Chapter 2

Sections 3 &4

Kingdom on the Nile

& Egyptian

Civilizations

Sec 3: Kingdom on the Nile

Geography Helps Shape Egypt

Note that Egypt was settled between water systems and desert…both served as a protection from invaders.

Ancient Egypt had two distinct regions, Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north.

~3100 bc

Old Kingdom (~2575bc-2130bc)

Middle Kingdom (~1938bc-1630bc))

New Kingdom (~1539bc-1075bc)

The old kingdom Forms

*Pharaohs were Egyptian Kings with complete power. The Egyptians believed the pharaoh was a god.

*At the start of their reigns, the pharaohs began building their tombs. These tombs were located within the pyramids.

Bureaucracy

Pharos depended on Vizier (chief minister to supervise

government

*Power struggles

*Crop failure

*Expensive pyramids

*Fall of Old Kingdom

*Eventually pharos reunite

*Middle Kingdom

The turbulent middle kingdom*Issues during Middle Kingdom

*The Nile did not rise regularly

*Corruption

*Rebellions

*Hyksos were invaders that took over the Nile Delta. The Egyptians were impressed by their chariots and the Hyksos adopted aspects of their civilization.

~1700bc

1. Hatshepsut

2. Thutmose III

3. Ramses II

4. Amon-Re

5. Osiris

6. Isis

7. Tutankhamen

Use your book to find information about each person, god, or goddess. Summarize his/her

importance in one sentence and be prepared to share with the class.

Begins on page

47

New kingdom Egypt grows strong*Hatshepsut: 1st female ruler

(encouraged trade)

*Thutmose III: Military general that extended

Egypt’s borders to greatest extent ever

*Ramses II: Extended the borders north again.

*` Often boasted of his accomplishments

There were many battles fought with the Hittites until a peace treaty was agreed upon.

1st peace treaty in history

1472bc-1458bc

1279bc-1213bc

New Kingdom

*After 1130bc, Egyptian power slowly declined

*Invasions by the Assyrians & Persians

* 332bc, the last Egyptian dynasty ended, Greeks took control

*30bc, Romans displaced the Greeks

Everyone wanted

the fertile Nile

Sec 4: Egyptian Civilization

Religion Shapes life in Ancient Egypt

* Amon-Re, was the great lord of the gods* Pharos received right to rule from

Amon-Re

* Osiris: God of the dead & God of the Nile

* Isis: Goddess of Health,

Marriage, & Love

*Egyptian Afterlife

*Belief in the afterlife affected all Egyptians

*Each soul had to pass a test to win eternal life

*To survive, Egyptians relied on the Book of the Dead

*What is the Book of the Dead?

The Book of the Dead is a collection of spells and illustrations written on papyrus.

The papyrus was rolled, put inside a hollow statue and placed in the tomb with all the other things which the dead person would need for the afterlife.

Hollow wooden figure of Osiris

Unopened Book of the Dead roll

*Why have the Book of the Dead

in your tomb?

The Book of the Dead gave the dead person the knowledge and power to travel through the netherworld (a place the dead went to immediately after death) and enter the afterlife (the final destination of their journey).

*What did the Book of the Dead

tell you about?The Book of the Dead told the dead person about the landscape of the netherworld through which they would journey, the gods and hostile creatures they would meet and the final judgement to decide if they would enter the afterlife.

*What happened at anancient Egyptian funeral?

The day of burial was when the dead person was thought to move from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The Book of the Dead shows the ceremonies that took place at the burial of a wealthy Egyptian.

*What was the mummy for?

While the dead person travelled through the netherworld as a spirit (ba) their preserved body (mummy) remained in the tomb. The mummy had to be kept safe so that the ba could reunite with the body.

*Steps to Mummification

*Pull brain out of nose using a hook

*Make a cut on the left side of the body near the tummy

*Remove all internal organs

*Let the internal organs dry

*Place the lungs, intestines, stomach and liver inside canopic jars

*Place the heart back inside the body

*Rinse inside of body with wine and spices

*Cover the corpse with natron (salt) for 70 days

*After 40 days stuff the body with linen or sand to give it a more human shape

*After the 70 days wrap the body from head to toe in bandages

*Place in a sarcophagus (a type of box like a coffin)http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/page2.html

The dead person travelled through a landscape with paths, rivers, mountains, caves, lakes and fields. They had to pass through many gates and doors guarded by gods.

The spells in the Book of the Dead gave the dead person the power to control their body and keep it safe. They also allowed them to turn into different animals, provided information which they would need to repeat at certain points on their journey, and offered protection against hostile creatures.

*How did you get into the afterlife?

The gods judged how the dead person had led their life to decide if they deserved eternal life in the afterlife. The dead person’s heart was weighed against the feather of truth. If shown to be free from evil, they were declared ‘true of voice’ and admitted to the afterlife. If not, their heart was eaten by the Devourer and they would cease to exist – forever…

Weighing the heart from the Book of the Dead

Ammut

*What was the afterlife like?

There were several possible afterlives. The dead person might travel with the sun god Ra in his boat sailing though the sky each day and the netherworld each night or they might go to the Field of Food & live forever in bliss

*King Tut1922, 18 year old King Tutankhamen tomb was uncovered, opened after more than 3000 years

*Egyptian Society

*Most people were peasant farmers

*Egyptian Scripts

Developed multiple writing systems

HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics

Hieratic

Demotic

Wrote on papyrus, a plant that grows along the NileEasier than chiseling into stone

*Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphics

Demotic Script

Greek

Early 1800s, hieroglyphics were deciphered by French scholar

Egyptians make advances in learning

* Doctors * Performed surgical operations and

used many spices and medicines still in use today.

* Anise* Castor Beans (Castor Oil)* Saffron

* Astrology* Developed a 12 month calendar- 30

days a month* A modified version is what we use

today.

* Engineers* Used geometry to calculate the size

of each stone to create the pyramids.

Egyptians develop Arts and Literature

* Egyptian Art* Wall Paintings, Carvings,

Sculptures* Many show Pharaohs

as larger than life* Many show the side

profile * Human bodies with

animal head* Egyptian Literature

* Hymns, Prayers to gods, Proverbs, and love poems

* Accounts of battle victories and even advice writings existed.