Shelby Johnston Denise Snyder Gregory Buzar Deja Gomes
Slide 2
Imhotep (2635- 2595B.C.) First Egyptian pyramid built during
the 3 rd dynasty (2690-2610 B.C.) Imhotep said "Eat, drink, and be
merry for tomorrow we shall die. This pyramid was built with side
steps
Slide 3
Use of sand combined with a copper saw was used to cut the
stone A lever and Fulcrum were used to lift heavy objects Cutting
holes in the stone was done using sand and hand tools as
depicted
Slide 4
Pharaoh Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.) Pharaoh Khafre (2575 2465B.C.)
Great Pyramid of Giza Son of Khufu Khafres pyramid & sphinx The
sides of the pyramids are now smooth no more steps
Slide 5
Agriculture and Irrigation
Slide 6
Agriculture and irrigation went hand in hand in ancient Egypt.
The civilization was based on the union of the land and the Nile
River. The Nile flooded every year, leaving behind vital nutrients
on top of the soil which contributed to very fertile
conditions.
Slide 7
1.Irrigation system. a.Introduced as early as 5000 BCE.
b.Ancient Egyptians dug canals to direct water to places far from
the banks of the Nile. c.Dams were built perpendicular to the flow
of the Nile. d.Irrigation canals had to be dredged annually. All
Egyptians expected to contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of
the system. e.Flood waters were routed into catch basins for water
storage.
Slide 8
Slide 9
2.Ox drawn plough a.Appeared as early as 2500 BC. b.Made
farming easier and more profitable. c.Cows generally used for
ploughing which caused milk production to decrease during ploughing
time. d.If animals were unavailable, humans were used. e.Ancient
Egyptian plough was lightly built and usually tied to horns of
cattle.
Slide 10
3.Shadoof a.Introduced around 1500 BC. b.Counterbalanced sweep
used to bring water from the Nile or canal to higher fields.
c.Pivots on a high post and is used to lower and raise a bucket
containing water from a river or canal. d.Water is emptied into
jugs and transported. e.Ideal for irrigating higher land such as
gardens, orchids, and vineyards that werent in close proximity to
the Nile.
Slide 11
All in all the ancient Egyptians were accomplished farmers. A
lot of their success stemmed from the act that they had a lucky
system of irrigation which prevented the salinization of the soil.
Diodorus Siculus, a Roman historian writing during the first
century BCE, had a high opinion of the agricultural expertise of
the Egyptians. The peasants lease plots of land, in so far as they
are fertile, for a small sum from the king, the priests and the
soldiery, and spend all their time working the fields. Being used
to agricultural work since childhood they have much more experience
than the farmers among other peoples. They know the condition of
the soil, the flow of the water, the correct time of sowing and
reaping, and the further treatment of the harvest very precisely.
This they learn partly from the observations of their forebears,
partly through their own perception. Diodorus Siculus Historical
Library Vol 1, Chapter 74, After a German translation by Julius
Friedrich Wurm
Slide 12
In ancient Egypt mathematics was used for Measuring time
Geometry Daily life Pyramids
Slide 13
The Egyptians figured out the number of days in the year with
their calendar. They were one of the ancient peoples who got the
closest to the true year.
Slide 14
Surveyors and scribes were continually re-measuring the land
whose boundaries had been obliterated by the inundation, and this
measuring of the land was evidently the origin of geometry. It is
believed Pythagoras, Plato and Euclid learned the mathematics and
geometry in the Nile Valley.
Slide 15
The Egyptians that used mathematics the most were those in
charge of engineers, workers and masons. Higher forms of math were
done buy those in building-related jobs. The lower class, such as
cooks and shop keepers used a much simpler math.
Slide 16
At the very outset of recorded Egyptian history we find
mathematics highly developed; the design and construction of the
Pyramids involved a precision of measurement impossible without
considerable mathematical lore. The use of geometry helped erect
these wonders of the world.
Slide 17
Egyptians did not originally mummify their dead, prior to 3400
BC they preformed simple pit burial services. From the heat and
dryness of the sand, corpses would become preserved. Over later
centuries the process was duplicated to represent the dismemberment
and reconstruction of Osiris, the first mummy, and give the ka a
body in the afterlife so they could seek sustenance. Mummification
itself became more complex to accompany the growth of the complex
religious system of Egypt as it formed. The efforts to begin
mummification began as early as the 2 nd Dynasty and were perfected
by the 4 th Dynasty. Since it was part of a religious ritual,
essentially just a funeral service, priests preformed the duty of
embalmers. Outside of perfecting the art of mummification very
little was achieved from the practice. Egyptian knowledge of
anatomy wasnt broadened and nothing learned in the embalming
process transcended into day to day life. Ginger, believed to be
the earliest Egyptian mummy
Slide 18
The process began by delivering the deceased to an embalming
house where priests would begin the ceremony. They would extract
all internal organs out of the body and refill the space with
aromatic and spiritually significant substance before closing the
body. Then they would preserve the organs and place them in canopic
jars. The corpse would then be packed in natron for approximately
40 -70 days. After being completely dried the body would be
cleaned, have aromatic oils applied, and be wrapped in linens
around 100 meters long. The higher than elevation of the deceased
the more decorative the other pieces placed on the body would be.
