Ancient Egypt

Land of the Pharaohs

SECTION 2:

THE OLD KINGDOM

BIG IDEA

Egyptian Government and religion were closely

connected during the Old Kingdom.

Topics in the Section – Early

Egyptian Society:

-Rule by Pharaohs

-The Egyptian Social Structure

-Egypt and It’s Neighbors / trade

Old Kingdom

- The period from

about 2700 to

2200 BC in

Egyptian history

that began shortly

after Egypt was

unified

3 Parts of Ancient Egyptian History

• Old Kingdom (2700-2150 B.C.)– Hieroglyphics and religion develop

in Egypt– pyramids built

• Middle Kingdom (2040 -1786 B.C.)– extension of Egyptian control into

Nubia

• New Kingdom (1570-1075 B.C.)– militaristic - Hebrews enslaved– mummification perfected

*Dynasties existed throughout Ancient Egypt’s history and within each kingdom.

EARLY EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

MAIN IDEA

In early Egyptian society, pharaohs ruled as gods

and were at the top of the social structure.

Around 2700

BC the third

dynasty, or

OLD

KINGDOM,

came to

power in

Egypt.

During the next 500 years, the Egyptians developed a

political system based on the belief that the pharaoh was

both a king and a god.

Rule by Pharaohs

The ancient Egyptians believed that Egypt

belonged to the gods. They believed that the

pharaoh had come to earth to manage Egypt for

the rest of the gods. As a result, he had

absolute power over all the land and people in

Egypt.

Although the

pharaoh

owned

everything,

he was also

held

personally

responsible if

anything

went wrong.

He was expected to make trade profitable

and prevent war.

To manage

these duties,

he appointed

government

officials,

mostly from

his family.

The most famous pharaoh of

the Old Kingdom was Khufu, in

whose honor the largest of the

pyramids was built.

More about these later…..

KHUFU – Old Kingdom Pharaoh who ruled in the 2500’s BC.

NOBLE - A rich and powerful person

Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.E.)-4th Dynasty (2613-2493 B.C.E.) --Old Kingdom-- pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

-Although the Great pyramid has such fame, little is

actually known about its builder, Khufu.

-Ironically, only a very small statue of 9 cm has been

found depicting this historic ruler.

-According to various inscriptions, Khufu probably did

lead military into the Sinai, and raids into Nubia and

Libya.

SIXTH DYNASTY

Teti I

Userkare

Pepi I

Merenre I

Pepi II

Merenre II

Nitocris

unattested kings

FIFTH DYNASTY

Userkaf

Sahure

Neferirkare (Kakai)

Shepseskare

Neferefre

Niuserre

Menkauhor

Djedkare

Unas

FOURTH DYNASTY

Sneferu

Khufu (Cheops)

Kauab

Djedefre

khafre (Chephren)

Bakare

Menkaure

Shepseskaf

Djedefptah

THIRD DYNASTY

Nebkha

Djoser

Sekhemkhet

Khaba

Huni

Pharaohs by

Dynasty

Rule by Pharaohs

Some Major Egyptian Pharaohs:

OLD KINGDOM PHARAOHS–Menes: First pharaoh–Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.):

began building Egyptian monuments

Egyptian Culture: Social Structure

• Social hierarchy:– Pharaoh– Priests and Nobles– Scribes and

Craftsmen– Soldiers– Farmers– Servants– Slaves

By 2200 BC, Egypt had 2 million people and had

established a social pyramid.

Social classes developed, with the pharaoh at the top and

nobles from rich and powerful families

making up the

upper class.

Egypt and TRADE (During the Old Kingdom)

Although well-protected by its geography, Egypt was

not isolated. Other cultures had influenced it for

centuries. For example:

Sumerian designs are found in Egyptian art. Egyptian

pottery also reflects styles from Nubia, a region south

of Egypt.

Traders returned from Nubia with gold, ivory, slaves,

and stone.

Traders traveled to Punt, an area on the Red Sea, to

acquire incense and myrrh.

These two items were used to make perfume and medicine.

Trade with Syria provided Egypt with wood.

Social Hierarchy• Pharaoh

– Egyptian kings of a centralized state– Claimed to be gods living on earth in human form

• Bureaucrats– Because the pharaoh was an absolute ruler there

was little room for a noble class as in Mesopotamia– Instead professional military forces and an elaborate

bureaucracy of administrators and tax collectors served the central government

• Patriarchal– Vested authority over public and private affairs in

men– However, more opportunities for women than in

Mesopotamia as evidenced by Queen Hatshepsut reigning as pharaoh

• Peasants and slaves– Supplied the hard labor that made complex

agricultural society possible– Among the slaves were the Hebrews

SLAVES

Professional and skilled workers like scribes, artisans,

artists, and architects were honored.

