Egypt’s Old Kingdom

Lasted from about 2600 B.C. until 2300 B.C. Pharaohs = all-powerful Egyptian kings who guided every activity in Egypt Egyptian people willingly served the pharaoh because they believed the pharaoh was the son of Re, the sun god Believed they were gods on Earth

Egypt’s Religion Beliefs Worshiped many deities (gods and goddesses) Nature important Polytheistic Gods control forces of nature, control life and death Gods frequently identified with certain animals

Re Main Egyptian god Sun god

Hapi Ruled the Nile River Brought the floods each year Floods important because they brought silt which were good for growing crops

Isis Most important goddess She represented the loyal wife and mother Ruled over the dead with her husband Osiris She used powerful magical spells to help people in need

Osiris He was god of the dead Ruler of the afterlife Also, god of rebirth Met newcomers at entrance to the next world  judges them If they led good lives and knew magic spells, Osiris would grant them life after death

Anubis Egyptian god of mummification In charge of mummifying the dead Priests usually wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies

The Afterlife Egyptians believed in a life after death Believed the good lived in happiness The Book of the Dead contained a collection of spells that Egyptians believed they needed to enter the afterlife For many centuries, believed only pharaohs and a few elite people could have life after death To protect pharaoh’s body, the Egyptians developed a process called embalming = organ’s removed, body treated with spices and oils, wrapped with strips of linen Wrapped body was called a mummy Believed the earthly body would be needed as a home for the soul -- Believed the dead needed to take with them things they would need in death

Canopic Jars Important to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs that the human body was preserved During the process of mummification, all of the major organs were removed and placed in canopic jars. The heart left inside the body  believed that it would be weighed in afterlife to see whether the person had led a good life The Canopic Jars were decorated with the heads of the four sons of Horus. Each canopic jar guarded a different organ. 1. Imsety had a human head, protected the liver. 2. Qebehsenuf had the head of a falcon and guarded the intestines. 3. Hapy had a baboon head protected the lungs. 4. Duamatef had the head of a jackal, and guarded the stomach. The four canopic jars were put into a special chest which went into the tomb with the mummy

Weighing of the Heart/ Scarab Beetle

Egyptian Medicine Doctors used herbs and drugs to treat illnesses Set broken bones and stitched cuts Were the first to specialize in different areas of medicine Wrote the world’s first medical book

The Pyramids Built pyramids to protect bodies of dead pharaohs Contained items pharaohs might need in the afterlife (clothing furniture, jewelry, food, etc.) Took thousands of people and years to build Used astronomy and mathematics to create pyramids Made of stone To build a pyramid, Egyptians first selected a site. Then, they searched for stone. The artisans cut the stones into blocks, and other workers tied the stone to sleds and pulled them to the Nile. At the river, workers loaded the stones onto barges and floated them to the site. There, the blocks were unloaded and dragged or pushed up ramps.

The Great Pyramid= largest pyramid in Egypt While studying the skies to create pyramids, Egyptians created the 365-day calendar that became the basis for our calendar today. The Great Pyramid= largest pyramid in Egypt built for King Khufu in Giza Size of a 48-story building Contains more than 2 million stone blocks, each weighing about 2.5 tons