ANCIENT EGYPT

Geography Setting
 Herodotus, the Greek historian traveled to Egypt in an attempt to discover the source of the Nile. What
he saw seemed to impress him to the extent that he quoted as having said that Egypt was “the gift of the
Nile.”
 The Nile River is known as the longest river in the world and is the only river that flows from south to
north. It provided Egypt with very special geographic elements that supported a civilization. It was used
in transporting peoples and goods up and down its length. It was a unifying factor for ancient Egyptians
by linking the villages.
 Because of the Nile River, it flooded often. This made bountiful harvests for the people that allowed the
growth of population. The challenge of harnessing the waters of Nile necessitated the construction of
irrigation canals.
 The Nile River Valley was surrounded by deserts called the Red Lands. To the west was Nubian Desert.
To the east was the eastern desert (Arabian Desert). These shielded ancient Egypt from invasions and
massive migration.
Religion
 Polytheistic
 Amon-Re was the chief god as well as righteousness, justice, and truth and the upholder of the
moral order of the universe. He was declared to have given birth to himself.
 Osiris was believed to be the ruler of the Nile and the spirits of the dead. He was supposed to
have been killed by his brother, Seth who cut up his body into pieces and Isis, the wife of Osiris,
was aid to have collected all the pieces an bring him back to life.
 Isis was worshipped as the goddess of creation and love.
 Horus was believed to be the incarnation of the living pharaoh. Falcon God.
 Anubis, the jackal headed god of the graveyard was responsible for weighing the hearts of the
deceased. The heart should be lighter than feather.

 The funerary rituals that underscored the importance of mummification seemed to be directly
influenced by such an idea that there was life after death. Organs were placed in canopic jar.
 The mummification dead were often placed in a sarcophagus or stone receptacle.
  The Book of the Dead was a significant source of information pertaining to the Egyptian belief
in the afterlife. It was a collection of magical spells and
Incantations.
 The pyramids were built to be the place of ascent of ka or soul of the royal deceased on his
journey to eternity. It was a royal tomb.
Government
 The form of government that the ancient Egyptians developed was also directly influenced by
their religion.
 The pharaoh was not only the ruler of Egypt but also worshipped as the god Horus. The
government was a theocracy. Whatever the pharaoh said became law. As a gid, the pharaoh was
believed to be divinely omniscient and needed no code law to guide him and no consultation or
approval for his actions.
System of Writing
 Hieroglyphics- Pictographic system
 Scribes
SPREAD OF CULTURE
Archaic Period (C. 2920-2575)
 Two main regions- Upper Egypt was the first cataract of the Nile while Lower Egypt was the
delta region north of Memphis.
 The first dynasty began at Memphis when Menes (AHA)united upper and lower Egypt and
sealed his claim to the throne by marrying a Memphite heiress.
 During this period, the papyrus writing, and calendar were already in use.
 This was the time when pharaohs began to accumulate power to the disadvantage of priestly
class.
 The STEP PYRAMID built for Djoser at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep, was one of the
major mortuary structures constructed during this period.
Old Kingdom (c.2572-2134 BCE)
 Great pyramids were built- size and magnitude of the pyramids represented the wealth of
pharaohs. Age of Pyramids
 The construction of pyramids and irrigation canals, cultivating fields was part of ritual for
worship.
 The cost of a construction on such a scale was immense. That it significantly drained the
government.
 This development ushered in a period of power struggles that has been referred to as the First
Intermediate Period (2200-2020 BCE). This period was characterized by a series of civil wars
perpetrated by many nobles aspiring for the throne. Crop failure caused by changes in the
climate further worsened the situation for the Egyptians. Greatly weakened from within, the
raids from tribes outside Egypt wreaked havoc resulting in famine and widespread poverty.
Middle Kingdom (c.2050-188 BCE)
  Reunited the country and ruled from Thebes.
 Construction of vast irrigation and hydraulic projects.
 Military campaigns were launched. These provided Egypt with gold and agricultural lands.
 Common people could mummify their dead.
 The struggle among provincial governors who wanted to usurp the throne caused the Second
Intermediate Period (1800-1570 BCE).This is a period of confusion and struggle.
New Kingdom (c.1570-1090)
 Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th Dynasty defeated the Hyksos and reestablished control over
Egypt.
 Expand its territories through military conquest.
 Thutmose III launched seventeen campaigns. He established an imperial system where he placed
his own officials in places of vassal rulers.
 It was during the reign of Amenhotep III that Egyptian Empire reach its zenith.
 Tutankhamen at the age of 9 became pharaoh. He became famous because his tomb was
untouched by grave robbers.
 Ramses II was one of the pharaohs because he succeeded in reclaiming Palestine and engaged
the Hittites. The Hebrews were set free to go to their “promise land.”
 It ended because of invaders.

EGYPT’S LEGACY
 Developed a 12-month long calendar.
 Mummification allowed the Egyptians to gain significant knowledge about human body.
 Construction of pyramids reflected their knowledge in geometry.
 The importance of papyrus was superseded only by invention of paper.