life in ancient egypt - voorhees township public schools
TRANSCRIPT
Northern Egypt known as “LOWER Egypt” (DOWNSTREAM)
Southern Egypt known as “UPPER Egypt” (UPSTREAM)
Upper Egypt
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
Lower Egypt
Northern Egypt known as “LOWER Egypt” (DOWNSTREAM)
Southern Egypt known as “UPPER Egypt” (UPSTREAM)
NARMER unified Upper and Lower Egypt
-makes MEMPHIS the
capital
-Starts a DYNASTY (Egypt ruled by 30
dynasties!)
Ruler of government & religion is a THEOCRACY
-Egypt ruled by
PHARAOHS
- gave land to PRIESTS and other officials
- picked BUREAUCRATS to work for government
Believed in POLYTHEISM
gods controlled NATURAL forces and HUMAN activities
RA (or RE) was sun god; HAPI was river god
Osiris and Isis – gods of the DEAD
Thoth god of LEARNING
BOOK of the DEAD taught people about the afterlife
EMBALMING preserved the body (MUMMIES)
medical skills learned this: sewed up cuts & set broken BONES used SPLINTS, bandages, etc. wrote medical info papyrus scrolls
pyramids built by THOUSANDS
- first great engineer was IMHOTEP
Led to new technology such as:
-calendar with 365 days
-math with FRACTIONS
Great Pyramid built for KHUFU about 500 feet tall , >2 million blocks world's tallest structure for 4,000 years
middle class included traders, artisans,
skilled workers, and craft-makers
lived in small homes & dressed less
fashionably
farmers RENTED land from wealthy people
live in one room houses and ate a simple diet
unskilled workers lived in crowded cities
includes ENSLAVED captured during war
Egyptian Families
FATHER was the head
of the family
WOMEN had more
rights in ancient Egypt
than most other
civilizations
women could:
- own PROPERTY, buy and sell goods, get divorces
- wealthy could serve as PRIESTS, manage temples,
and perform ceremonies
-likely to stay home while husbands worked