The middle class included

some government

officials, scribes, and

rich craftspeople.

These roles in society were usually passed on in families,

with young boys learning a trade from their fathers.

Most people including

farmer, belong to the lower

class.

For farmers and

peasants, who make

up

population -

life never

changed.the vast

majority

of the

In addition to

hard work on the

land, they were

required to pay

taxes and were

subject to

special labor

duty at any time.

Only

slaves

were

beneath

them in

social

status.

Lower-class people were often used by the

pharaoh as labor.

Trade also developed

during the Old Kingdom.

Traders sailed on the

Mediterranean and

south on the Nile and

the Red Sea to acquire

gold, copper, ivory,

slaves, incense, and

myrrh.

READING CHECK

• (GENERALIZING)

How was society structured in the Old

Kingdom?

RELIGION AND EGYPTIAN LIFE

MAIN IDEA

Religion shaped Egyptian life.

Topics in the Section –

Religion and Egyptian Life

- Gods of Egypt

- Emphasis on the Afterlife

- Burial Practices

The Old Kingdom formalized a religious structure that

everyone was expected to follow.

Over time, certain cities built temples and were associated

with particular gods.

Early on – in the Old Kingdom – Egyptian officials tried to give some

structure to religious beliefs.

Everyone was expected to worship the same gods, though

how they worshipped the gods might differ from one region of Egypt

to another.

Over time, certain cities became centers for

worship of certain gods and worship became

more standardized.

Temples were built all over the kingdom and

payments were collected from both the

government and worshippers.

Religion in the Old Kingdom

Egyptian Culture: Religion• Egyptians were polytheistic and had gods

for nearly everything.

Some Major Egyptian Gods include:

Anubis – god of the dead

Re, or Amon-Re – the sun god

Osiris – god of the underworld

Isis – the goddess of magic

Horus – a sky god, god of the

pharaohs

Much of Egyptian religion focused on the afterlife.

Egyptian ideas about the afterlife shaped their

burial practices.

Egyptians believed

that a body had to

be prepared for

the afterlife before it

could be buried.

This meant the

body had to be

preserved.

BURIAL PRACTICES

AFTERLIFE

Egyptians believed

that the afterlife was a

happy place. Paintings

from

Egyptian tombs show

the afterlife as an ideal

world where all the

people are young and

healthy.

Afterlife – Life after death; much of Egyptian

religion focused on the afterlife.

a person’s life

force

When a person died, their KA would leave their

body and become a spirit. The KA

would remain linked to the body and would

not leave its burial site. The KA had the same

needs that the person had when he or she was

living.

To fulfill the KA’s needs, people filled the

tombs with objects for the afterlife.

Objects

included

furniture,

clothing,

tools, jewelry,

and weaponsRelatives of the dead were expected to bring

food and beverages to their loved ones’ tombs

so the KA would not be hungry or thirsty.

King Tut’s Tomb

If the body decayed, its spirit could

not recognize it and the link between the

body and the spirit would be broken.

The ka would then be unable to receive

the food and drink it needed to have a good afterlife.

BURIAL PRACTICES.............................................

Each person’s Ka (kah), or life force, existed after death, but remained

linked to the body.

Spirit

Life Force

To keep the ka from suffering, the Egyptians

developed a method called embalming to

preserve bodies.

Mummification

Mummification

• In order to prepare a person for the long and hazardous journey before they could enjoy the pleasures of the afterlife, the body of a dead person was preserved by a process called mummification.

Egyptian Culture: Afterlife and Burial

Practices• Egyptian religion focused on

the afterlife, believing that after a person died, their Ka moved on.

• To help keep the Ka safe in the afterlife, Egyptians mummified the bodies of the dead– Only royalty and the elite could

afford mummification

Only royalty and other member of Egypt’s

elite (people of wealth and

power) could afford to have

mummies made.

Peasant families buried their dead in shallow

graves at the edge of the desert. The hot dry

sand and lack of moisture preserved the

bodies naturally.

RICH vs. POOR

POOR

RICH

Elite – People of wealth and power.

Royalty and other members of the elite had their

bodies preserved as mummies, specially treated

bodies wrapped in cloth.

-First, the body was taken to the

tent known as 'ibu' or the 'place

of purification'. There the

embalmers wash the body with

good-smelling palm wine and

rinse it with water from the Nile.

