EgyptWorld History & Geography to 1500 AD

PowerPoint SlidesMr. Mable

Tucker High School

2012

SOL Standards Chapter 1STANDARD WHI.2a

The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus River Valley, and China and the civilizations of the Hebrews, Phoenicians, and Nubians, by

b) describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery.

Development of social patterns

• Hereditary rulers: Dynasties of kings, pharaohs

• Rigid class system where slavery was accepted

Development of political patterns

• World’s first states (i.e., city-states, kingdoms, empires)

• Centralized government, often based on religious authority

• Written law codes (e.g., Ten Commandments, Code of Hammurabi)

Development of economic patterns

• Use of metal (e.g., bronze, iron) tools and weapons

• Increasing agricultural surplus: Better tools, plows, irrigation

• Development of the world’s first cities

• Development of the practice of slavery within most cultures in the ancient world, taking various forms

Old Kingdom2650-2134 BC

Middle Kingdom2040-1640 BC

New Kingdom1550-1070 BC

Achievements Built enormous tombs & pyramids.

Land drained for farming.

Sea Trade &Became an empire.Conquered much of

Near East

Decline Power struggles, crop failures, &

cost of pyramids.

Hyksos invaded & conquered.

Nubians, Persian, Greeks, & Romans

invaded.

Three Major Time periods of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian History is divided into three

main periods

•The Old Kingdom

•The Middle Kingdom

•The New Kingdom

Menes is Narmer

He changed his name after he unified Egypt!

Upper Egypt

Lower Egypt

The History of Egypt begins with Menes

Menes Unites upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, joining the two into a united kingdom

In doing this, Menes establishes the first Egyptian Dynasty

Union of Two Crowns

• Red Crown– Upper Egypt

• White Crown– Lower Egypt

• Menes– Overthrew the king of

Lower Egypt– Wore a Double Crown

• Unification– Joining of separate parts

into one whole

Crown of Lower Egypt

• Red Crown

• Upper Egypt

• Symbol: Vulture

Crown of Upper Egypt

• White Crown

• Lower Egypt

• Symbol: Cobra

Double Crown

• King Tut’s Death Mask

• Notice Double Crown

• Vulture and Cobra

The Pharaoh

• God-King

• Pharaoh Means “BIG HOUSE”• owns all the land and people and what people

posses• Pharaoh's will is the law• irrigation• no city walls

The Pharaoh

• God-King (Therefore a Theocracy)

• Religious• direct descendant of the Sun god• HE IS THE LIVING GOD!• controls access to the afterlife• July-Sept, during floods life is controlled by the

Pharaoh– 365 day calendar.

Role played by size in Egyptian Artwork

IV. Social Order

.

Priests

Nobles/Warriors

Scribes

Merchants

Peasants/Slaves

Pharaohs

The Old Kingdom 2700-2200 B.C.

The Old Kingdom was a period of great prosperity.

•Time of Great Pyramid Building

•Kings became Pharaohs.

•The Pharaoh was seen as divine, or godlike.

•The Pharaoh wielded absolute power, but used advisors to help them.

•The Chief advisor to the Pharaoh was the Vizier.

•Social order and customs were established in the OLD KINGDOM

First Intermediate Period

• civil wars

• Famine

• Drought

• Loss of trade

• Pharaohs became weak

• Open to foreign Invasions

• After the fall of the Old Kingdom there was a period of chaos for about 150 years

• A new dynasty brought stability.

• The Pharaoh was still on top…

• But the Nobles were more powerful and ruled things

• The dynasties of the middle kingdom were weak and disorganized.

• No strong CENTRAL power; Power was Diffused!!!

Middle Kingdom 2050-1750 BCE

• End of civil wars, & farming and trade return• move capital south to Upper Egypt (Thebes)• public improvements

– drain swamps, canal to Red Sea

• belief in afterlife expands to include common people

• tombs instead of pyramids– better protection for mummies.

