1. Standard(s) 15.Describe the culture of ancient Egypt including: class structure/governance beliefs, including polytheism and monotheism accomplishments

2. Ancient Egypt

3. The Nile River Valley

4. The Geography Egypt is surrounded by desert The Nile River runs north, 4,000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea –Through modern Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt From May until September is the rainy season

5. Egypt Northern Egypt is called Lower Egypt because it lies downstream on the river Upper Egypt in the south is “upstream”

6. The Nile River At the Mediterranean Sea the Nile deposits much of its silt –Then divides into a fan-shaped delta Very fertile, flat land made of silt

7. The Importance of the Nile The Nile River flooded every year. –But every April the ancient Egyptians' waited for it

8. “The Gift of the Nile” The floods helped ancient farmers turn the Nile Valley into a fertile agricultural area.

9. Times of High Water or Hunger Too much water –villages were destroyed and farm animals drowned Too little – crops failed.

10. Nile Farming In October, farmers planted wheat, barley, and other crops, and flax –Flax is a plant that makes linen In March farmers harvested

11. Irrigation Ancient Egyptians dug canals And used a shadoof to lift water into their fields

12. The Nile River was the center of ancient Egyptian civilization. Annual floods provided rich soil for their fields The river was used for irrigation and transportation

13. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/disco very/28707-assignment-discovery-uses- of-the-nile-river-video.htmhttp://videos.howstuffworks.com/disco very/28707-assignment-discovery-uses- of-the-nile-river-video.htm

14. The Kingdoms of Egypt Egypt was a thriving culture –Surplus crops –Crafts workers Tools Pottery Jewelry –Trade along the river –Cooperation among communities

15. King Menes 3100 B.C. –Menes, king of Upper Egypt overthrew the king of Lower Egypt Designed the double crown –Represented the unification of Egypt

16. Menes - The First Pharaoh Pharaoh refers to the “great palace” where the rulers of Egypt lived Later it became the name given to the rulers

17. Old Kingdom From about 2700 B.C. to about 2200 B.C. A time when Egypt’s pharaohs worked to build unity in the country

18. Egypt’s Government Menes made Memphis his capital

19. The pharaoh made local leaders serve the new government –To collect taxes –To serve as judges –To make sure canals and storage pools were shared fairly

20. Religion Egypt’s pharaohs had religious duties –“The sun god … entrusted me with what he protected.” Egypt had many gods with a variety of responsibilities

21. Horus The god who united the two Egypts. The Egyptians believed the pharaoh was the “beloved of Horus”

22. Isis The most important goddess –The mother of Horus –Protected people from sickness and harm

23. Ra The most important god –The sun god Gave life to Earth Just as the pharaoh, the child of Ra, gave life to Egypt and its people

24. Mummification Ancient Egyptians believed they would need their bodies in the afterlife. –They preserved the bodies of the dead They anointed the body with spices Wrapped the bodies in cloth Then encased them in wood or stone cases

25. The Pyramids Huge stone structures built as tombs, or burial places, for the pharaohs –The first was for Pharaoh Zoser Around 2780 B.C. A stepped pyramid

26. The Great Pyramid The three largest pyramids are at Giza near Cairo –The largest pyramid built was for Pharaoh Khufu in 2600 B.C. It took 22 years to build About 100,000 people worked on it

27. Building pyramids was expensive –Most of the collected taxes were used to feed and cloth the workers –It put a strain on Egypt’s people and economy –Then local rulers began to demanded pyramids Which weakened the unity of Egypt

28. Hieroglyphics Egyptian writing system –It had about 800 picture signs Each sign could stand for an object or a sound

29. Scribes Travelled around Egypt keeping records, and preparing letters and contracts –Only boys could become scribes Training began at about 10 years old

30. Papyrus A reed plant that grows along the Nile –It was pressed together to form a kind of paper A sharpened reed was used as a pen Reeds were dipped into red or black ink

31. Scribes also had to be good at math –To keep accurate records of taxes and the pharaoh’s goods

32. Lost Meaning Around 300 B.C. Egypt was conquered by the Greeks –Egyptians stopped using hieroglyphics –The meanings became a mystery

33. The Rosetta Stone Found by French soldiers near the Egyptian city of Rosetta The stone had Egyptian hieroglyphics, a later Egyptian writing called demotic, and Greek In 1822 –Jean Champollion figured out how to read hieroglyphics

34. The Egyptian Number System

35. The Egyptian Economy Hieroglyphic records tell us the Egyptian economy was based on a surplus of crops The pharaoh collected taxes which could include –Part of a farmers crops –Portions of products Leather goods, linen cloth, baskets –Days of work

36. Slaves Were prisoners of war Some worked in government owned gold mines Others were trusted with government positions

