Life in Ancient Egypt
Chapter 5, Lesson 2
Egypt's Early Rulers
► Around
2600 B.C., Egyptian Civilizations
entered the period known as Old Kingdom.
 It lasted until about 2200 B.C.
► They
had increased trade and a unified
government.
 They prized unity and understood the importance
of living under similar principles and beliefs.
► They
developed a government lead by
someone who controlled religious and
political affairs.
 Theocracy – Government in which someone is
both a political and religious leader.
A Political Leader
► At
first the Egyptian ruler was called a king but
later was known as a pharaoh.
 Pharaoh originally meant “great house” and
referred to the grand palace that the king and his
family lived in.
► Egyptians
were fiercely loyal to the pharaoh.
They believed a strong ruler unified the
kingdom.
 Held total power and commands had to be obeyed.
 They believed a pharaoh’s wisdom and leadership
would help during disasters such as famines and
wars.
A Political Leader
pharaoh appointed bureaucrats
(government officials) to carry out his orders.
► The
 They supervised building/repair projects for dams,
irrigation canals and brick granaries (place to store
grain in case of an emergency.) What kind of
emergencies?
► The
pharaoh owned all the land in Egypt and
could use it as he pleased.
 The pharaoh’s officials collected taxes of grain from
farmers.
 The pharaoh also distributed land to officials,
priests, and wealthy Egyptians whom he favored.
A Religious Leader
► Egyptians
believed the pharaoh was the son of
Re (Ray), the Egyptian sun god.
 Believed he was a god on earth to protect Egypt.
 When the pharaoh appeared they would play music
on flutes and cymbals and bowed their heads.
► The
Pharaoh participated in many ceremonies
to help the kingdom thrive.
 Riding a bull around Memphis produced fertile soil.
 First person to cut ripened grain at harvest time to
produce abundant crops.
Religion in Egypt
► Religion
life.
influenced most aspect of Egyptian
 They had many god like Mesopotamia but they
believed theirs were more powerful and could
control natural forces and human activities.
 Two of the most crucial were the Sun God Re
(Ray) and the river god Hapi (HAH Pee)
 Osiris was an early pharaoh who taught his
people to farming and made laws. Isis
represented faithful Wife and mother. Both were
gods who ruled over the world of the dead.
 Thoth was the god of learning.
Egyptian Gods
Sun God Re
Nile God
Hapi
God of the Goddess of
Dead Osiris Motherhood
Magic, and
Fertility
God of
Learning,
Thoth
The Afterlife
► Egyptians
had a positive view of the afterlife.
 They believed it was even better than present life.
► Egyptians
studied the book of the dead for its
prayers and magic spells to prepare for the
afterlife.
► It was believed Osiris greeted the recently
deceased at the gate to the new world.
 If they knew the spells and had led a good life, they
were granted eternal life.
The Afterlife
► At
first it was believed that only the pharaoh
would enjoy the afterlife.
► They believed that the body held the soul
and must be protected for the soul to make
it safely to the afterlife.
► This lead to the process of embalming to
protect the bodies.
The Afterlife
► First,
the priest would remove the bodies
organs and stored in jars buried with the
bodies.
► Next, the body was covered with a salt called
Natron and stored for a few days which caused
the body to dry up and shrink.
► Burial spices were then placed in the body and
wrapped in long sheets of linen.
► The wrapped body was then known as a
mummy which is sealed in a coffin and placed
in a decorated tomb.
The Afterlife
► Wealthy
people had their mummies placed
in coffins and buried in tombs.
► Poor people had their mummies buried in
caves or the sand.
► Animals were viewed as sacred creatures so
birds, cats, and other animals were also
embalmed honoring their god and
goddesses.
Medical Skills
► Embalming
lead to a greater understanding
of medicine.
► The Egyptian doctors sewed up cuts, and
set broken bones.
 First to use splints, bandages and compresses.
► They
wrote down medical information on
papyrus scrolls and would become the first
medical books.
Pyramid Tombs
► Egyptians
ways.
honored their pharaohs in special
► Pyramids
were giant stone structures that
were used to protect the pharaohs from
flooding, wild animals, and robbers.
