Ankh – The “Cross” of
Life
Ancient Egyptian
Society
Papyrus → Paper
Scroll Piece
Papyrus Plant
Hieroglyphics “Alphabet”
24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols
The Rosetta Stone
Champollion—decoded
hieroglyphics
Discovery of this stone by French soldiers in
1799 led to the deciphering of hieroglyphics
Egyptian Social Hierarchy
Egyptian Nobility
Egyptian Priestly Class
Egyptian Scribe
Ancient Egyptian Housing
Middle Class
Homes
Peasant
Homes
Scenes of Ancient Egyptian
Daily Life
Making Ancient Egyptian
Wine
An Egyptian Woman’s “MustHaves”
Mirror
Perfume
Whigs
http://voicethread.com/share/681276
Egyptian Medicine
•Became masters of human anatomy and healing
mostly due to the extensive mummification ceremonies--involved removing most of the internal organs
including the brain, lungs, pancreas, liver, spleen, heart
and intestine (put in Canopic jars to dry out and then
the organs were put back in the body)
http://voicethread.com/share/685051/
http://voicethread.com/share/684373
•The Egyptians had (and this is an understatement) a
basic knowledge of organ functions
•Knowledge of anatomy branched into many other
medical practices, such as treating fevers and wounds,
healing broken bones, surgical procedures
http://voicethread.com/share/684373
Egyptian Math & Draftsmanship
1
10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
What number is
this?
System of numbers—used
especially for the collecting of
taxes
Egyptian Technology
•Calendar system---solar year (365
days)—very accurate prediction of the
Nile flooding—based on astronomy
•Irrigation and canals
•Geometry—used to build pyramids
and monuments—advanced
engineering/problem solving skills
•First use of cut stone and columns
The New
Kingdom: 15701025 B.C.
(4.1)
Invaders Rule Egypt
•The Hykos—invaders from Palestine
conquered Egypt using their advanced
weaponry, especially chariots
•Egypt had been weakened by internal
warfare and poor rulers
•Hebrews—move into the region around
1650 B.C. settling in Egypt with the Hykos
Rise of the New Kingdom
•Strong, warlike pharaohs came to power in Egypt
and eventually expelled the Hykos around 1570
B.C.
•Bronze weapons and chariots made Egypt a great
power—strong army—became conquerors
establishing an empire
•According to t he Old Testament, the Hebrews
remained in Egypt and were enslaved
Hatshepsut—Make Trade, Not War
http://voicethread.com/share/681814/
•Woman who declared herself
pharaoh while ruling for her
young stepson
•Encouraged trade—sent
ships down the Red Sea to
trade with East Africa
•Her tomb walls reveal the
glories of her reign (a recently
discovered mummy is
believed to be her)
•Stepson Thutmose III tried to
erase her memory from
history—may have murdered
her
The Valley of the Queens
1473-1458 B. C.
E.
Temple of Queen
Hatshepsut
Some Famous Egyptian Pharaohs of
the New Kingdom
Tutankham
en1336-1327
B. C. E.
Thutmose
III1504-1450 B.
C. E.
Ramses
II1279-1212 B.
C. E.
Thutmose III—Empire Builder
• Warlike ruler
• Conquered the
areas of Palestine
and Syria
• Contact with other
cultures brought
wealth and new
ideas (cultural
diffusion)
• Egypt reaches the
height of its power
and influence
The Valley of the Kings
• New Kingdom pharaohs
were grand builders—
elaborate temples and great
palaces (“pharaoh” means
“great house”)
• Grand tombs were built
under desert cliffs in the
remote Valley of the
Kings—good location for
security and peace in
afterlife
Akhenaton: First Monotheist?
Shows ideal
home life of the
pharaoh with
the sun disk
shining on them
1352-1336 B. C.
E.
• He and his wife Nefertiti started a practice of
monotheism — worshipped the sun disc god over
all others, and seem to have outlawed their
subjects' polytheistic devotion — threatened
Egypt's priesthood and ensured they would have
no shortage of powerful enemies.
Queen
Nefertiti
Royal wife of Akhenaton—some
scholars argue she was responsible
for instituting the monotheistic
religion and may have had a hand in
the boy king Tutankhamen’s death
Controversial long-necked Queen of
legendary beauty---this famous bust
represents the changes in art that
Akhenaton instituted during his
reign—much more realistic, not
rigid, real portrait
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/nefertiti/ne
fertiti.html
Archaeologist, Howard Carter
(1922)
• Discovered the
tomb of
Tutankhamen
(Akhenaton’s son)
•Tomb was
undisturbed and
contained all of its
riches
King Tutankhamen's Death Mask
Tutankhamun married
Ankhesenpaaten, his half sister,
the third daughter of Akhenaten
and Nefertiti---he died at age 18/19
http://www.history.com/videos/kingtut#king-tut
http://voicethread.com/shar
e/681389/
1336-1327 B. C.
E.
King Tutankhamun’s Tomb
Ramses II—Great Builder
• Preserved his memory
through monumental
building
• Constructed a temple to
Amon-Re at Karnak
complete with enormous
statues of himself
• Built a major temple
carved into the red
limestone at Abu Simbel
Temple of Karnak—
Ramses II additions
Abu Simbel:
Monument to Ramses II
1279-1213 B. C. E.
Routes of the “Sea Peoples”
•Mystery as to who the
“Sea Peoples” were, but
they caused great
destruction
•Egypt never fully
recovered from these
invasions after 1150 B.C.
The end of the Bronze Age!
•Egypt culture continued
to greatly influenced the
powers that came to
dominate the region,
such as Libya and Nubia
(south of Egypt where
the Nile divides)