Egypts Old

Kingdom
Miss. Easterly
6
th
Grade
Early Egyptian Life
**Egyptian society was divided into social
groups based on wealth and power**
At the top was the Pharaoh and his family
Beneath the top were the priests, army
commanders and nobles
After that came skilled-middle class people
like scribes, traders, and artisans
At the bottom were unskilled workers and
farmers

Egypts upper class lived in large estates along
the Nile River
Wealthy families had servants and wore white
linens, heavy eye make up and jewelry
Most Egyptians were farmers and lived in
simple homes

Family Life
Fathers were the head of the family
However, women had more rights than other
civilizations
They could buy and sell goods, make wills, and
obtain divorces
Upper-class women were in charge of temples
and could perform religious ceremonies
Old Kingdom Rulers
**Around 2600 B.C, the period known as the
Old Kingdom began in Egypt**
During this time, Egypt was very wealthy and
grew in size
**They expanded trade and established a
strong government**
Pharaohs became very powerful and they began to
appoint officials to oversee irrigation canals and
grain storage warehouses
They made sure crops were planted, controlled trade
and collected taxes
**People followed the wishes of the pharaoh
because they believe the unity of the kingdom
depended on having a strong leader**
People also believed the pharaoh was
the son of Re, the sun god, and gave
him great respect

Egypts Religion
**Egyptians were polytheistic and
believed in many gods and
goddesses**
**The main god was Re (the sun
god) because the sun was very
important to Egyptians **
Another important god was Hapi,
who ruled the Nile River
The most important goddess was
Isis, who represented the loyal wife
and mother and was married to
Osiris who ruled over the dead
Life After Death
Egyptians had a hopeful view of the afterlife
**One of the most important books for the
Egyptians was The Book of the Dead. In the
book was spells and prayers to help obtain life
after death**
They believed Osiris would meet them at the
entrance to the next world

At first, people thought only pharaohs and
important people could go to the afterlife
Egyptians believed that a pharaohs spirit needed a
body for the afterlife
If his body decayed during the journey, his spirit
would be forced to wander forever
This is why the mummification process began- as a
way to preserve the body
This process is also called embalming


Egyptian Medicine
**During the embalming process, the
Egyptians learned many things about the
human body**
Egyptian doctors learned how to help heal
organs and became specialists in medicine
The Egyptians wrote the worlds first medical
books using scrolls of papyrus paper
Pyramids
Pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs
The pyramids protected the pharaohs body
from floods, wild animals, and grave robbers
They also stored supplies the pharaohs might
need in the afterlife like clothing, furniture,
jewelry, and gold
It took thousands of people and years of work
to build a pyramid
Most of the labor was done by farmers during
off season
Engineers, stonecutters, carpenters and
astrologers also helped
Each pyramid faces true north
**Egyptians had to use math to determine the
correct angles for the walls **

**The Great Pyramid was built for King
Khufu**
It is one of the only 3 pyramids left standing in
Giza today