37. Middle Kingdom The Old Kingdom of Egypt ended around 2000 B.C. The Middle Kingdom was a time of change and prosperity –Egyptians gain new rights –The Pharaohs increased their control over Egypt

38. Nubia Located to the south of Egypt –Was a wealthy kingdom with important gold mines –Was conquered by pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom

39. Trade Expeditions Expeditions were sent from Egypt to Greece and to the Fertile Crescent As trade grew people from Asia began to settle in the Nile area

40. The Hyksos Were people who lived in the hills of western Asia They were skilled in warfare They conquered Lower Egypt and ruled for about 100 years

41. The New Kingdom Pharaoh Ahmose I led an Egyptian army and defeated the Hyksos He made Egypt the strongest military power in its part of the world

42. Egypt Becomes an Empire Egypt’s armies captured nearby lands The pharaohs created an empire from Kush in the south to the Euphrates River in the north

43. Kush Was a wealthy kingdom Controlled trade routes with other African Kingdoms Traded gold, copper and precious stones for ebony, leopard skins, and elephant ivory Enriched the economy of Egypt

44. Amenhotep I Made allies and traded in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe He was one of Egypt’s great builders

45. Hatshepsut One of Egypt’s few female pharaohs During her reign Egypt enjoyed a long period of wealth and peace She is known for her burial temple

46. The Empire Weakens Amenhotep IV –Angered Egypt’s priests Forbid the worship of Amon –Chief god Replaced Amon with Aton –God of the sun

47. He renamed himself Akhenaton –In honor of Anton Practiced monotheism He was unpopular After his death the Egyptian restored Amon and returned to the worship of many gods

48. Changes in the Empire Tutankhamen became pharaoh after Akhenaton’s death –He restored the old gods –But he only ruled for a few years and died young Reconstruction of Tutankhamun’s face.

49. Ramses II The last strong pharaoh Ruled for 67 years The kingdom collapsed about 100 years after his death The empire was followed by many small kingdoms

50. Egyptian Medicine Most doctors were priests –Could measure a person’s heartbeat –New that moldy bread prevented infections Today antibiotics are often made from molds

51. Mathematics & Astronomy Priests knew about mathematics –Needed to design and build pyramids –Used to study the stars Developed a calendar based on 12 months of 30 days each

52. Nubia and Kush Located on the Nile River –Includes parts of today’s southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sudan

53. The Land of Nubia The Nile River is formed by –The Blue Nile which flows north out of Lake Tana –The White Nile which flows north out of Lake Victoria

54. The Nile River has stone cliffs, and cataracts (a steep rapids in a river), rocks, and waterfalls –It make navigation difficult

55. Nubia has harsh desert climate –Above 100 in summer Below freezing in winter But the Nile provided water and good soil

56. Nubia had two regions –Lower Nubia in the north Had fertile farmland and annual flooding of the Nile –Upper Nubia in the south Had a rugged landscape –Rocky cliffs and hills that were rich in minerals »Gold and copper People herded cattle

57. Nubia developed cities Were active traders with Egypt and other African civilizations Had a government run by kings Had complicated religious beliefs Grew wealthy from its gold, iron and copper mines

58. A New Kingdom When Egypt’s pharaohs grew powerful they made Lower Nubia pat of their empire But they could not conquer Upper Nubia because it could not defeat the kingdom of Kush

59. Kush’s capital city Kerma was an important trading city –Kush grew rich and powerful –It was strong enough to defend itself from Egyptian armies Until 1525 B.C. Egypt ruled Kush for 550 years

60. Blending Cultures Kush was influenced by Egypt –Used hieroglyphics –Adopted Egyptian religion And was also influenced by African and Asian cultures –They used trained elephants for battle

61. Rise of Kush Around 1000 B.C. Kush drive out the Egyptians Around 740 B.C. Piye, a king of Kush, invades Egypt and becomes ruler Around 670 B.C. the Assyrians invaded Egypt –The Kushite rulers retreated to Nubia

62. Life in Kush The Kush capital city was Meroë –It was the center of of the kingdom for 600 year It was a large city with wide streets and brick buildings At the center was a walled area called the Royal city –With temples and palaces It was a rich city

63. Meroë Society It had the same social pyramid as Egypt Pharaohs Vizier Nobles, Priests Scribes, Soldiers Craftsmen Farmers, Slaves

64. Women in Kush Had important responsibilities The throne was passed on to the son or daughter of the king’s sister Kush had many queens, and priestesses

65. By A.D. 350 Kush had been conquered by the empire of Aksum from nearby Ethiopia It was the end of a 3,000 year old civilization

66. Up next … Ancient Greece

67. Evaluation –Egypt timeline worksheet –All About Egypt worksheet –Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses –Giza Pyramid worksheet –Egyptian Hieroglyphics worksheet –Tutankhamen worksheet –End of Chapter Test