EGYPT: The Gift of NileLand of Pharaohs and

Pyramids

The Nile River• Fed by two tributaries:

The Blue Nile and the Atbara or the White Nile

• Flooding begins late July reaching its peak in August September

• Flood waters recede in October-November

• Why is this a big deal???• Makes Farming a breeze!• River flows to the North,

winds blow to the South!• Transportation EASY! Annual fertilization!

Easy Irrigation!

Source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia (above), and the source of the White Nile, Lake Victoria (below)

LowerEgypt

UpperEgypt

NILE: the Great Highway

The Nile Delta

Egypt: Chronology

Predynastic period (5000-2700 B.C.)•Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.)•1st Intermediate Period•Middle Kingdom (2052-1786

B.C.)•2nd Intermediate Period•New Kingdom (1575-1087 B.C.)•Third Intermediate Period

Gebel al-Arak Knife• theme of hero subduing 2 wild animals• parallels with Uruk period Mesopotamia

Abydos

• Naqada Region and Royal Tombs at Abydos

Hedjet Deshret Pschent White Red CombinedUpper Egypt Lower Egypt Upper and Lower Egypt

Earliest Writing

• earliest evidence c. 3400 BC• difficulties in translation• appear on labels and jars to identify goods commodities and

on royal• commemorative art

Earliest known ivory labels, Tomb of King Scorpion, Abydos, 34-3200 BC

Hieroglyphics • “sacred images”

• Old, Middle and Late Egyptian

• pictographs and phonetic signs totaling about 700

Ma’at• Meant “truth” “right behavior “ “ correct balance”• Pharaoh had absolute power and rule according to ma’at• justice, moral righteousness• responsibility of the King that order prevailed in the universe• responsible for changes in seasons and most importantly, annual

flooding of the Nile• symbolized as a feather

Old Kingdom

• long, unbroken period of prosperity – 432 years• “The Pyramid Age”• Egypt at its cultural Zenith• Cultural/ Religious source of Kings power fully

established• “Divine Right Mandate”

First Pyramid: Step Pyramid of Djoser• King Djoser had access to a vast workforce

• Evolution from the regular tomb – seen in the various stages of construction

• It was one big experiment• 200 000 tons of stone used

to make addition tiers• Final facing of limestone

Imhotep• Egyptian Leonardo da Vinci

- genius inventor• "the one that comes in

peace" • “Treasurer of the King of

Lower Egypt”• “First After the King of

Upper Egypt”• “Administrator of the Great

Palace”• “High Priest of

Heliopolis”

(The real one)(The real one)

Pyramid experimentation

• King Sneferu built 3 pyramids

• popular, good-natured king• deified by later rulers

Bent Pyramid

Red Pyramid

Maidum Pyramid

• The GREAT PYRAMID OF CHEOPS• 2 300 000 blocks of stone• Height of 145.75m would weigh approx.

6 000 000 tons

Estimated 36 000 workmen to build the Pyramid taking 20 years

Giza’s Workman’s VillageWe have texts that talk of the workers who built the pyramids (sorry people, not aliens!)

Paperwork discussing salaries paid

Food subsidies etc

WE HAVE THE VILLAGES WHERE THEY LIVED WHILE THEY WORKED!!!!!

• The First Intermediate Period• Short period of political breakdown in

Egypt (c. 100years)• Followed by Middle Kingdom• Structurally not much difference

between Old Kingdom & Middle Kingdom

• Lack of change probably led to second breakdown known as the Second Intermediate Period

• Instead of building Pyramids Kings of the Mid King spent their time and $$ building large forts in Nubia

Second Second Intermediate Intermediate

PeriodPeriod• Period is longer than

the first – c. 200 years

• Period where parts of Egypt are ruled by ‘foreign’ kings

• The Hyksos Dynasty• Capital Avaris in the

Delta• Period of political

breakdown, but still a prosperous and international period

New Kingdom

• Egypt at its most powerful

• Lasts for close to 500 years

• Egypt in control of a great deal of the N.E.

Luxor Temple and ObeliskNew Kingdom Period

Hypostyle

New Kingdom tombs

Valley of the Kings

Egypt: Afterlife and burial rituals

ba

Canopic jars & Mummies

Pyramid Texts & Book of the

Dead• Old Kingdom

pyramids have best collection of Pyramid texts

• 288 magical spells to help soul of dead king on the journey into the next world

• Will eventually get codified in the Book of the Dead

• Drastic changes to Egyptian state and religion

• Changes his name to Akhenaten – “the glory of Aten”

• Erases names of other gods• Removed the plural ‘gods’ from the

Egyptian language• Move from Polytheism to Monotheism• Changes in art, more realistic

depictions• More depictions of the King and his

Family

Anemhotep IV - Akhenaten

Akhenaten

Ramesside era

End of the NK• Whatever happened, all major NE civ. Come

to an end c.1200 in a period of turmoil• With the exception of Egypt who did survive

the catastrophe, but in a greatly weakened state

• Becomes more loosely structured state, just like any other Mediterranean state

• A rich state, but never again an important player on the world stage