Ancient Egypt

Geography• The Nile:

– Longest river in the world

– Very fertile along the river banks.

– Egyptians called the fertile land – Kemet(Black Land)

• Provided for:– Irrigation and drinking– Transportation– Silt for crops– Religious activities

Irrigation:

Upper Nile River

• Upper Egypt: – The river valley was

very wide in some areas.

– High cliffs and mountains.

Lower Nile River:

• Lower Egypt:– Nile Delta– Flat area with a lot of

good farmland.– Outlet to the sea was

important for trade.

Deserts:

• Deserts were called Deshret. (Red Land)– On western side was

the Libyan Desert.– Provided granite,

marble, many oases, natron (type of salt)

• On eastern side was the Arabian Desert.– Provided gold, gems,

copper

– Both deserts provided protection from an enemy.

Class Work:

• Read pages 75 and 76 in the text book.• Answer questions 1 a, b, c, and 2a on page 77.

• Bonus: Find out the answer to question 4 for homework. Give your answer tomorrow.

Question 1:1a) The Nile:-Water for irrigation and drinking, -Silt for the fields-Highway to link communities, -Flooding very predictable (the agricultural calendar was set according to the annual flood)b) The Deserts:-Rich in minerals (gold, gems, copper for weapons, building materials such as granite, marble, quartzite, slate)-The Libyan Desert had six oases (fertile areas) called wadis Which were important suppliers of: wine, embalming salt (natron),a natural barrier from invasions, insulator from outside influencesc) Mediterranean: Important for trade and cultural exchange

Question 2:• Upper Egypt Landscape:• Known as the Nile River Valley• Single stream flow of the Nile River south towards Cairo• Deep trench with cliffs on each side (several hundred meters high)• Obvious to people in the area how much they depended on the Nile; deserts

in plain view (deserts were protection from invasion)

• Lower Egypt Landscape:• Known as the Nile Delta• River separates into branches toward Mediterranean Sea creating fertile

triangular plain• Black and flat land, often swampy, but lots of pasture land• Even more isolated and protected from land invasions

Pre-dynastic Period:

• Upper and Lower Egypt started as separate kingdoms, but were united under one leader: King Menes

• This started the first Egyptian dynasty. (A succession of family rulers.)• Developed the irrigation systems and a form of

writing.

Hieroglyphs

• Means ‘sacred carvings’.

• At first, Egyptians used a picture to represent a word.

• Changed to one symbol to represent one sound.

• Hieroglyphs were carved onto nameplates or seals called cartouches.

• Wrote from right to left, did not use punctuation or capitalization.

Old Kingdom (2650 BCE)

• Age of the Pyramids

• King Djoser had the first monumental stone building built.

• The Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

• Symbolic stairway to heaven.

• Pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens.

• 80 pyramids along the Nile.• The 1st and largest was built by Pharaoh

Khufu at Giza.

Why pyramids?

• It was believed that the sunbeams led the pharaoh to Ra (sun god).

• Limestone covered the outside and shimmered in the sun and moonlight.

• Sides are aligned with the compass points.

• 2 300 000 stone blocks

• Construction lasted 30 years during the winter months

Make your own cartouche:

• Using the hieroglyphic alphabet provided, design your own cartouche.

• Be creative, colourful and have fun with it.

• 10 marks

The Guardian of Giza (The Sphinx):• Faces east (towards

sunrise)• Shaped like a lion

with the pharaoh’s head. (Khufu)

• Carved out of the bedrock.

• (This is the largest one, but there are many others.)

• Paws are 50 ft. and the body is 100 ft long

• Head is 30 ft high.

• Doors in the body lead to underground passages.

Myths about the Sphinx:

• A map to the lost city of Atlantis is buried under its paws.

• There is a temple to the gods under it.

• There is a UFO buried in the sand between the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

The Riddle of the Sphinx:

• What animal walks on all fours in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs at night?

Queen Hatshepsut

Textbook page 85:

• 1. How was Hatshepsut able to seize the throne?

• 2. How would you describe her period of rule?

• 1. First, she served as regent (co-ruler) for her step son, then she seized it with the backing of several high court officials and priests.

• 2. Her reign was a peaceful period of efficient government, expanded foreign trade, and artistic rebirth.

Textbook page 86:1. What was a strong physical characteristic of

the Ramses’ pharaohs?2. How many wives/children did Ramses II have?3. Ramses made the world’s first non-aggression

treaty with his former enemy, the Hittite empire, describe the details of this agreement.

4. What did Ramses II do to ensure his immortality? (Why is he so famous compared to other pharaohs?)

1. A large, hooked nose.2. He was married to over 90 wives and fathered

more than 100 children.3. They agreed not to attack each other again, and

to help each other if they were attacked by another enemy.

4. He exaggerated his claims to bravery and valour. When he was defeated by the Hittites, he had inscriptions carved stating that he was victorious. He had his name inscribed on monuments built by earlier pharaohs. He built more monuments to himself than any other pharaoh.

Ramses II (Ramses the Great):

Social Structure (pages 103-104):• Find three points about each of the following:

• A) Pharaoh• B) Nobles and Military Leaders• C) Priest and Scribes• D) Crafters• E) Peasant Farmers• F) Slaves

A) Pharaoh: • “Pharaoh” = “great house”, title passed to 1st son of chief wife. • Seen as a living god, pinnacle of society.• Owner of all lands, citizens, armies etc

B) Nobles and military leaders: • Highest administrative positions, inherited through generations• Oversaw property/storehouses of a god, worked for pharaoh• Supervised construction works for the government

C) Priests and scribes: • Educated class, could read/write hieroglyphics. • Performed religious functions, collected taxes, kept records.

wrote reports, educated the young, organized army rations• Called “white kilt class” due to their clothes/style of dress.

