introduction to egypt
DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION TO EGYPT. CHAPTER 2, SECTION 2. THE NILE RIVER. Flows from the highlands of East-Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea 4,100 Miles, the longest river in the World Made surrounding lands very fertile due to yearly flooding Grow Wheat and Barley Irrigation System - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
INTRODUCTION TO EGYPTCHAPTER 2, SECTION 2
THE NILE RIVERFlows from the highlands of East-Central
Africa to the Mediterranean Sea4,100 Miles, the longest river in the WorldMade surrounding lands very fertile due to
yearly floodingGrow Wheat and BarleyIrrigation SystemYearly Cycle: Flood, Plant, then HarvestUpper and Lower Egypt
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGESNile flooded at the same time every yearFlooding is still a threat whether it be too
much water or not enough waterSurrounded by vast deserts
CULTURAL DIFFUSIONContact with the peoples of MesopotamiaTrade
Upper and Lower regionsMesopotamiaNubia and Kush
For its 3,000 year history Egypt was a land of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity
KINGDOM3,100 B.C. the King of Upper Egypt, Menes,
united all of EgyptEgypt would eventually consist of 31
Dynasties, spanning 2,600 yearsThe first 2 Dynasties are not recorded very
wellThe 3rd Dynasty-2,660 to 2,180-begins the
period known as the Old Kingdom
PHARAOHS Egyptian Kings are known as GodsKnown as Pharaohs: God-KingsPharaohs were at the center of Egypt’s…
ReligionGovernmentArmy
Theocracy: type of government in which the ruler is a divine figure
Duties of the Pharaohs
PYRAMID BUILDERSBelief that the king ruled even after his deathKa: eternal spirit, which continued to take
part in the governing of EgyptSince kings ruled forever their tombs were
even more important than their palacesPyramid: the kings resting place after deathThe Old Kingdom was the great age of
pyramid building in ancient EgyptGranite and LimestoneStrength in Government, Leadership and
Economics
CULTUREPolytheistic
Ra: Sun GodHorus: God of LightIsis: Goddess, represented the ideal wife and
motherWorshiped more than 2,000 Gods and
GoddessesBuilt huge temples to honor the major deitiesBelief in an afterlife
Osiris: God of the DeadMummification: embalming and drying the
corpse to prevent it from decaying
EGYPTION GODS•RA: Sun God•Horus: God of Light•Isis: Goddess, Mother and Wife•Osiris: God of the Dead
SOCIETYSocial Classes/Hierarchy
King, Queen, Royal Family___________>
Wealthy landowners, Priests, Gov.officials and Army commanders__>
Merchants and Artisans______>
Peasant farmers and UnskilledWorkers________________>
SOCIETY CONT’DSlavesAbility to move up the social ladderWomen
Wealthy and Middle-class women could own and trade property
Could propose marriage and ask for a divorceIf granted a divorce the woman was entitled to
one-third of the couples property
WRITINGHieroglyphics, Greek for “sacred carving”Papyrus: reeds that grew in the marshy delta
of the Nile
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYNumber system-counting, adding and
subtractingGeometry ArchitectureCalendarMedicine
END OF THE OLD KINGDOMPower of the Pharaohs declined about 2,180
B.C.Short lived Middle KingdomAsian-nomadic chariot ridersEgypt will rise again with the New Kingdom