EGYPT THE GIFT OF THE NILE

Geography Egyptian civilization emerged in the Nile River Valley The Nile is the longest river in the world - 4,000 miles long The Nile flows from Lake Victoria, located in east central Africa, northward to the Mediterranean Sea Three main regions of Egypt: Upper Egypt Lower Egypt Nile Delta The richest and most fertile soil found anywhere in Africa is found in the Nile Delta Delta = a triangular region formed at the mouth of a river by deposits of silt Water from the Nile was used for: - Irrigation, drinking, bathing, transportation Yearly flooding left silt which made rich soil The Nile was controlled by dams

Known as the Bread Basket of the Mediterranean Egypt also had natural barriers that gave protection from invaders and a sense of security Deserts to the east and west (especially the Sahara) Red Sea to the east Mediterranean Sea to the north Cataracts on the southern part of the Nile Cataracts = rocky stretches marked by swift currents, rapids, and waterfalls There are six cataracts

History First farming villages appeared in 5000 BC Consolidated into two kingdoms Kingdom of Lower Egypt – worshipped a cobra goddess Kingdom of Upper Egypt – worshipped a vulture goddess Spoke different dialects and had different customs Dynasty = a series of rulers from the same family There were a total of 31 dynasties

Egyptian history is divided into three major periods which are characterized by long-term prosperity and strong leadership Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom Between these periods were times of chaos and invasion known as Intermediate periods

Old Kingdom BC Age of prosperity and splendor Powerful rulers took the title of pharaoh Kingship was a divine institution and pharaohs had absolute power – Belief that the pharaoh was a god in human form – Pharaohs and his priests had to perform elaborate rituals everyday – Egypt was a theocracy, a state ruled by a religious figure Surrounded by a well-established bureaucracy – Bureaucracy = a highly structured organization, often governmental, managed by officials who did what the pharaoh wished.

Pyramids were first built during the Old Kingdom Pyramids were tombs for dead pharaohs The Great Pyramid was constructed at Giza by King Khufu Took 100,000 Egyptians 20 years to build it The Great Sphinx guards the Great Pyramid Most pharaohs started building their pyramid as soon as they began their rule Workers built the pyramids from the inside out Most of the workers were peasants, not slaves, who were required to work for the govt one month out of the year

Religion Egyptians were polytheistic, had many important gods and goddesses – Key god was the god of the sun = Re or Amon-Re – Father of the pharaohs. – Anubis = protector of the dead – Osiris = introduced civilization into Egypt, also became a judge of the dead – Isis = goddess of nature and protector of women – Horus = god of the sky, pharaohs are human forms of this god Believed that gods controlled all natural events Priests performed rituals to fulfill the needs of the gods Believed that the rituals refreshed the gods and kept them alive In return the gods would grant the pharaohs immortality and bring prosperity to Egypt

Society Simple social structure Pharaoh and royal family Gov’t officials, priests, military leaders, scribes, landowners, doctors Artisans and merchants Peasant farmers – made up 90% of the population slaves Lived in family units Patriarchical society, husband in charge, but wives well-respected General rule was one marriage at a time

Women kept property and inheritance even after marriage There were divorces, with compensation for the wife People married young and had arranged marriages Pharaohs often married their sisters to keep the royal blood pure Many upper class people shaved their heads and wore wigs, for both fashion and sun protection Also wore dark eyeliner as a form of sun protection

Advancements Main writing system was hieroglyphics Used picture symbols to represent objects, sounds, and ideas Carved into stone and written on papyrus Developed in 3200 BC, considered one of the world’s first writing systems - Only Sumerian cuneiform is older In 1799 a French soldier found a granite slab, now called the Rosetta Stone, which enabled historians to read hieroglyphics Math Used geometry to survey flooded land Used math to build monuments Could calculate volume and area Developed an accurate 365 day calendar Mummification led to medical expertise in human anatomy Doctors set broken bones, treated wounds, performed simple surgical procedures, and even removed some types of tumors Doctors also encouraged regular bathing

Mummification Central belief of the Egyptians was a belief in the afterlife Egyptians believed that people had two bodies, a physical one and spiritual one they called the ka When a physical body died, the ka escaped The ka was essentially an individuals personality separated from the body If the physical body is preserved, the ka could return If the body decomposed, the ka would shrivel and vanish Practice of mummification = slowly drying a dead body to preserve it and stop it from rotting Run by priests primarily for wealthy families who could afford it Discovered after early Egyptians buried their dead in the desert, found that the bodies were being preserved Unfortunately jackals were eating the dead bodies

Steps of mummification Remove all internal organs Brain was liquefied and drawn out the nose The heart was left inside – controlled emotions and intelligence Organs were placed in canopic jars to be buried with the mummy Body was packed with various materials to help keep its shape Salts were placed on the body to dry it out Finally the body was wrapped in strips of linen Dead Egyptians were buried with their material possessions and sometimes loved ones or pets and servants Rooms were stocked with supplies and material goods for the return of the ka Also believed that people in paintings on the wall would come to life as well

FAMOUS PHARAOHS Hatshepsut – Took power after her husband the pharaoh died Officially she was only regent for her young son – However she proclaimed herself pharaoh, the first woman to do so – She dressed like a man and wore a false beard All statues of her made her out to be a man – Best known for a successful trading expedition that went to a kingdom on the Red Sea – After her death, her nephew became pharaoh and destroyed almost all of the statues of his aunt

Amenhotep IV Took the name Akhenaten Tried to make Egyptians monotheistic by only worshipping one god, Aten the sun god Banned the worship of all other gods and goddesses Tutankhamon Son of Amenhotep, restored the worship of Egypts traditional gods Ramses II the Great Great military leader, stopped the Hittites from invading and married a Hittite princess Ramses ruled for 60 years and brought much wealth to Egypt Built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh Most admired pharaoh