 Also housed the pharaoh’s personal possession
they felt would bring happiness in the afterlife.
How were pyramids built
► Thousands
of workers over the course of
years spent hard labor building pyramids.
 Farmers helped during the summer when the
Nile flooded and they could not farm.
► Surveyors,
engineers, carpenters, and stone
cutters also helped.
 First great engineer was Imhotep, an official to
the pharaoh.
How were pyramids built
► Stones
were found in the river valley or in
Upper Egypt.
► When the stone was located skilled artisans
used copper tools to cut it.
► Then they were tied with rope and pulled
along logs.
► They were done pushed up ramps to the
various levels where it was needed.
How were pyramids built
► The
challenges in building the pyramids lead
to important discoveries.
► The pyramids entrance always faces North.
This lead to Egyptians studying the sky and
understanding astronomy.
 With this understanding, they made a calendar
with 365 days, 12 months, and 3 seasons.
 This calendar would become the basis of our
modern day calendar.
How were pyramids built
► Also
lead to the advancement of mathematics.
 Egyptians had to calculate how much stone was
needed.
 They also needed to measure angles for the
walls.
► They did these things by creating a number
system based on 10.
 Also created fractions, which they then used
alongside whole numbers to add, subtract, and
divide.
An Egyptian Wonder
► Around
the mid 2000’s B.C., the Egyptians
constructed the Great Pyramid for the pharaoh
Khufu.
► It is one of the 3 pyramids still standing at Giza
on the Nile’s west bank.
► 48 stories tall, shares an area of 9 football
fields, and was constructed with more than 2
million stones each weighing around 2.5 tons.
► For more than 4,000 years it was the tallest
structure in the world.
Daily Life
► At
its peak, Egypt’s population was 5
million.
 Roughly Colorado’s population.
► Most
Egyptians lived in the fertile Nile valley
delta (only about 3% of all of Egypt’s land).
 Even today it is still densely populated.
Egypt’s Social Groups
► Top
Tier – Pharaoh and his family.
► 2nd Tier – Small Upper class of army
commanders, nobles, and priest.
► 3rd Tier – Middle class of traders, artisans,
shopkeepers, and scribes.
► 4th Tier – Farmers and unskilled workers.
► Ambitious people could move up in social
rank and improve their position.
How People Lived
► Egypt’s
upper class lived comfortably in
homes of sun-dried bricks and wood along
the Nile River.
 Also had pools with fish and gardens around the
estate.
► Men
and women dressed fashionably.
 White linen, dark eye makeup, and jewelry.
► They
had servants complete tasks for them.
How People Lived
► Middle
class was made up of people who
owned businesses and held skilled jobs
 Artisans made jewelry , clothing, pottery, and
metal tools.
► They
lived in smaller homes and dressed
more simply than that of the upper class.
How People Lived
► Largest
Egyptian social class consisted of
farmers, unskilled workers, and enslaved
people.
► Most worked on land owned by nobles.
► Usually paid nobles with a portion of their
crops.
► Homes were one room with palm leaves as the
roof.
► They ate a simple diet of bread, vegetables,
and fruit.
Egyptian Families
► The
family was the most important grouping in
Egypt.
 Even the gods were arranged in families.
► The
father was the head, and women had
more rights than in most other civilizations at
the time.
 Women could own property, buy and sell goods,
and obtain divorces. Some were even Priestess.
 Women of higher standing were more likely to stay
home while most others worked alongside their
husbands.
Egyptian Families
► Few
Egyptian children attended school.
 Most children spent their time playing board
games, spinning tops, leather balls, dolls, and
other toys.
► As
with most cultures, they had to respect
their parents.
 Girls usually learned to sew, cook, and run
households.
 Boys learned the trade of their fathers.
Egyptian Families
► By
the time children were teenagers they
were expected to get married and start their
own families.
► Most families were nuclear (consisting of a
mother, father, and children).
► Extended families had older parents living
with their married children.
 For farm families this provided extra hands to
work.
► The
oldest children were usually tasked with
taking care of their parents in their old age
which included making sure they received a
proper burial after they died.