Second Intermediate Period

• The Middle Kingdom ended with the invasion of a people called the Hyksos

• The Hyksos had Chariots and bronze weapons to the Egyptians. The Egyptians were easily defeated.

• Eventually the Egyptians overthrew the Hyksos and established the New Kingdom

Hyksos• Hyksos is Egyptian for FOREIGN

RULERS

• Chariots &Bronze weapons

VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE

• Ahmose I expelled the invading Hyksos and reunited Egypt

• Known as the Empire period

• development of “public” and “private” zones at temples.

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Ahmose I leading Egyptians against the Hyksos

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New Kingdom 1567-1085 BCE

• Egyptian Threw out Foreign Invaders• The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom took

a more aggressive ruling style• Egypt became the most powerful state in

Southwest Asia.• Egypt became an Empire! Ruled Territory

outside its own.• Golden Age of Egypt

VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE

• Characterized by a more militaristic and imperialistic nature– incorporated chariot, bronze working,

horses– development of a professional army

• became a slave based economy fueled by war and expansion

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She was the first woman to be Pharaoh

She took power for herself

She had to pose as a man to cement her authority.

She built many monuments and temples.

VI. Threats to Tradition

• Amenhotep IV (c. 1362-1347 B.C.) introduced the worship of Aton, god of the sun disk, as the chief god and pursued his worship with enthusiasm.

• Changed name to Akhenaten (“It is well with Aton”)

• He closed the temples of other gods and especially endeavored to lessen the power of Amon-Re and his priesthood at Thebes.

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Aten

• Unifying deity, lord of all

• Akhenaten (heretic king) tried to unify religions and kingdoms

• No physical form – just sun rays

VI. Threats to Tradition1355-1335 BCE

• Nefertiti– Wife of Akhenaton the only

pharaoh to even partially reject polytheism

– political move against priests of Amon-Re

– moved capital to Amarna

– worshipped Aton, the sun disk

• royal inbreeding.

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Akhenaton

• Amomhotep IV became Akhneaton

• Aton was the sun god

• Ankh was the symbol for LIFE

• Therefore, he was the LIVING Sun God!!!

Influences????

Remember that the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt at this time!

Influences????

Amen or Amun was the overall god of the Egyptians.

Christians say AMEN after their prayers

Brief Period of Monotheism

• The Belief in ONE god

Mono = one

Theism or theistic = religion

The sun disc Aten shining on the names of the royal family

Tutankhamen 1335-1325 BCE

• Tut = The King

• Ahnk = Living

• Amun = god

King Tut:Tutankhamen

• Became Pharaoh after the death of Akhenaton.

• Restored the old religious practices

• Has the only tomb to be found intact

VI. Tutankhamen 1335-1325 BCE

• (King Tut)• child ruler• ruled nine years, died at

18• young death meant burial

in the tomb of a lesser person (noble) resulting in preservation

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He fathered over 100 children

Some think he’s the Pharaoh of Hebrew Exodus

Think he is the face of the Sphinx

Ramses II

Abu Simbel: Temple of Ramses the Great

VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)• greatest New Kingdom ruler• military leader of Egypt• expanded into southern Turkey• built many monuments to

himself• last gasp of Egyptian power.

VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)

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Ramses the Great

today

Abu Simble: Ramses II (1279-1213)

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Invasion of the “Sea Peoples”

Decline

• Egypt fell into a period of decline and foreign invasion.

• Conquered by the Greeks, Persians, & Romans.

• The last Pharaoh was Cleopatra VII

• committed suicide rather than surrender to the

Romans.

Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River.

Hatshepsut encouraged trade.

Ramses II expanded Egyptian rule to Syria.

Egyptian power declined.

Large drainage project created arable farmland.

Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete.

Corruption and rebellions were common.

Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region.

Pharaohs organized a strong central state, were absolute rulers, and were considered gods.

Egyptians built pyramids at Giza.

Power struggles, crop failures, and cost of pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old Kingdom.

NEW KINGDOM

MIDDLE

KINGDOM

OLD KINGDOM

Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt1