NILE RIVER
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
• Central geographic fact is
Nile River
– Began in lakes of
equatorial Africa and flows
northward into the
Floods every
Mediterranean Sea
fall, leaving
– Passes through rocky
behind fertile
ledges (cataracts) which
layer of silt
causes rapids and small
Gave region
waterfalls
capability to
support an
– Calms down 750 miles
abundant
south of the Mediterranean
agriculture
• This 750 mile stretch
and large
population
was ancient Egypt
– Narrow valley
MORE GEOGRAPHY
• Nile also served as excellent
artery of communication
– Encouraged early and
lasting political
unification
• Isolated by cataracts in the
south, the Mediterranean
Sea in the north, and huge
deserts to east and west
– Would protect Egypt from
periodic waves of new
people which so often
disrupted Mesopotamia
– Allowed civilization to
develop in relatively
peaceful and stable
conditions
• Gave them cheerful
and optimistic outlook
PREHISTORIC EGYPTIANS
• Original settlers were a
mixture of people from
Nubia, Palestine, Syria,
and Lybian Desert
– Settled in small
villages
• Gradually cleared
valley of swamps
and wild animals
by 4000 BC
– Some evidence of
Mesopotamian
influence
ZOSER
• Settlements along Nile
unified into a single
kingdom around 3100
BC
– Perhaps by Zoser
• Egyptian history begins
with this act
– Old Kingdom (31002000 BC)
– Middle Kingdom
(2000-1575)
• Each period
divided into
Dynasties
OLD KINGDOM
• Zoser established
capital at Memphis in
Lower Egypt
– Most records from
this period have
been lost
• Most of our
knowledge today
comes from
monuments and
tombs of
pharaohs
PYRAMIDS
Great Pyramid
• Pyramids would be normal form
of burial for pharaohs until 1500
BC
– About 80 are still standing
• Most within 70 mile stretch
of desert near Memphis
– Largest is the Great Pyramid
of Cheops
• 481 feet high, made from 6
million tons of stone,
covering 13 square acres
• Foundation is almost
perfectly level and its sides
perfectly square
PHARAOHS
• Pharaoh was, in theory,
all-powerful ruler
– But as time went on
and government
became more complex,
he was assisted by
growing bureaucracy
• Began to dominate
pharaoh and act
independently
towards end of Old
Kingdom
REASONS FOR DECLINE IN
PHARAOH’S POWER
Old Kingdom
bureaucrat
• Partly caused by enormous
drain of pharaoh’s resources
in maintaining pyramids and
priests
• Partly due to custom of
rewarding loyal officials with
large estates and treasure
• Partly due to power struggles
with the royal family
• By 2000 BC, central authority
had virtually disappeared and
the Old Kingdom was over
– Country plagued by
anarchy
MIDDLE KINGDOM
• Egypt recovered from decay of
Old Kingdom and entered age
of tranquility and progress
– 2000-1575 BC
• Regained strength under 12th
Dynasty pharaohs
– Large sections of Lower
Egypt brought into
agricultural productivity by
irrigation projects
– Pharaoh controlled
bureaucracy
– Established loose political
control over Palestine and
trade contacts with Syria
and Mesopotamia
FALL OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
• When power and
prosperity of Middle
Kingdom began to decay,
the country was invaded
by the Hyksos
– Semitic tribe
– Took over northern half
of kingdom
– Destroyed political unity
– Region enter 100-year
period of chaos, foreign
occupation, and
economic stagnation
FUNDAMENTAL RELIGIOUS
MYTHS
• Sun rose daily in the east and traveled to the west,
where it entered a mystical netherworld
– Fought off forces of chaos and disorder and then
emerged in the east the next morning with
renewed strength
• Nile river passed annually through a cycle of birth
and death
– Flooded every fall and then receded, leaving
behind fertile silt
• These events served as models of the unchanging
rhythm of the universe
– Egyptians saw themselves as a part of all this
THE DIVINE PHARAOH
• Orderly world was
conscious creation of the
gods
– But could be disrupted
by evil forces
• To make sure that evil
forces never succeeded,
the gods delegated Horus
to guard over the balance
and harmony of the
universe and serve as
pharaoh
– Pharaoh was Horus in
human form
MUMMIES
• When human form died, Horus
returned to heaven and then
returned in a new human form
– In short, Horus continually
died and was reborn in an
