Egyptian Civilization

The Gift of the NileThe Gift of the Nile

WHAT IS CIVILIZATION?WHAT IS CIVILIZATION?

The word civilization comes from the Latin civilis,meaning civil, related to the Latin civis, meaningcitizen, and civitas, meaning city or city-state.

CIVILIZATION refer to the material andinstrumental side of human culture that areinstrumental side of human culture that arecomplex in terms of technology science anddivision of labourdivision of labour .

The NILE RIVER , the longest river in the world (6,650 kilometers), flows north from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. Its flood plain was a magnet for life --p ghuman, plant and animal. Humans were drawn there because they could grow crops and settle into permanent villages.

Bounded on thesouth east and westsouth, east and westby an impenetrabled t d thdesert, and on thenorth by the sea,

ANCIENT EGYPTwas protected fromwas protected fromoutside influences,which allowed it towhich allowed it toevolve in its own

iunique way.

TRANSPORTATION Th NilTRANSPORTATION: The Nile River was the highway that joined the country together Upjoined the country together. Up until the nineteenth century, travel by land was virtuallytravel by land was virtually unknown.

• GOVERNMENT and RELIGION were inseparable in ancient Egypt. The PHARAOH was the head of State and the divine representative of the gods on earth.

• Religion and government brought order to society through:g g g y g– The construction of TEMPLES– The creation of LAWS

TAXATION– TAXATION– The ORGANIZATION OF LABOUR– TRADE with neighbors– The DEFENSE of the country’s interests.

Ancient Egypt achieved stability through the co operation of all levels of the population

• The PHARAOH was at the top of the social hierarchy.

co-operation of all levels of the population.

social hierarchy. • Next to him, the most powerful officers

were the VIZIERS, the executive heads of the bureaucracy

• Under them were the HIGHPRIESTS, followed by ROYAL

of the bureaucracy.

OVERSEERS (administrators) whoensured that the 42 DISTRICTGOVERNORS carried out thepharaoh's orders.

• At the bottom of thehierarchy were thehierarchy were theSCRIBES, ARTISANS,FARMERS, andLABORERSLABORERS.

To reinforce their image as powerful divine rulers, the PHARAOHSrepresented themselves in writings and sculptured reliefs on temple walls They often DEPICTED THEMSELVES AS WARRIORS whowalls. They often DEPICTED THEMSELVES AS WARRIORS who single-handedly killed scores of enemies and slaughtered a whole pride of lions.

ROYAL WOMEN: Royalymothers, wives, anddaughters derived theirstatus from their relationshipstatus from their relationshipwith the king.

Kings had MANY WIVESKings had MANY WIVESand royal families werelarge.

The most prolific wasRameses II, who had eightwives and over a hundredchildren.

T k th l bl dliTo keep the royal bloodlinepure, kings often MARRIEDwithin their family, a SISTERwithin their family, a SISTERor half sister, for example.

The ancient Egyptians remained very conscious of SOCIAL STRATIFICATION and barriers between the classes were quiteSTRATIFICATION, and barriers between the classes were quite rigid.

Climbing the social ladder was difficult but it could be achievedClimbing the social ladder was difficult, but it could be achieved through outstanding accomplishments in professions such as that of the scribes and the MILITARY.

The military took part in WARFARE and TRADE missions, helping to maintain Egypt's sovereignty and expand its territories.

Th EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE f h li lThe EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE was one of the earliest languages to be written down, perhaps only the Sumerian language is older.

Fi t i t d tt d ti f 3100 B C t 3000First appearing on stone and pottery dating from 3100 B.C. to 3000 B.C., it remained in use for almost 3,000 years.

Th l t i i ti itt i A D 394The last inscription was written in A.D. 394.

The word HIEROGLYPHThe word HIEROGLYPHliterally means "sacred carvings". The Egyptians first

d hi l h f i i tiused hieroglyphs for inscriptions carved or painted on temple walls.

This form of PICTORIAL WRITING was also used on:

• TombsSh t f• Sheets of papyrus

• Wooden boards covered with a stucco washwith a stucco wash

• Potsherds• Fragments of limestone. g

DRAFTSMEN were scribeswho specialized in drawing.

They followed a formula thatThey followed a formula thatmakes standing and sittingfigures look stiff.g

Using a traditional grid of 18squares they sketchedsquares, they sketchedfigures according to apredetermined pattern,making no attempt to showperspective.

The eyes and shoulders aredrawn from the front and theface, torso, arms and legs

Sacred texts, known as the PYRAMID TEXTS, were written on the inner passages and the walls of the burial chamber.

They were intended to help the pharaohs travel through the afterworld, to secure regeneration and eternal liferegeneration and eternal life.

The Pyramid Texts are considered the oldest body of religious writings in the world.

RELIGION is the glue that binds local communities together andRELIGION is the glue that binds local communities together andtransforms them into nations. It creates common understandingsand shared values that are essential to the growth of a civilization.

At that stage, every Egyptian town had its own particular deity represented by anANIMAL (such as a cat goddess cobra goddess ibis god or jackal god)

Osiris Isis Horus

ANIMAL (such as a cat-goddess, cobra-goddess, ibis-god or jackal-god).

Eventually, these gods and goddesses were given HUMAN BODIES andcredited with human attributes and activities.

