Ancient Egypt

The number of people settling around the Nile increased. They had to band together and form civilizations. They formed 2 kingdoms: 1. Lower Egypt 2. Upper Egypt

Upper & Lower Egypt The 2 kingdoms had their own rulers, who were kings, traditions and beliefs. The 2 kingdoms did not get along with one another.

Menes Menes was a leader of Upper Egypt He didn’t like that the 2 kingdoms did not get along. Therefore, he wanted to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. Menes had his army to invade Lower Egypt and take control of the kingdom. Menes became the first Pharaoh, or ruler, of Egypt. The word Pharaoh means “great house”.

The Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was both a king and a god. They believed in many gods, but thought that the Pharaoh was sent to earth to look after the land for all the gods. Because the people thought so highly of the pharaoh, his job was very difficult. The Pharaoh had to hire people to work for him.

Egyptian Social Classes

Religion Egyptians practiced polytheism, which is the belief in many gods. They had very strong religious beliefs. They built temples for each god, and the temples would collect payments from the government and worshipers. They had a god for everything, including the sun, earth, sky, underworld, etc.

Many gods and goddesses mixed human and animal form. For example, they may have a human body, but an animal head.

Afterlife The majority of the religion focused on the afterlife, or life after death. To the Egyptians, the afterlife was a place of health and happiness. After a person passed away, the family would fill their tomb with items they think they would want/need in the afterlife.

Burial Practices The Egyptians believed that a body had to be prepared for the afterlife, and that the body should be preserved. They developed a method called embalming. Embalming is a process that took several weeks, but it allowed bodies to be preserved for many, many years.

Burial Practices After a body was embalmed, it became a mummy, or a specially treated body wrapped in cloth. The embalmed body would be wrapped in many layers of cloth and bandages. The mummy was then placed in a coffin. Embalming and mummification was very expensive, so only the rich people were able to participate in this burial process.

Pyramids An Egyptian Pyramid is a huge stone tomb with four triangle-shaped walls that met in a point at the top. Pharaohs were buried at a pyramid. The size of the pyramid determined the greatness of a pharaoh.