endless cycle of succeeding
pharaohs
– Explains why Egyptians went
to such lengths to preserve
the body of a dead pharaoh
• To ensure Horus’ safe
journey back to heaven
– Built pyramids because they
were meant to house the
physical remains of what had
once been a god
PHARAOH’S POWER
• Pharaoh’s authority was
unchallenged and total (at least
in theory)
– Charged with being the
shepherd of his people
• Symbolized by shepherd’s
staff
– Sole source of law
• No written law codes
– Obligated to administer law
in accordance with the
natural order of the universe
and with mercy
GODS
Seth
Popularity of
various gods
rose and fell
with time
Nekhbet
Wedjet: half
woman/half
cobra
Hathor
Some had
human
form: Min,
Ptah,
Atum,
and Amon
TEMPLES
• Temples build of stone
and meant to last
forever
• Laid out in a straight
line with one room
leading to another
– Each one
symbolically further
removed from the
outside world
– Last room was were
statue of god rested
• Only priests could
enter this room
PRIESTS
• Were not a closed caste set above
the rest of society
– Ordinary laymen who spent part
of the year serving the gods and
the rest of their time performing
their secular occupations
• Played no ethical role, counseled
no one, never tried to convert
others
– Sole function was to see that
temple operated properly and
that the god was properly taken
care of
• Religious technicians, not
“holy men”
AFTERLIFE
• Believed dead person had to be
provided with everything he or
she might need to survive in the
next world
– Hence treasures piled in
tombs of pharaohs
– Hence household items,
agricultural implements,
tools and weapons in tombs
of ordinary people
• Not sure what Egyptians
thought their afterlife was like
– Some believed it was just a
repetition of earthly life
– Others believed souls
became stars after death
– Others saw it as escape from
hardships of earthly life
ART
• Tomb art not intended to be
decorative or artistic
– Designed to serve a religious
purpose
• to portray symbolically the
things that the dead person’s
soul needed to survive in the
afterlife
– Was also public
• Served the needs of the state
or the gods
• Never considered to be private
expression of an individual
HIERIOGLYPHICS
• Developed writing around 3000
BC
– Always remained a clumsy
means of creative expression
• Better for bureaucratic
reports than for literature
• Very complex system
– Could only be mastered after
years of study at special
schools
• Because only small elite could
read and write, there never was
communication between writer
and mass audience
LITERATURE
• Most concentrated on the
greatness of pharaohs
and the gods
– Consisted of
repetitious refrains
• Object was to evoke
strong feelings;
designed for
maximum verbal
impact
• Intended to be read
aloud at public
events
WISDOM LITERATURE
• Developed at the end of
the Old Kingdom
– Among scribes
– Practical advice on
how to survive and
advance in
bureaucracy
• As time went on, it went
beyond practical advice
to aspiring bureaucrats
and emphasized moral
values
MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT I
• Both civilizations had powerful religious flavor
– Religion dominated all aspects of life to a degree that
seldom occurred afterwards
– Gods were seen as forces that directed and controlled
nature
• Their ethical or moral qualities were at best incidental
– An ethical god would not appear until the
development of YAHWEH by the Hebrews
• Had power of life or death over man
– Frightened and/or inspired Mesopotamians and
Egyptians to devote so much energy, time, and
wealth to religion
MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT II
• Mesopotamians in the grip of deep fear of their capricious
and often cruel gods
• Egyptians more at ease with their more orderly and
peaceful gods
• Difference influenced by geography
– Wild rivers, rough terrain, and harsh climate of
Mesopotamia produced a pessimistic and brooding
people
– Totally predictable Nile produced a more optimistic and
cheerful people
– Geography also fomented the early political unity of
Egypt and political fragmentation of Mesopotamia
– Desire to control harsh environment caused
Mesopotamians to focus on science while appreciation
of more gentle surroundings caused Egyptians to focus
on art