Chapter 4 Egypt Outline
Section 1-The Nile
-flows north 4,145 miles from central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea
-the last 600 miles is in Egypt
-before it reaches the sea, it branches to form a fan-shaped area of fertile land (delta)
 Most Egyptians lived in the Nile Delta area
-waterfalls (cataracts)
-every year in the middle of July the Nile overflows its banks
-leaves behind large amounts of rich, fertile soil
-they used a machine to lift water out of the Nile (called a shadoof)
-raised flax, wheat, barley and grapes
 How did Egyptians control the Nile? By building a system of basins and irrigation
canals.
Section 2 - The Old Kingdom
-Upper Egypt was in the southern area
-Lower Egypt was in the northern area
 The King of Upper Egypt was Narmer, also known as Menes
-around 3100 BC he conquered Lower Egypt and married the princess
-he wore a double crown: high white one of Upper Egypt and low red one of Lower Egypt,
 He united the two kingdoms
-Narmer was known as: Wearer of Both Crowns, Lord of the Two Lands and Lord of
Upper and Lower Egypt
 the Old Kingdom lasted for almost 500 years, 2600-2100 BC
-Egyptian cities became centers of religion and government
-Kings, priests, government officials and artisans lived in the cities
-most Egyptians lived as farmers in small villages on large estates along the
Nile
-rich Egyptians lived in wood and brick houses with gardens and pools
-households consisted of owner’s family, servants and artisans
-most Egyptians were farmers, they lived in mud and reed houses and later sun-dried brick.
-They were one room with roofs made of palm leaves
-during the off-season they built monuments, dug ditches and repaired roads
The Pharaoh
 Pharaoh means “great house”
-Egyptians believed their strength and unity of their country came from having a strong
ruler
-The Egyptians viewed the Pharaoh as a ruler, priest and a god
-he was the center of Egyptian life
-owned all the land in Egypt but gave gifts of land to the rich and to priests
-ordered the building of brick granaries-buildings for storing grain
-he chose all government officials
-collected taxes and handled building permits
-in charge of trade with other lands
-his word was law
-Egyptians believed that what happened in Egypt depended on the
Pharaoh’s actions
-worshipped and treated with great respect
The Pyramids- the pyramids were tombs for the pharaohs
-“Houses of Eternity” built on the west side of the Nile
-pharaoh’s possessions placed in tomb with them
-built during the Old Kingdom
Religious Beliefs
 Egyptians were polytheistic- belief in many gods
-Hapi, the river god and Re the sun god
-Osiris-god of the harvest and eternal life
-married to Isis, together they rule over the dead
-when a person died they went to the underworld and their souls were weighed against
their good deeds
-if the scale balanced and they knew certain spells they were granted life after death by
Osiris
-spells were learned from the Book of the Dead
 embalming-a process of preserving the body; meant to protect the soul
 mummy- a preserved body that is wrapped in linen; the wrapped body of an embalmed
dead person
The Middle Kingdom
 The Middle Kingdom came about when a new line of pharaohs unified Egypt after a
period of confusion.
 Around 2300 BC, government officials took control of Egypt
 200 years of confusion followed
 finally new pharaohs brought peace and a new period
 pharaohs had less power, buried in cliffs in hillsides, began trading with other countries
 1786 BC the Hyksos from western Asia invaded
 crossed the desert in horsedrawn chariots and used weapons made of iron and bronze.
 ruled Egypt for about 150 years
-around 1550 BC, Ahmose led an uprising and drove them out of power.
This ended the Hyksos rule.
The New Kingdom
-Ahmose founded a new line of pharaohs
-Egypt became richer and its cities grew
-the founding of the Egyptian Empire
-Hatshepsut- interested in trade and the building of temples, travelled to Punt
-Thutmose III, stepson of Hatshepsut extended control into Syria and Palestine
Religion
-Began to worship a new god
- Amon, the god of the city of Thebes
-When Thebes became the capital of Egypt, he became Amon-Re
-temples: houses of worship, industrial centers, artists and sculptors, treasuries
(copper, gold jewelry, glass bottles , grain, dried fish, oils) and schools (boys trained to be
scribes)
-scribes wrote religious works with spells, charms, and prayers, kept records of
pharaoh’s laws and list of grain and taxes. Copied fairy tales and adventure stories and wrote
medical prescriptions.
-hieroglyphic –Egyptian picture writing; pictures stood for words or sounds
Decline of Egypt
 Egypt grew weak because of struggles between priests and pharaohs, costly wars and
lack of iron for weapons.
 Over time, priests gained more power and owned 1/3 of Egypt’s land
-pharaohs had less power
1370 BC, Amenhotep IV became pharaoh
-he did not like the priests
-fired all the temple workers and closed the temples of Amon-Re
-set up a new religion where one god was worshipped Aton
-changed his name to Akhenaton “spirit of Aton”
-religion only accepted by family and close advisors
-he died in 1360 BC and son-in-law Tutankhamen became pharaoh
-1150 BC Egypt’s empire was gone
-671 BC the Assyrians overtook Egypt
Contributions
Papyrus- a reed made into paper
Number system based on ten
Used fractions and whole numbers
Used geometry to survey land
Created a calendar: 3 seasons of 120 days each and 5 feast days
Specialized medicine: dentists, eye doctors, animal doctors and surgeons, first to use
splints, bandages, and compresses, masters at stitches and setting broken bones
-also treated indigestion and hair loss
Other Main Ideas
1. The Egyptians borrowed farming, seeds for wheat and barley, and writing from the
Sumerians.
2. The Nile River gave water and rich soil to the Egyptian people.
3. The Egyptians showed great respect for the pharaohs because they considered him
to be a ruler, priest and a god.
4. The Hyksos introduced iron and bronze weapons and a new style of fighting to the
Egyptians.
5. during both the Old and New Kingdoms, religious rituals were carried out by the
pharaoh and brought unity. Religion during Akhenaton’s rule divided the people.
6. Hieroglyphic writing used on monuments, to write religious works and keep records.
7. The flooding of the Nile River washed away the boundary markers, so the Egyptians
surveyed the fields. The also developed calendars to predict the floods.
8. The Egyptians used the papyrus reed for paper, baskets, sandals, columns for houses,
rafts and riverboats.