EGYPTIAN

CIVILIZATION
Explain how geography, rulers and religion shaped
ancient Egypt
 ■When Mesopotamia
flourished, another
civilization rises (different
from Meso)
 Geography of Egypt
■Nile River- longest river in the
world
■From East Africa to the
Mediterranean Sea
■4,100 miles Lower Egypt
(North)
■Flooding made the soil fertile
Upper Egypt
(south)
■Three distinct characteristic of
Egypt; Desert, pyramid and
■ Egyptians depend on the Nile
River
■ Gift of the Nile
■ Nile River regularly overflows
(every July)
Effects of geography on Egypt’s
stability
■Deserts
■Access to Mediterranean
increased and expanded trade
and culture
■Egypt was safe to invaders due
to; natural barriers like deserts,
Importance of Nile

■Drinking and bathing

■Agriculture
3 period of farming
- Made farming
productive, creation of
surplus
■Transportation-
Egyptians built boats
and travelled the Nile
(linked all Egyptians)
■encouraged trade
Introduction to Egypt

■Kemet/Kermit (black
land) - Ancient
name of Egypt
■History begun with
Pharaoh Menes
 Upper and lower
Unification

■Memphis as
the capital Hedjet

■King Menes Upper

Two Kingdoms
• First farming villages as early as 5000 BC
• Northern Kingdom, Lower Egypt
– Mild climate; cobra goddess worshipped
• Southern Kingdom, Upper Egypt
– Warmer climate; prayed to a vulture goddess

Unification
• Two kingdoms unified around 3100 BC
• Upper Egypt ruler Menes conquered north
– Founded capital city of Memphis
– Adopted both symbols, the snake and the vulture
• First of 31 dynasties
■ Old Kingdom
• Memphis

■ Middle Kingdom
• Thebes

■ New Kingdom
• Amarna
• Thebes

■ Today
• Cairo
The old kingdom (2700-2200
B.C.)
■Period of prosperity
■Known as the pyramid age
■Pharaohs (ruler of Egypt, instead of
king), considered as one of Egypt’s
many God, had an absolute power
■Built during the Old Kingdom
■Designed to be tombs for the
Pharaoh
■To protect the mummies of the
Pharaohs
■Demands the greatest skills of
architects and engineers, most
importantly the labor of
thousands of workers.
 Pharaoh’s tasks

■ Irrigation system
■ Commanding armies
■ Keeping peace and order
■ Issuance of law
■ Feeding people in case of famine
■ Taxes and payments from other countries were used to maintain
public buildings, irrigation and port facilities
■ He owned the mines and quarries
Mummification

■Preservation of
body so that the
soul could stay in
the afterlife
■Brain was removed
through the nose
Life and death

■Afterlife- common to all

regardless of social status
■common principle; body
preservation and items
for afterlife
 decline

■shift of power- Royal power

reached its height, then the nobles
gained more authority
■Nile flooding
Middle Kingdom (2050- 1652
B.C.)
■Egypt came into a strong rule of a
dynasty known as WASET (from
Thebes, Greece)
■Government sent troops into
Palestine and Syria
■Traders went to Syria and
Mesopotamia
■The power of nobles and
priests grew again which
weakens pharaoh’s
leadership
 A foreign dynasty rules Egypt

■Hyksos- Princes from

foreign lands had horses
and war chariots, bronze
swords, daggers and heavy
bows

■100 years of
administration
 New Kingdom (1567-1085
B.C.)
■Known as the empire age
■More aggressive ruling style
■Tribute- conquered empire are
required to pay; includes slaves,
food products, gold, jewels or ivory.
■Acceptance of supremacy
 Outstanding pharaohs rule
the N.K.
■Thutmose II (1512 B.C.)- added
Nubia and conquered Syria
■Hatshepsut- daughter of an earlier
pharaoh, wife of Thutmose. She
ruled for 20 years
- Did not focused on military
victories but in trading and
building of temples
■Thutmose III- ruled Egypt, a strong
warrior-king
■Ruled for 30 years
■Expanded his empire along the
Euphrates
Amenhotep- Akhenaton

■Akhenaton wanted Egypt to worship

the god of the sun, Aton, as the only
god.
■Recognized two gods; Aton and the
pharaoh (he was the pharaoh)
 King Tut; Tutankhamen
■Became Pharaoh after the
death of Akhenaton
■9 years old
■Restored the old religious
practices
■Only tomb to be found
intact
■Died at age 19
 Ramses II (The Great)

■One of the last effective rulers

■Fought almost 20 years against
the Hittites
■Peace, marriage to the daughter
of Hittite king
Cleopatra

■Last Pharaoh of Egypt

■From Ptolemy’s
bloodline
■After her defeat, the
kingdom of Egypt
became a province
under the Roman
Abu Simbel: Temple of Ramses the Great
 Decline

■Period of foreign invasion

■Different power tried to invade Egypt,
not until they were defeated by the
Romans led by Alexander the Great
■Dynasty changed, but the way of life
continued.
 Egyptian society and culture

■Role of women- well treated and had legal

rights (land, property, divorce)
■Economically independent
■Role of men- head of the family, numerous
wives (but economically had 1 wife)
■Jobs were hereditary
■Trading was done by barter
■Simple trading based on food
production
■Taxes, salaries and loans were all
paid entirely on goods
Education

■All children regardless of social

class received some education
■Goal of education; ensure youth
exhibited self control and good
manners
■Education creates a well rounded
individual
System of writing
■Combinatio
n of
pictograms
and
ideograms
Hieroglyphics

■Means sacred carving

■Writing means- superior
rank in the society and
career advancement
■To climb at the social
ladder; scribe or military
The Rosetta Stone
Architecture
government
■Government and religion
were inseparable
■Pharaoh- head of the state
and divine representative of
the gods on the Earth
 Slaves

the practice of one person

owning another person.
– Slavery was the lowest level in
Ancient Egyptian society.
Religion

■Polytheistic
■It binds local communities and
transforms into nation
■Common understanding and
shared values
Resurrection of the body

■This belief is rooted into

the sunrise and sunset
■Plant die but will soon
sprout
Achievements of the Egyptian
civilization
■Pyramids (engineering)
■Mummification (master of anatomy)
■Astronomy (365 calendar days)
■Irrigation system
■Hieroglyphics
■Papyrus