ANCIENT EGYPT
Herodotus
“Egypt is
the gift of
the Nile”
•+100 STILL EXIST
•WEST SIDE OF NILE
ONLY “WONDER OF ANCIENT
WORLD” THAT STILL EXISTS
Step
Pyramid
“staircase to the stars”
Red Pyramid
“Bent” Pyramid
GIZA “Great”
Pyramid
481’ high
2.3 million stones
Avg. weight of a stone - 2.5 tons
20-30 years to build
The Valley of the Kings
+60 buried
VALLEY of the QUEENS
Temple of Queen
Hatshepsut
EGYPTIAN RELIGION
oPolytheism
oPharaohs = god
•took form of “Horus” [“protector of Egypt”] when ruling
son of “Re” (Sun god)
•took form of “Osiris” at death (“god of underworld”)
oat death, life weighed against “Feather of MAAT”
MAAT – truth, justice, order, right living
provided “moral” base
o”KA” = “Eternal Spirit”
Believed to continue ruling Egypt in afterlife
“Ka” needed the physical body to survive in afterlife
Mummies
MUMMIes
•Anubis – god of embalming
•removed all organs (Canopic Jars), except the heart
•Felt heart controlled wisdom, knowledge, emotions (“CPU”)
--Why would Egyptians feel it was the heart and not the brain?
The heart beat
•70 days
differently when
emotions/thoughts
•“Hired Mourners”
changed
•“Opening of the Mouth” Cermony
priest touched mouth which restored the senses
beginning of “Journey to the Afterlife”
Egyptian Mummies
Seti I
1291-1278 BC
Queen Tiye,
wife of
Amenhotep II
1210-1200 B. C. E.
Ramses II
1279-1212 B. C. E.
Preparation for
the Afterlife
Shabtis: The Pharaoh’s Servants
in the Afterlife
EGYPTIAN UNDERWORLD
•“Book of the Dead”
”passport” through dangers of underworld
”Solar Bark”
•“Heart of the Two Truths”
Anubis weighed the heart (body’s dvd recorder) against
“feather of MAAT”
Scarab beetle placed on heart to prevent it from
testifying against the person
Chapter 30 from the Book of the Dead: “O my heart which I had upon earth, do not
rise up against me as a witness in the presence of the lord of things; do not
speak against me concerning what I have done, do not bring up anything
against me in the presence of the great god of the west...“
-if judged as sinner = “Devourer of Souls”
•“Ankh”
sign of life
Menes:
United Egypt
3050 BC
BEGINNING OF FIRST DYNASTY
PHARAOH = GOD
Responsible for well-being of Egypt
THEOCRACY
Egyptian history divided into 3 time periods:
Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom
OLD KINGDOM
“Pyramid Age”
Time: 2650 BC – 2150 BC
Accomplishments:
# of dynasties 4
Pyramid building
Strong Central Government
Strong Economy
Stronger Arts
Most peaceful time period
st
1
Time:
ILLNESS
2150 BC – 2040 BC
# of dynasties: 4
Reason for collapse of Old Kingdom:
1)Poor flooding of the Nile River
Pharaoh could not improve
Power of pharaoh decreased
Power of Nomarchs increased
powerful nobles
MIDDLE KINGDOM
Time: 2040 BC – 1640 BC
Accomplishments:
# of dynasties: 3
Pharaohs power
-weakened nomarchs
Nile flooded better
Re-United Egypt
-Mentuhotep II (2 founder)
Building Campaign
Stronger Economy
Commoners had afterlife
nd
nd
2
ILLNESS
Time: 1640 BC – 1550 BC
# of dynasties: 4
Reason for fall of Middle Kingdom:
1)Invasion by Hyksos
allowed Pharaohs to continue ruling
more concerned with “Tribute”
a)bronze
b)war from chariots
c)better bow/arrow
d)new spinning/weaving
e)Nationalism
These helped
strengthen and
“modernize”
Ancient Egypt
NEW KINGDOM
Time: 1550 BC – 1070 BC
Accomplishments:
# of dynasties: 12
1)King Ahmose kicked Hyksos
out of Egypt
2)Re-United Egypt
3)Very militaristic
4)Empire building
5)Extreme wealth/prosperity
6)Massive building campaign
7)Pharaohs tombs placed in
“Valley of the Kings”
“NEW KINGDOM” PHARAOHS
Thutmose I -- 1520 BC – 1492 BC
expanded Egyptian borders
”Hammer of the Nubians”
hung the Nubian king from prow of his ship
1st to have tomb in “Valley of the Kings”
Queen Hatshepsut – 1518 BC – 1484 BC
female pharaoh (Sobeknefru – 1st)
dressed like a man – wore beard
increased trade/economy
avoided war
tremendous building program
“NEW KINGDOM”
PHARAOHS
Thutmose III – 1479 BC – 1425 BC
”Napoleon of Egypt”
Egyptian Empire reached its largest
pierced ears
Akhenaton – 1352 BC – 1334 BC
”Heretic King” – changed religion to monotheism
Aton was only god
looked like a female
everything associated with Akhenaton was destroyed after
his death
“NEW KINGDOM”
PHARAOHS
Tutankamen (King Tut) – 1333 BC – 1325 BC
”Boy King” (age 9)
Re-established polytheism
1922 – Howard Carter found his tomb
Valley of the Kings
”Curse of King Tut”
“King
TuT”
Solid Gold
2500 lbs
$13 million
“NEW KINGDOM” PHARAOHS
Ramses II (“the Great) – 1279 BC – 1213 BC
ruled 67 years
150 - 160 children
tremendous builder (Abu Simbel)
consumed with his “legacy” (Master of Political Spin)
-Battle of Kadesh (political spin)
>v. Hittites (iron / 3 man chariots)
>Official version – TIE
>Ramses version – RAMSES WON
-had monuments built inscribed
with him winning
-no contrary sources
after death, gradual decline of New Kingdom
overextended, revolts, immorality/corruption
EGYPTIAN
ACHIEVEMENTS
Medicine – Mummification
Irrigation
Calendar
Astrology – est. a form of “Poor Man’s Almanac”
Pyramids (Mathematics)
Hieroglyphics (wrote on Papyrus)
Hieroglyphics “Alphabet”
24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols
Jean Francois
Champollion
Rosetta Stone
Egyptian Math
1
10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
What number is
this?
LIFE EXPECTANCY
>age 30
>living past 40 was rewarded by government
MARRIAGE
>similar to our concept of marriage
>kids died w/in 1st year (IMR = 60-70%)
>children seen as a blessing if lived past 1 yr
EDUCATION
>boys from wealthy families from ages 12-16
>poor families followed job of dad
>girls focused on home/family
BEAUTY
>loved the body
>facial hair = unclean
>”perfume cones”
FOOD
>fish, beer, bread, honey, peas, beans, onions,
lettuce/cabbage, turnips, figs, grapes
>little/to no beef – geography made it difficult