Ancient Egypt & Kush I. Egypt Under the Pharaohs A. The Nile 1. longest river in the world (4,100 miles) 2. flows north into Mediterranean Sea 3. Upper Nile is in South 4. Lower Nile is in North 5. Flooded every summer, making soil rich with silt
*Notice the triangular shape of lush, green land at the end of the Nile. This area is where a majority of great minerals and soil from farther upstream pile up. This triangular shaped area is called a delta due to its resemblance to the Greek letter (delta).
B. Trade and Commerce 1. Major Crops a. wheat & barley b. flax clothing was made from this plant c. farmers grew many other crops (e.g. lentils, onions, dates, figs, and grapes)
2. Other Resources a. stone for building houses and temples b. gold & silver for jewelry c. copper tools, weapons d. papyrus for paper, baskets, mats, boats, sandals, ropes, etc.
C. Growing into a Nation 1. c. 3050BCE, warrior king Menes (or Narmer) united Upper and Lower Egypt, made Memphis the capital 2. beginning of 3,000 years of Egyptian history, comprised of 30 dynasties 3. first hieroglyphic writing dates to this time
D. Old Kingdom (c. 2686 2181 BCE) 1. King Djoser orders first pyramid to be built 2. religious devotion strong, many temples built 3. King Khafre orders Sphinx to be built 4. many other monuments are built during this time 5. Central government became weak*, unity crumbled Step Pyramid of Djoser *too much spending at the top, local rulers grew in wealth and power, among other factors
E. Middle Kingdom (c. 2055-1650 BCE) 1. After a century of civil wars, Egypt was reunified 2. Thebes made new capital 3. kings had canals built to control floods and irrigate the land 4. built pyramids, but smaller ones 5. brought to abrupt end by invading Hyksos* *Hyksos are still a mystery to scholars, but it s thought they came from SW Asia. They effectively took control of the Lower Nile for a while.
F. New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069BCE) 1. Hyksos driven out of Egypt after nearly 200 years 2. rulers started using term pharaoh meaning great house 3. great warrior-pharaohs, like Thutmose III and Ramses II, expanded their territory into Asia 4. more massive building projects 5. weakened by a series of civil wars and then being passed into foreign hands
G. Egyptian Society (see graphic organizer) 1. Pharaoh god-king 2. Ruling class a. vizier king s advisor b. nobles government jobs, large estates c. priests* pleased the gods, paid no taxes *some women held particularly high-ranking positions within Egyptian religion as priestesses, but most of the important roles and power within the religion went to men.
3. Skilled workers a. scribes* b. skilled men (e.g. merchants, artisans**, & physicians) c. skilled women (e.g. weavers, perfume-makers, musicians, dancers, etc.) *scribes were in a unique position because of their importance to the government and religion, as most people were not trained to read and write hieroglyphs **artisans are men or women who have a special skill and make things by hand ***women could be merchants, artisans, or skilled in medicine, but those were typically male-dominated professions; women could be business owners
4. Peasants farmed, kept canals and reservoirs in good order, worked in quarries, built royal monuments 5. Slaves usually prisoners of war who worked in quarries, homes of nobles, or possibly in temples
II. Egyptian Religion A. Egyptian Pantheon 1. The gods were often depicted as human with animal head 2. Each god had a different role (a LOT of gods) 3. The Pharaoh and priests appeased the gods 4. The gods followed Ma at* divine order, justice, truth** Anubis god of the dead Ra sun god Serket god of scorpion stings/bites *People were also expected to follow Ma at in their lives **Compare this to the Mesopotamian gods who were moody and unpredictable. Think about how their geography was different. Could this contribute to their view of the gods?
Scarab Beetle Khepri god of rebirth and the sunrise
Cats Bastet Sekhmet Mafdet
B. Afterlife 1. If the soul was lighter than a feather, the soul would go on to paradise 2. If not your soul would be devoured by Ammit
C. Mummification 1. After death, those who could afford it, would be mummified 2. body preserved, wrapped up, put in sarcophagus 3. Belongings buried with mummies for afterlife 4. Poor Egyptians would be buried in the desert natural mummification 5. Believed that spirit and body would reunite in the afterlife
Amun Hathor Horus Isis Osiris Anubis Set Ra Bastet Thoth Sekhmet Sobek
*The numbers and lines on this map indicate where the cataracts are that helped to separate Egypt and Kush for much of their history and make it difficult to sail up and down the full length of the Nile. Cataracts rock-filled rapids or waterfalls were a protective barrier for both kingdoms, really.
III. Egypt and Kush A. Trade in Ancient Egypt 1. Egypt had fertile soil to grow crops, but lacked other resources 2. Traded with other peoples for lumber, horses, etc. 3. Interdependence with a kingdom to the south a. Egypt came to depend on Kushite gold b. Kush came to depend on Egyptian grain
Some Additional Maps of Egypt & Kush for Context
B. A Complicated Relationship 1. Egypt and Kush learned much from each other 2. Egypt conquered Kush during both Middle and New Kingdoms 3. Kush conquered Egypt (c. 753BCE) 4. c. 671, Assyrians invaded and kicked the Kushites out of Egypt
IV. Important Leaders & Achievements A. King Narmer (Menes) united Upper and Lower Egypt (c. 31st cent. BCE) B. Hatshepsut (r. c. 1479-1458BCE) 1. ruled Egypt for her stepson (Thutmose III) 2. built a grand temple at Deir el Bahri 3. built Egypt s wealth through trade, not war 4. her stepson destroyed many records of her after her death
Hatshepsut: Nearly Erased Female Pharaoh *I was lucky enough to see a massive temple wall that was reconstructed in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto that shows a huge painting of Hatshepsut that was chiseled off during the reign of her stepson Thutmose III. You can still see the faint silhouette of her body to the right of the much smaller painted figure. Call me over if you can t see it.
C. Pharaoh Akhenaton and his wife Nefertiti (r. c. 1353-1336BCE) 1. forced Egyptians to worship one god Aton 2. Akhenaton, later called criminal by Egyptians 3. Nefertiti very smart and beautiful queen 4. After their deaths, many records of them were destroyed and the old gods were restored *King Tut Tutankhamen was Akhenaton s son
Art was done in a different style during the reign of Akhenaton. Notice the sun disk.
D. Ramses II (the Great) (r. c. 1279-1213BCE) 1. Regarded as the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt 2. Expanded Egypt to north of modern-day Israel 3. Completed massive building projects Fun facts: Lived to be 90+ years old, had red hair, 90+ kids, favorite wife was Nefertari
E. Cleopatra (VII) (r. c. 51-30BCE) 1. Last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt 2. Very intelligent, witty, beautiful 3. Made alliance with the major threat, Rome (Julius Caesar) 4. After Caesar dies, marries Roman leader Mark Antony 5. Caesar s heir, Octavian, finds out Antony and Cleo have betrayed Rome, hunts them down 6. Cleo and Mark kill themselves, and Rome conquers Egypt
F. Egyptian Accomplishments 1. Pyramids duh 2. Obelisks 3. Hieroglyphic writing 1. Used symbols to represent ideas, words, sounds 2. Deciphered after discovery of Rosetta Stone in 1799
4. Advances in medicine, shipbuilding, and a numeral system 5. Papyrus world s first paper 6. Women s rights could divorce and own property* *women were by no means treated as equals to men, but they had more rights in Egypt than in most other places in the ancient world