Chapter 2 Daily Focus Skills Transparency 2 2
Recognize the role of major religion Explain the development of a people's need to belong and organize into a system of governance Describe the purposes and structure of governments
Chapter 2 Ancient Egypt Section 2
Focusing on the Main Ideas Egypt was ruled by all-powerful pharaohs. The Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses and in life after death for the pharaohs. The Egyptians of the Old Kingdom built huge stone pyramids as tombs for their pharaohs.
Locating Places Giza (GEE zuh) Meeting People King Khufu (KOO foo) Building Your Vocabulary pharaoh (FEHR oh) deity (DEE uh tee) embalming (ihm BAHM ihng) mummy (MUH mee) pyramid (PIHR uh MIHD)
Old Kingdom Rulers The Old Kingdom lasted from about 2600 B.C. until about 2300 B.C. Pharaohs were all-powerful Egyptian kings who guided every activity in Egypt. Pharaohs appointed officials to carry out their commands. Egyptian people served pharaohs because they believed the kingdom depended on one strong leader.
Old Kingdom Rulers (cont.) They also believed the pharaohs were the sons of Re, the sun god. The thought pharaohs were gods on earth.
Egypt s Religion Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses, or deities. These deities controlled every human activity and all natural forces. The major god was Re, the sun god. Another major god was Hapi, who ruled the Nile River. Isis was the most important goddess.
Egypt s Religion (cont.) Egyptians believed in life after death. The Book of the Dead contained a collections of spells that Egyptians believed they needed to enter the afterlife. Egyptians believed only pharaohs and a few elite people could have life after death.
Egypt s Religion (cont.) To protect the pharaoh s body after death, Egyptians developed an embalming process. During the process, the body s organs were removed. The body was treated with spices and oils and then wrapped with strips of linen.
The wrapped body was called a mummy. Egyptian doctors used herbs and drugs to treat illnesses. They set broken bones and stitched cuts. Egyptian doctors were the first doctors to specialize in different areas of medicine and wrote the world s first medical book.
The Pyramids Egyptians built pyramids to protect the bodies of dead pharaohs. The pyramids also contained items the pharaohs might need in the afterlife. A pyramid took thousands of people and years of labor to build.
Egyptians used astronomy and mathematics to create the pyramids. To build a pyramid, Egyptians first selected a site. Then, they searched for stone. The artisans cut the stone into blocks, and other workers tied the stone to sleds and pulled them to the Nile.
The Pyramids (cont.) At the river, workers loaded the stones onto barges and floated them to the site. There, the blocks were unloaded and dragged or pushed up ramps. While studying the skies to create pyramids, Egyptians created the 365- day calendar that became the basis for our calendar today.
The Pyramids (cont.) The Great Pyramid is the largest pyramid in Egypt. It was built for King Khufu and is located near the city of Cairo.
What mathematical advances did the Egyptians make while working on the pyramids? They invented the base-10 number system and created fractions.
How was stone for a pyramid transported to the building site? Cut blocks were placed on a sled and dragged over a path of logs to the Nile, then floated on a barge to the building site.
What did Egyptians learn from embalming bodies? They learned the use of herbs and drugs to treat illnesses, and how to sew up cuts and set broken bones.
Math/Science Link How did the building of the pyramids lead to advances in science and mathematics? The Egyptians used astronomy to find true north. They developed the 12-month calendar and a number system based on 10.
Compare and Contrast How did the Egyptians religious beliefs compare to those of the Mesopotamians? Both believed in many gods and goddesses. Mesopotamians took a gloomy view of the afterlife; Egyptians took a hopeful view.
Ancient Egypt Review of Section 1: The Nile Valley By 5000 B.C., Egyptian civilization arose in the fertile Nile River valley, where natural barriers discouraged invasions. The Egyptians depended on the Nile s floods to grow their crops. Around 3100 B.C., Egypt s two major kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, were combined into one. Egyptian society was divided into social groups based on wealth and power.
Ancient Egypt Review Vocabulary Define Match the vocabulary word that completes each sentence. 1. area of fertile soil at the end of a river 2. reed plant used to make baskets, rafts, and paper 3. grassy plain 4. rapids 5. Egyptian writing system 6. forced payments 7. title for Egyptian leaders A. savanna B. tribute C. cataract D. delta E. hieroglyphics F. pharaoh G. papyrus
Ancient Egypt Review Main Ideas Section 1 The Nile Valley What natural barriers protected Egypt from invasion? deserts, cataracts in the Nile, and delta marshes
Ancient Egypt Review Main Ideas Section 1 The Nile Valley What factors divided Egyptians into social groups? wealth and power
Ancient Egypt Review Main Ideas Section 2 Egypt s Old Kingdom What were the Egyptians religious beliefs? They believed in many gods and goddesses and in an afterlife.
Ancient Egypt Review Main Ideas Section 2 Egypt s Old Kingdom Where did Egyptians of the Old Kingdom bury their pharaohs? They buried pharaohs in large tombs, often in pyramids.
Focus on Everyday Life From Farming to Food Turning grain into bread was a long process. Women ground the grain into flour, then men pounded it until it became very fine. For the wealthy, seeds, honey, fruit, nuts, and herbs were added to the dough for flavor. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to keep small stones and sand our of the flour. As a result, many Egyptians developed tooth decay as these particles wore down their tooth enamel.