(Like gold, precious stones, and amulets.) The entire mummy would
then be coated in resin for preservation, given a death mask,
placed in a coffin. If of higher rank they would also have a
sarcophagus. As time passed the process of decoration and ceremony
became more elaborate and complex. Canopic Jars: left to right;
Imsety (protects the Liver), Duamutef (protects the stomach),
Qebehsenuef (protects the intestines), and Hapy (protects the
lungs). The priest preparing a body
Slide 19
What we know of medical practices comes mainly from medical
papyrus & from tomb and temple decorations. Based on
Archeologist evidence the Egyptians had two major sources of
medical knowledge. The Ebers papyrus, a medical encyclopedia of
sorts which described ailments and advised treatments, and the
Edwin Smith papyrus, which dealt with wounds and their treatments
almost exclusively. Daily injury treatment, due to hard labor and
unsafe work conditions. Treatment for blindness, due to the harsh
Egyptian sun and sand. Circumcision, which was a common practice,
but mostly religious. The most common practices of a medical nature
were: Circumcision was done by priest to young males 10 14; as a
coming of age practice.
Slide 20
Surgery was practiced only externally and at a extremely basic
level. Medical professionals were mainly there to treat symptoms of
ailments, but without proper knowledge of the body they could not
anticipate or overcome most ailments. Herbal Remedies along with
incantations were the main form of cures for illness Childbirth and
Gynecology procedures were given extensive study Birth Control
methods were common, but most ineffective Like many parts of
Egyptian life the medical field held a strong religious aspect.
Ptah, who was a god acknowledge as one of the creators of the world
protected doctors, among other things. Ptah Surgical Instruments
The most common practices of a medical nature were
(continued):
Slide 21
Louvre. Retrieved (2010, Feb. 14)
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Mathews, Kevine & Artifice, Inc., 1994, Architects Imhotep,
Retrieved (2010, Feb 14)
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Imhotep.html Rymer, Eric,
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http://www.ihistory101.net/espanol/egypt_1/rf-k-djoser-pyramid.htm
Secrets of lost empires, Retrieved (2010, Feb 14)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/obelisk/cutting.html
Biography of Imhotep, Retrieved (2010, Feb 14)
http://www.newsdial.com/biographies/historical-
figures/imhotep.html The Step pyramid of Sakkara, Retrieved (2010,
Feb. 11) http://www.lamiz.com/monuments/step-pyramid- sakkara.html
Attic Designs, 2008, King Khufu and the great pyramid, Retrieved
(2010, Feb. 11) http://www.ancient-egypt-
online.com/king-khufu-and-the-great-pyramid.html Bart, Anneke,
Ancient Egypt, Saint Louis University, Retrieved (2010, Feb. 14)
http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/Khafre.html
Bayuk, Andrew, 1995, Guardians Egypt, Retrieved (2010, Feb. 14)
http://www.guardians.net/egypt/khufu.htm Retrieved (2010, Feb. 14)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Khafre.jpg
Soylent Communications, 2010, Retrieved (2010, Feb. 10)
http://nndb.net/people/510/000163021/ BBC, Retrieved (2010, Feb.
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Christopher, 2005, Ancient Cairo, Retrieved (2010, Feb. 9)
http://menic.utexas.edu/cairo/history/ancient/ancient.html
Slide 22
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/home.html
http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibitions/egypt/mummification.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mummification.htm Helen
Strudwick, eds. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. London: Amber
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Egyptian Inventions; http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient
egyptian inventions.html
:http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient egyptian
inventions.html Lewis, Lowell N.; 2009, Agriculture &
Horticulture in Ancient Egypt;
http://www.egyptianagriculture.com/horticulture.html
http://www.egyptianagriculture.com/horticulture.html Leju, Charles
Lugor; Ancient Egyptian Quarrying: Minnesota State University;
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/farming;
2002 http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/farming
(author unknown); Irrigation Methods in Ancient Egypt; Egyptian
Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage
(CultNat); http://www.eternalegypt.org/;
2005http://www.eternalegypt.org/ (Dollinger, Andre); Agriculture
and horticulture in ancient Egypt;
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/agriculture.htm;
2000 to present
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/agriculture.htm