Mummification Process-Not known when mummification

started in Egypt

Mummies• Perfected by time of New Kingdom• How to make a mummy: • 1) Removal of the brain through the nostrils 2) Removal of the

intestines through an incision in the side 3) Sterilization of the body and intestines 4) Treating, cleaning, dehydrating the intestines 5) Packing the body with natron (a natural dehydrating agent) and leaving for 40 days 6) Removal of the natron agent 7) Packing the limbs with clay or sand 8) Packing the body with linen (soaked in resin), myrrh and cinnamon 9) Treating the body with ointments and finally wrapping with a fine linen gauze, not less than 1000 square yards .

Canopic Jars made of alabaster for storage of heart,

stomach, intestines and liver which were also treated

MUMMY - A specially treated body wrapped in cloth for preservation.

Inner coffin

Mummy

Second inner

coffin lid

Second inner

coffin

Video Clip on the Mummification Process

Click the Picture Above To See the Video Clip

The Judgment

• The Egyptians viewed the heart as the seat of intellect and emotion.

• Before entering the pleasures of eternity, the dead person had to pass a test in which Anubis, the god of the dead, weighed the person’s heart against Ma’at, the goddess of justice and truth, who was represented by a feather.

The Judgment

• If the deceased’s good deeds outweighed the bad, then his heart would be as light as the feather (heavy hearts bore the burden of guilt and evil), and Osiris would welcome the newcomer to the next world.

• If the deceased fell short in his judgment, his body would be eaten by a monster that was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.

Osiris• Patron of the underworld, the

dead, and past pharaohs• Cult of Osiris demanded

observance of high moral standards– As lord of the underworld,

Osiris had the power to determine who deserved the blessing of immortality and who did not

READING CHECK

• (ANALYZING)

How did religious beliefs affect Egyptian

burial practices?

THE PYRAMIDS

MAIN IDEA

The Pyramids of Egypt were built as tombs for

the pharaohs.

The Pyramids• Pyramids were created as giant

tombs for pharaohs.• The ancient Egyptian monuments are the

earliest forms of engineering, the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

• In addition to the Pyramids, temples were created that had sphinxes and obelisks.

The Pyramids• Pyramids

– Symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and divine stature; royal tombs

– Pyramid of Khufu involved the precise cutting and fitting of 2,300,000 limestone blocks with an average weight of 2.5 tons

– Estimated construction of the Khufu pyramid required 84,000 laborers working 80 days per year for 20 years

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu

at Giza. 

Pyramids – A huge triangular tomb built by the

Egyptians and other peoples

Engineering - The application of scientific

knowledge for practical purposes.

Pyramids,

spectacular

stone monuments,

were built to

house dead

rulers.

Many pyramids are still

standing today, amazing

reminders of Egyptian

engineering.

New Technologies used on the Pyramids

Ramps and stone-cutting

required to build pyramids

Other kinds

of

pyramidsStep Pyramid

Bent Pyramid

The Pyramid of Meydum The Bent Pyramid

The Great Pyramids of GizaThe Great Pyramids of Giza

KINDS OF PYRAMIDS: STEP BENT TRUE

The three large pyramids at Giza: From left to right, Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu. The far

pyramid is the "Great Pyramid" and the largest structure on the site. The middle one

may look larger, but only because it is built on higher ground.

The Giza complex as it looked in 1904

from Eduard Spelterini's balloon.

SO WHY?? Why were the Pyramids Made?

Burial in a pyramid demonstrated a Pharaoh’s importance. The size was a symbol of a

pharaoh’s greatness.The pyramid’s shape, pointing to the skies,

symbolized the pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife. The Egyptians wanted the pyramids to be spectacular because they believed that the pharaoh, as their link to the gods, controlled

everyone’s afterlife. Making the pharaoh’s spirit happy was a way to ensuring a happy afterlife

for EVERY Egyptian.

Video Clip about the Great Pyramid

Click Either Picture to See the Video Clip

The Old Kingdom ended with the

pharaohs in debt.

THE END OF THE OLD KINGDOM

At the end of the Old Kingdom, the wealth and power of the

pharaohs declined. Building and maintaining pyramids cost

a lot of money. Pharaohs could not collect enough taxes to

keep up with the expenses. At the same time, ambitious

nobles use their government position to take power from the

pharaohs.

In time, the nobles gained enough power to

challenge the pharaohs. By about 2200 BC,

the Old Kingdom has fallen. For the next 160

years, local nobles battled each other for power

in Egypt. The Kingdom had no central ruler.

Chaos within Egypt disrupted trade with foreign

lands and cause farming to decline. The people

face economic hardship and famine.

READING CHECK

• (IDENTIFYING POINTS OF VIEW)

Why were pyramids so important to the people

of ancient Egypt?