Chapter 2
Sections 3 &4
Geography Helps Shape Egypt
Note that Egypt was settled
between water systems and
desert…both served as a
protection from invaders.
Ancient Egypt had two
distinct regions, Upper Egypt
in the south and Lower Egypt
in the north.
~3100 bc
Old Kingdom
(~2575bc2130bc)
Middle Kingdom
(~1938bc1630bc))
New Kingdom
(~1539bc-1075bc)
The old kingdom Forms
*Pharaohs were Egyptian Kings with complete
power. The Egyptians believed the pharaoh
was a god.
*At the start of their reigns, the
pharaohs began building their
tombs. These tombs were
located within the pyramids.
Bureaucracy
Pharos
depended on
Vizier (chief
minister to
supervise
government
*Power struggles
*Crop failure
*Expensive pyramids
*Fall of Old Kingdom
*Eventually pharos reunite
*Middle Kingdom
The turbulent middle kingdom
* Issues during Middle Kingdom
* The Nile did not rise regularly
* Corruption
* Rebellions
* Hyksos were invaders that took over the Nile Delta.
The Egyptians were impressed by their chariots and
the Hyksos adopted aspects of their civilization.
~1700bc
Use your book to find information about each
person, god, or goddess. Summarize his/her
importance in one sentence and be prepared to
share with the class.
1. Hatshepsut
2. Thutmose III
3. Ramses II
4. Amon-Re
5. Osiris
6. Isis
7. Tutankhamen
Begins on
page 47
New kingdom Egypt grows strong
* Hatshepsut: 1st female ruler
1472bc1458bc
(encouraged trade)
* Thutmose III: Military general that extended
Egypt’s borders to greatest extent ever
* Ramses II: Extended the borders north again.
*`
Often boasted of his accomplishments
1279bc-1213bc
There were many battles fought with the Hittites
until a peace treaty was agreed upon.
1st peace treaty in
history
New Kingdom
* After 1130bc, Egyptian power slowly declined
* Invasions by the Assyrians & Persians
* 332bc, the last Egyptian dynasty ended, Greeks took control
* 30bc, Romans displaced the Greeks
Everyone
wanted the
fertile Nile
Religion Shapes life in Ancient Egypt
* Amon-Re, was the great lord of the gods
* Pharos received right to rule from
Amon-Re
* Osiris: God of the dead &
God of the Nile
* Isis: Goddess of Health,
Marriage, & Love
*
*Belief in the afterlife affected all Egyptians
*Each soul had to pass a test to win eternal life
*To survive, Egyptians relied on the Book of the
Dead
*
The Book of the Dead is a collection of spells and
illustrations written on papyrus.
The papyrus was rolled, put inside a hollow statue and
placed in the tomb with all the other things which the dead
person would need for the afterlife.
Unopened Book of the Dead roll
Hollow wooden figure
of Osiris
*
The Book of the Dead gave the dead person the
knowledge and power to travel through the
netherworld (a place the dead went to
immediately after death) and enter the afterlife
(the final destination of their journey).
*
The Book of the Dead told the dead person
about the landscape of
the netherworld through which they would
journey, the gods and
hostile creatures they would meet and the final
judgement to decide
if they would enter the afterlife.
The day of burial was when the dead person was
thought to move
from the world of the living to the world of the
dead. The Book of
the Dead shows the ceremonies that took place at
the burial of a wealthy Egyptian.
*
*
While the dead person travelled through the
netherworld as a spirit (ba) their preserved body
(mummy) remained in the tomb. The mummy had
to be kept safe so that the ba could reunite with
the body.
*
* Pull brain out of nose using a hook
* Make a cut on the left side of the body near the tummy
* Remove all internal organs
* Let the internal organs dry
* Place the lungs, intestines, stomach and liver inside canopic
jars
* Place the heart back inside the body
* Rinse inside of body with wine and spices
* Cover the corpse with natron (salt) for 70 days
* After 40 days stuff the body with linen or sand to give it a more
human shape
* After the 70 days wrap the body from head to toe in bandages
* Place in a sarcophagus (a type of box like a coffin)
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/page2.html
The dead person travelled through a landscape with paths, rivers,
mountains, caves, lakes and fields. They had to pass through many
gates and doors guarded by gods.
The spells in the Book of the Dead gave
the dead person the power
to control their body and keep it safe.
They also allowed them to turn into
different animals, provided information
which they would need to repeat at
certain points on their journey, and
offered protection against hostile
creatures.
*
The gods judged how the dead person had led their life to decide
if they deserved eternal life in the afterlife. The dead person’s heart
was weighed against the feather of truth. If shown to be free from
evil, they were declared ‘true of voice’ and admitted to the afterlife.
If not, their heart was eaten by the Devourer and they would cease
to exist – forever…
Ammut
Weighing the heart from the Book of the Dead
*
There were several possible afterlives. The dead
person might travel with the sun god Ra in his
boat sailing though the sky each day and
the netherworld each night or they might go to
the Field of Food & live forever in bliss
1922, 18 year old King Tutankhamen tomb
was uncovered, opened after more than 3000
years
*
*
* Most people were peasant farmers
*
Developed multiple writing systems
Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphics
Hieratic
Demotic
Wrote on papyrus, a plant that
grows along the Nile
Easier than chiseling into stone
Early 1800s, hieroglyphics
were deciphered by French
scholar
*
Hieroglyphics
Demotic Script
Greek
Egyptians make advances in learning
* Doctors
* Performed surgical operations and used
many spices and medicines still in use
today.
* Anise
* Castor Beans (Castor Oil)
* Saffron
* Astrology
* Developed a 12 month calendar- 30 days
a month
* A modified version is what we use today.
* Engineers
* Used geometry to calculate the size of
each stone to create the pyramids.
Egyptians develop Arts and Literature
* Egyptian Art
* Wall Paintings, Carvings,
Sculptures
* Many show Pharaohs as
larger than life
* Many show the side profile
* Human bodies with animal
head
* Egyptian Literature
* Hymns, Prayers to gods,
Proverbs, and love poems
* Accounts of battle victories
and even advice writings
existed.