D) Crafters: • Weavers, potters, brick-makers, jewelers, carpenters, stonemasons,

silversmiths, and goldsmiths. • Some worked in cities, others in palace of pharoah• Produced the goods taken into foreign territories by traders

E) Peasant farmers: • Common people, mostly illiterate.• Attached to estate of the pharaoh, a temple, or rich landowner. • Pay was just enough to live by, heavily taxed, high rent.

F) Slaves: • Prisoners of war brought back by army• Women and children did housework, males worked as soldiers, farmers or

maintenance laborers around the household. • Could own property /rent land! Could even be set free if master decided.

Work for this week:• 1) Answer the assigned questions (on the

chalkboard) and hand in for Friday. (Title page)• 2) Work on individual project• -Choose topic (Not #8, 1 for 1st choice, 2 for 2nd etc)• -Choose format (Any one that fits)• -Research using textbook and library books• -Discuss your ideas with Mr. Jessome• -Due Monday (Presentations begin on that day)

The New Kingdom (1500 BCE)

• “The Age of the Empire”

• Egypt is considered the ancient world’s strongest empire.

• Increased their standing armies and built permanent fortress towns along the Nile River and the Nile Delta.

Thutmose II and Thutmose III

Thutmose II’s Military Innovations:

• Highly organized military

• Slaves forced to be soldiers

• Leather body armour with metal scales

• Large shields for chariot soldiers

Thutmose III:

• Great military ruler; mighty empire• Led his armies on military campaigns into Asia

every year for 20 years• Enlarged the empire (slaves, copper, gold,

ivory, ebony)• Brought P.O.W.’s (children and foreign princes)

back to Egypt

Amenhotep IV

Biggest change he made in Egypt’s history:

• He switched the religion from polytheistic to monotheistic.(Change from worshipping many gods to worshipping

only one god)--He declared that his people could only worship one

god; the sun disc named Aten.– He changed his name to Akhenaten and claimed he

was equal to the sun god.

A New Theory About the Long Faced Pharaoh:

• 1. Why was Akhenaten unusual?• 2. How has science contributed to our

understanding of Akhenaten’s appearance?• 3. How might the religion of Egypt have been

influenced by a genetic disorder?• *Answer in complete sentences and hand these

in to me when finished along with the article. No title page required. Do not mark on the article.

King Tutankhamen: “King Tut”

King Tutankhamen

• His tomb was found in 1922 by Howard Carter.• Son of Akhenaton and a lesser wife.• He was just 9 years old when he became the

Pharaoh. • He ruled with the help of trusted adult advisors.

• Tried to erase or reverse all of the changes brought by his father Akhenaten.

• Built new temples to once again worship all of the gods.

• He changed his own name to remove the “aten” from it. (He was born with the name Tutankanaten).

Why is Tut so famous?• Most significant tomb

found in Valley of the Kings.

• Most intact and most valuable.

• Miracle the tomb was even found.

Howard Carter with Tut’s Mummy:

The Curse of Tut’s Tomb…

• “Death Shall Come on Swift Wings To Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King…”

• This was supposedly engraved on the exterior of King Tutankhamen’s Tomb

• There have been several theories to explain how he died-some suggest murder, some illness.

King Tut Articles:1. What evidence is there from the articles to suggest that

king tut was murdered?

2. What evidence is there from the articles to suggest that king Tut was not murdered?

3. Which theory do you believe to be correct?

4. Explain why you feel this way.

Answer these questions in complete sentences and hand in to me. Do not mark on the articles and return them as well.

Death and the Afterlife:

• Egyptians believed in an “afterlife”.• Mummifications were believed to

preserve the body for the afterlife.• A person was believed to be divided

into several elements upon their death:

• The “Ha”:

• The physical body

• (Preserved through mummification)

• The “Ka”:• The Life force(Lived in the tomb for

all eternity & needed a body to inhabit.)

• The “Ba”:

• Personality

• (Symbolized by a bird with a human head)

Mummification Process:• Took 70 days from start to finish.• Process was performed by a priest and

his assistants.• The priest wore the mask of Anubis.• (Jackal headed god of mummification.)• There were 7 main steps:

• 1. Cleaned and purified the body.

• 2. Removed inner organs: lungs, liver, stomach, intestines to also be mummified.

• 3. Removed the brain……with a hook!

• 4. Placed the body on a slanted table so bodily fluids would drain out.

• Covered body with natron.

• Left for 40 days.

• 5. Natron removed–Body washed.–Stuffed with

linens, sawdust, lichen (moss).

• 6. Wrapped the body with linens.–Poured resin

and/or beeswax over the linens.

–Placed jewelry and charms inside the linens.

• 7. The wrapped body was placed inside a mummiform coffin.

• A funeral mask was placed over the face and then the entire coffin was put inside a sarcophagus.

• The internal organs that were dried out were put inside jars.

• These went in the tomb with the mummy.

King Tut

Test on Egypt:• -Importance of the Nile -Upper vs Lower Egypt• -Deserts -Pre-dynastic period -Hieroglyphics

-Old Kingdom -Pyramids -The Sphinx• -Assigned questions from pages 77, 85, 86,

103-104• -New kingdom (Thutmose 2 and 3, Amenhotep,

King Tut)• -Death and afterlife• -Mummification process