Chapter Two Section Two

The Achievements of Ancient Egypt  The Egyptians built the pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs.  The best known pyramid, including the Great Pyramid, tower over the sands of Giza.  These pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom, by many different pharaohs.  Ancient Egyptian architects and engineers ranked among the best in the world.

 Egyptian artists created works that depicted everyday life.  The first Egyptian calendar was based on the cycle of the moon, but this did not fill an entire year.  Later, the Egyptians realized that they could base a calendar off a star that appeared in the sky just before the Nile flooded.

 This new calendar had twelve 30- day months, for a total of 360 days.  The other five days were reserved for holidays and feasting.  To keep track of the years, the Egyptians would count the years of a pharaoh’s reign.

 The Egyptians used a number system, based on ten, that was similar to the decimal system we use today.  They used fractions and whole numbers, and used geometry to build pyramids and rebuild fields after floods.  Egyptians used herbs and medicines to treat illness.  They used their knowledge of medicine to preserve bodies after death.

Education and Religion  Ancient Egyptian education focused mainly on scribes, who learned to read and write in order to keep records for the government.  Schools were usually attached to temples, and religion played an important role in daily life.  In the early days, many Egyptian villages had their own local gods.  The most important god was Amon-Re, the Sun God.

 Egyptians believed that bodies had to be preserved after death, and buried their dead with many items they would need in the afterlife.  They developed the process of mummification, where organs were removed and replaced with chemicals.  Super Cool Mummy Video!!!

Society and Economy  People in the lower class could almost never work their way into the upper class.  However, women enjoyed many legal rights.  Land was divided into large estates, and owned by the government.  Peasants would work the land to pay taxes and fees to the pharaoh.

 Cotton was an important crop in ancient Egypt, as it was used to weave into cloth.  Trade was tightly controlled by the government.  Merchants, who rode camels and donkeys, formed caravans along trade routes for safety.  Egyptian merchant ships sailed the Mediterranean and Red Seas and traveled the African coast.