Warm-Up

How is the Egyptian social structure similar to the social structure today?

VOCAB

• Polytheistic- The worship of many gods• Pyramid- A tomb to preserve the body of a

Pharaoh for the afterlife• The Nile- The river in North Africa around which

the Egyptian civilization formed• Hieroglyphics- The Egyptian system of Writing• Pharaoh- God-king of ancient Egypt• “The Gift of the Nile”- the Egyptian civilization

ONLY WRITE DOWN THE UNDERLINDED INFO

Egyptian Timeline

• Old Kingdom (2700-2150)– Hieroglyphics and religion

develop in Egypt– pyramids built

• Middle Kingdom (2040-1786)– extension of Egyptian control into

Nubia

• New Kingdom (1570-1075)– militaristic - Hebrews enslaved– mummification perfected

Geography

• River dominates Egyptian world/thought

• Surrounded by desert with occasional oasis– Permits some trade – Defense from invasion

• Contributes to feeling of safety

– preserves artifacts

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“Egypt is the gift of the Nile” -Herodotus

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The Nile

• yearly flooding - no concern for soil depletion– Predictable– Irrigation systems

• Encourages – Trade– Communication– Political unity

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The Nile

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The Nile And a Stable food Supply

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The Nile

The Nile and Religion

• Impact on religion– divided life - living and dying.

• East (sunrise) is land of the living - cities, temples

• West (sunset) is land of the dead - tombs

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Religion

• Omnipresence of religion• Polytheistic

– interaction with the natural environment shows interrelated gods and goddesses yearly rebirth of Nile and daily rebirth of sun

– over 2000 gods

• Pharaoh as living god• Afterlife

– Evolution of who has an afterlife• Old vs. New Kingdom

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Osiris

• God of the Dead - “rebirth” - and the weighing of the heart

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Horus

• Horus, god of balance and harmony

• maintained the natural order: the flow of the Nile and the fertility of the soil.

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Early Pyramids

Zozer’s stepped pyramid - similar to Babylonian ziggurats

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Why build Pyramids?

• Religious structures- Tombs

• Belief in the afterlife demanded: 1. Bodies be interred whole

2. Material goods for use in afterlife be present

• The need to protect the bodies demands good burial tombs1. First were mastabas

2. Then pyramids

3. Then later… hidden tombs

Mastaba

Great Pyramid and Technology

• Tomb for Khufu• an almost perfect square (deviation .05%) • Orientation is exactly North, South, East West • 2,300,000 blocks, 500ft high • 20 years to build• Average block weighs 2.5 tons

– Some weigh 9 tons!

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Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu

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Mummies

• Not known when it started in Egypt• Perfected by time of New Kingdom• How to make a mummy: 70 steps

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Canopic Jars made of alabaster for storage of heart, stomach, intestines and liver which were also treated

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Inner coffin

Mummy

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Second inner coffin lid

Second inner coffin

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Shawabti box

Gift bearers

Model boat

Funerary Gifts and Art

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The Pharaoh

• Religion and Government

• God-King – Temporal power

• owns all the land and people and what people posses

• law vs. Pharaoh's will

• irrigation

• no city walls

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The Pharaoh

• God-King – Religious

• direct descendant of the Sun god

• controls access to the afterlife

• July-Sept, during floods life is controlled by the Pharaoh

– 365 day calendar.

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Daily Life in Egypt

• Cosmetics, cleanliness (bathe 3 times a day), shaved bodies, wigs

• main food is beer and bread– Grow many crops: emmer, barley, flax, lentils, onion,

beans, and millet

• common building made of sun-dried mud bricks - up to three stories in height

• Most common job … farming

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Farmers in Egypt and food supply

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Hieroglyphics

• Language is written without vowels

• Different pronunciations– MNFR as Memphis– SR as Osiris– TTMS as either Thutmose,

Thutmosis, Tatmusa or Atithmese

• Who learns this writing style?

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Hieroglyphics

• Use in temples

• Rosetta Stone

• Napoleon and Egyptology.

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Egyptian Artwork

Egyptian Farmers & animals

Stela (carved stone)

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Notice, all people drawn from the side – even when looking right at you!