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Ancient Egyptians and the Environment
2850 BC-525 BC
Egypt/North Eastern Africa
Social Structure
PharaohThe son of the sunA God among people
NoblesAppointed by the pharaohMost important were the scribes
Peasant FarmersMajority of society
SlavesStill lived better than slaves anywhere elseCould own property
The Nile
People depended on the Nile for everything- literally
Regular flooding deposited silt/fertilized farmland
Houses built of river mud
Pharaoh and his Job
Perform rituals to keep society safe and well-fed
Sympathetic magic
Literally thought to keep the sun rising each morning
“Responsible” for the regular flooding of the Nile
When the Nile floods regularly…
People can’t farm so they build monuments (ex pyramids) for the pharaoh. (June to October)Crop yields increase so the pharaoh can tax the people morePeople are happy so they trust the Pharaoh- results in unity
build his irrigation systems- increases productivity
Farming
• People depended on irrigation to water their fields– Important since the Nile cuts through Sahara
desert
• Farmed using plows, hand tools
• Barley, wheat, fig trees
• Used animals to help cultivate soil and irrigation
Writing System
Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics on papyrus
Paper from reed like plants that grow on the Nile River Bank
Kept track of everything in the kingdomTaxesFoodPeopleNewsBook of the Dead
Only the scribes could write- coveted position
Religion
Most Gods are connected to nature/natural phenomenon Ra- Sun God most important Osiris- God of farming/agriculture, God of the underworldNut swallows and gives birth to the sunMa’at- idea of cycle life and death (just like Nile River cycles)
Trade
• Nile is the superhighway to transfer– Troops– Goods– Ideas
How is Egypt Vulnerable?
If the Nile’s cycle of flooding and receding isn’t regular…
People lose faith in the Pharaoh (taxes and power decrease)More likely to trust local priests and Gods- disunityPeople starve because irrigation won’t work wellSociety becomes weak and ripe for invasionTrade slows (less water to sail on) and people are not healthy to travel