Cradles of Civilization
• Ancient Sumerians 3500B.C.-1792B.C.• Ancient Egyptians 3000B.C.-1000B.C. • Ancient Indus 2500B.C.-1500B.C.• Ancient Chinese 2500B.C.-1000B.C.
Cultural DiffusionCrossroads of the World
Center of the World
I. A river valley and its people
a. Receives little rainfall
b. Relies on predictable yearly floods
c. Nile is longest river in the world
d. Unique river: flows north
f. Around 3000 B.C. king Narmur of Upper Egypt invaded and conquered Lower Egypt
g. Historians have organized dynasties to describe Ancient Egypt
1. Old/Middle/New Kingdoms
Timeline of Kingdoms Dates Significant Events
Archaic3411 - 3100 Unification of all Egypt
Old Kingdom 3100 - 2181
Construction of the pyramids begins
First Intermediate 2181 - 2125 Political chaos
Middle Kingdom
2125 - 1650
Recovery and political stability
Second Intermediate
1650 - 1550 Hyksos "invasion"
New Kingdom1550 - 1069
Creation of the Egyptian Empire
III.Pyramid building:
a. Located on West side of the Nile
b. Level and layout site to prepare lower chamber
c. Move quarriedlimestone to site
The Alignment Of The Great Pyramid's BaseMany people find it remarkable that the Great Pyramid's base is aligned almost perfectly with true North. In point of fact, for a surveyor this is not a great feat at all. True North can be found with a stick and a circle and the knowledge of how to bisect an angle.
The following procedure will very accurately locate true North. The longer the stick, the greater the accuracy:
1.Plant the stick vertically in the ground. 2.Draw a circle with the string roughly the same radius as the
stick is long. 3.Watch the path of the sun during the day. Mark where the
sun's shadow cast by the very tip of the stick crosses the circle.
4.Make an angle using the sun path intersections and the circle's center
5.Bisect the angle ~ the bisector points to true North.
d. Begin building process, sometimes taking up to 25-30 years
e. Complete with cap stone and polish
f. During same time, building of temples and smaller pyramids for pharaoh's queens to place
IV.Mummification Process:
a. 70 day process
b. Disposal of brain through nose
c. Removal of important body organs: Stored in canopic jars
• Liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines
Materials used in mummification: • linen • sawdust • lichen • beeswax • resin • natron • onion • Nile mud • linen pads • frankincense
Mummification tools:• Brain hooks (replicas )• Oil jar
(Royal Ontario Museum 948.1.17)• Funnel (replica)
Embalmer's knife(Smithsonian Institution 221.389)
d.Heart left in place
e. Natron salt to dry body
f. Body anointed with oils & honey
g.Wrapping with linens and painted
h.Now prepared for ceremony of “opening the mouth” which is important in the next life
Life In Ancient Egypt
b. Status of women
• Egyptian women enjoyed a dimension of freedom greater than any of their counterparts from other places in ancient times.
Life In Ancient Egypt
c. Religious beliefs
• Religion guided every aspect of Egyptian life. Egyptian religion was based on polytheism. The Egyptians had as many as 2000 gods and goddesses. Often gods and goddesses were represented as part human and part animal.
Life In Ancient Egypt
d. System of writing
• Hieroglyphics--pictograms
Rosetta Stone (1799 A.D.)