The temples in the major cities throughout the land were constructed to venerateLOCAL GODS.

During the New Kingdom, these temples honored a TRIAD OF GODS based onthe pattern established by the mythical family of OSIRIS, ISIS and HORUS.

E t i T lEntering a Temple

The ancient Egyptians believed in the RESURRECTION OF THE BODY and lifeeverlasting. This belief was rooted in what they observed each day.

The sun fell into the western horizon each evening and was reborn the nextmorning in the eastmorning in the east.

New life sprouted from grains planted in the earth, and the moon waxed andwaned.

As long as order was maintained, everything was highly dependable and lifeafter death could be achieved. But there were certain conditions.

For example, the body had to be preserved through MUMMIFICATION andgiven a properly furnished tomb with everything needed for life in the afterworld.

What are mummiesA mummy is the body of a person (or an animal) that has been preserved after death.

Who were the mummies?They were any Egyptian who could afford to pay for the expensive process of preserving their bodies for the afterlifeprocess of preserving their bodies for the afterlife.

Why did the Egyptians make mummies?The Egyptians believed in life after death They believed that they hadThe Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that they had to preserve their bodies so they could use them in the afterlife.

Wh t i th ft lif ?What is the afterlife?The Egyptians believed that when they died, they would make a journey to another world where they would lead a new life. They would need all the things they had used when they were alive, so their families would put those things in their graves. Egyptians paid vast amounts of money to have their bodies properly preserved. Egyptians who were poor were p p y p gyp pburied in the sand whilst the rich ones were buried in a tomb.

MATERIALS USED IN MUMMIFICATION:

1 Li1. Linen 2. Sawdust 3. Lichen

6. Natron 7. Onion 8. Nile mud

4. Beeswax 5. Resin 10. Frankincense

9. Linen pads

ARCHITECTURE: Theancient Egyptians builttheir pyramids, tombs,temples and palaces out ofSTONE the most durableSTONE, the most durableof all building materials.

These building projectsThese building projectstook a high degree ofarchitectural and

i i SKILL dengineering SKILL, andthe organization of aLARGE WORKFORCEconsisting of highly trainedcraftsmen and laborers.

Apart from the pyramids, EGYPTIAN BUILDINGS were decorated with PAINTINGS, CARVED STONE IMAGES, HIEROGLYPHS, and THREE-, , ,DIMENSIONAL STATUES. The art tells the story of the pharaohs, the gods, the common people and the natural world of plants, birds and animals.

POWER OF PHARAOHS

RELATION WITH GOD

PYRAMIDS

One of the oldest mysteries surrounding ancient Egypt concerns thebuilding of the PYRAMIDS. How did humans move such massiveblocks of stone using only Stone Age tools? The Egyptians leftthousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdomthousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdom.Curiously enough, none of them show how pyramids were built.

SEVERAL THEORIES attempt to explain how pyramids wereSEVERAL THEORIES attempt to explain how pyramids wereconstructed, but for now, the mystery has yet to be solved.

The Ramp Theory

O th t th t RAMPS d t h l th tOne theory suggests that RAMPS were used to haul the stoneblocks on wooden sleds up the side of the pyramids. Theramps were lubricated with water to reduce friction whenphauling the blocks. As few as 10 men were needed to drag astone block up a ramp. may have been several ramps on eachside of the pyramid at different levels and a ramp may haveside of the pyramid at different levels, and a ramp may havebeen coiled around the pyramid as it grew in height. Once astone block reached its desired level, wooden rockers may

Ramp on pyramid

yhave been used to maneuver it into position.

Stone block on sled

Pouring water to lubricate the ramp

Rocking a block into position

Pyramids did not stand alone; they were part of a FUNERARYCOMPLEX. The complex includes a PROCESSIONAL CAUSEWAYthat links a FUNERARY TEMPLE to the pyramid, SOLARBARQUES buried on the four sides of the pyramid, andBARQUES buried on the four sides of the pyramid, andMASTABAS and smaller pyramids where the family of the king andnobles were buried

MATHEMATICS: Although the Egyptians lacked the symbol for zero, theyg gyp y , ycalculated numbers based on the DECIMAL and the repetitive (numbersbased on the POWER OF 10). The following signs were used to representnumbers in the decimal systemnumbers in the decimal system

1 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

Numbers were usually written LEFT TO RIGHT, starting with the highestd i t F l i th b 2 525 th fi t b tdenominator. For example, in the number 2,525 the first number toappear on the left would be 2000, then 500, 20 and 5, as follows:

The Egyptians did not develop abstract mathematical formulas TheyThe Egyptians did not develop abstract mathematical formulas. Theyused the simple arithmetic of ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION

ASTRONOMY: Like many ancient peoples, the Egyptians studied theS O O e a y a c e peop es, e gyp a s s ud ed enight sky, taking measurements from the stars to accurately align theirpyramids and sun temples with the earth’s four cardinal points.

The GREAT PYRAMID AT GIZA provides an example. This remarkablebuilding has a footprint of over 13 acres and consists of approximately6.5 million limestone blocks. Its four sides are accurately aligned to facenorth, east, south, and west, with an error of less than half a degree.They are also virtually identical in length, with less than a 20 cm (8y y g , (inch) variance between one side and another.