1. Egypt’s Old Kingdom

2. 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

3. 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

4. Re
Main Egyptian god
Sun god

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

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Weighing of the Heart/ Scarab Beetle

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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