Egyptian Culture

Important Aspects of Egyptian Culture

GeographyReligion

Artistic Skills

The Nile River

•Travel•Irrigation•Mud for homes (Ancient Egypt)•Food•Safety

The Nile River• The river got its name from the

Greek word Neilos, which means valley.

• 4184 miles long and flowing North

• Ability to produce extremely fertile soil

• Provided a surplus of gold – as well as easy access to create gold mines.

• The Nile Crocodile!

Class-Based Society

• The Royal Family – Family of the Pharoah• Nobles, also known as “Servants of the

Gods”– Usually doctors, mathematicians, and

astronomers

• Middle Class – Carpenters, metalworkers, jewelry makers,

sculptors

• Lowest Class– Slaves

PharoahsThe Most Powerful Individuals in Egypt

•Political and Religious leader of Egypt

•Considered to be godlike (Egyptians worship many Gods)

•Owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.

•Represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honor the gods.

•Had to father a son to continue the Pharoah blood line

Tutankhamun “King Tut” 1333 BC – 1323 BC

Why is he famous?

• His fame doesn’t come from his rule, but rather from the finding of his tomb on November 4, 1922.

• Up until this time, it was believed that all tombs were raided and robbed, however this tomb remained intact for thousand of years and shed light on the lives of King Tut and his people.

So, what did researchers find?

• Hieroglyphs• Jewelry • Decorative Arts• Games• Mummies

Hieroglyphs

• Egyptian Writing• Derived from the Greek language and

means “Sacred Sign”• Made up of symbols that look like people,

animals, plants, and many other objects. • Carved into walls of monuments, temples,

and tombs – King Tut!

Hieroglyphs

Check out the book Heinemann’s “Know It

Hieroglyphs”

Jewelry

Headdress of Nefertiti – Queen of Ancient Europe

Collar of Neferuptah

The Lotus Flower

Decorative Arts

Egyptian Papyrus Vase Bastet Ancient Egyptian Bowldepicting Lotuses

Looked at nature for inspiration

Mummification

To be continued…