THE OLD KINGDOM

Do Now

Take out your Lesson 4.2 Packet and your vocabulary sheet.

Explain at least 1 thing that you learned doing your homework.

Question 1

1. Before Egypt was unified under King Narmer, the region was made up of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt.

Question 2

When King Narmer unified Egypt, he formed the world’s first nation-state, which is a united people and a single government.

Question 3

King Narmer established the world’s first dynasty, which is a series of rulers from the same family.

Egypt Unites

As Upper Egypt grew in wealth and power, they conducted diplomacy with Lower Egypt.

3100 B.C. King Narmer united the 2 regions, and formed the first dynasty and first nation-state.

Memphis was the new capital.

Egypt Then and Now

Memphis and Thebes (Ancient Egypt)

Egypt Today

King Narmer

Egyptian Crowns

Question 4

Kings of the Old Kingdom were seen as living gods, which meant…

Answer

A. The kings acted as the connection between the gods and the people of Egypt.

B. The people believed that the kings could never be wrong and were able to control the Nile’s flooding and the flood supply.

C. These beliefs not only helped unify the

Egyptian people but also allowed the kings to maintain their authority.

Egypt’s Dynasties

31 dynasties ruled for more than 3,000 years

3 periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom

Old kingdom is when kings were seen as gods

The vizier, or chief advisor, carried out the king’s orders

Eventually, nomarchs, or governors ruled 42 separate nomes

Nomes of Ancient Egypt

Question 5

What was Egyptian writing called? How many symbols were there? What did each symbol represent?

Answer

Egyptian writing was called hieroglyphics. Early Egyptian hieroglyphic writing had more than 700 symbols. Each glyph represented a sound, and object, or an idea.

Written Forms of Language

Hieroglyphic means “holy writing” More than 700 symbols Originally used for religion, then to

record things such as royal ceremonies, tax collecting, and even the depth of the Nile

To record more and more records, Egyptians invented a paperlike material called papyrus

Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphics

Papyrus

Rosetta Stone

Activity/Homework Assignment

Use the hieroglyphic chart to write your name and at least 1 thing you have learned about the ancient Egyptians.

Question 6

The great pyramids were an important part of Egyptian culture because they served as tombs for Egyptian rulers.

Building the Pyramids

The Old Kingdom is known as the “Age of the pyramids”

King Zoser was the first king to be buried in a pyramid

He was buried in the famous Step Pyramid at Saqqara

Building the Pyramids

King Zoser Step Pyramid

Building the Pyramids

The best known of Egypt’s pyramids is the Great Pyramid at Giza, built for King Khufu

Building the Pyramids

King Khufu Great Pyramid at Giza

Building the Pyramids

King Khufu’s son, King Khafre, ordered the building of one of the other two pyramids at Giza as well as the Sphinx.

Building the Pyramids

King Khafre

Building the Pyramids

Pyramids at Giza Sphinx

Question 7

Why did Egyptians preserve the bodies of the dead?

Answer

They believed that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife.

Question 8

What items were placed in the tomb with a royal mummy?

Answer

Everything a royal person might need in the afterlife, such as clothing, jewelry, furniture, and even games, was placed in the tomb.

Preparing for the Afterlife

Egyptians believed that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife.

Priests invented new techniques for making a mummy, or preserved body.

They removed all the organs except the heart because they believed this was the home of the soul.

The other organs were placed in special canopic jars.

Canopic Jars

Preparing for the Afterlife

The body was dried using a salt called natron, and then wrapped in linen bandages.

Preparing for the Afterlife

Everything a person might need in the afterlife was placed in the tomb.

A collection of writings called the Book of the Dead were placed in the royal tombs. They helped to explain the guidelines of the afterlife.

Question 9

What was the importance of the ceremony in the afterlife that is called the “weighing of the heart”?

Answer

Egyptians believed that the soul of a dead person appeared before the god Osiris and a group of judges. The person’s heart was placed on a scale, with a feather o n the other side. If the two balanced, the judges would say, “I have judged the heart of [the dead person], and his soul stands as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him.” Heavy souls, the Egyptians believed, would be eaten by a monster that was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.

Fill in the Blank

About 3100BC, the Egyptians developed a form of writing using Hieroglyphs. At first, they carved on stone for religious purposes. Later, to record other kinds of information, the Egyptians created a paperlike material called papyrus by pressing together layers of plant stalks. Scribes wrote using sharpened reeds and forming long scrolls on which they recorded the history of their nation.

Wrap Up

Write down 3 things that you learned about Egypt in this lesson.