Egyptian Civilization: The Gift

of the Nile
Glencoe World History pages 45-53

Terms to Define
Define the following terms in the
vocabulary section of your notebook:
Dynasty
Pharaoh
Bureaucracy
Vizier
Hieroglyphics

Standards
SSWH1 The student will analyze the origins,
structures, and interactions of complex
societies in the ancient Eastern
Mediterranean from 3500 BCE to 500 BCE.
b. Describe the relationship of religion and
political authority in Ancient Egypt.

Enduring Understandings and

Essential Questions
The student will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions,
and government of that society.

What are the building blocks of culture?

How did early cultures develop?

How do unique cultures emerge from common elements?

What was the impact of religion on the development of early societies?

The student will understand that as a society increases in complexity and interacts with other societies, the
complexity of the government also increases.

How did the earliest societies create civilizations?

In what ways did the interactions of early civilizations contribute to the greater complexity of their societies?

What was the role of the earliest governments?

How did the role of governments expand over time?

In what ways were early governments similar or different?

Why did more complex societies develop a need for writing?

The student will understand that location affects a societys economy, culture, and development.

How did the physical features of a region affect the development of the beliefs, customs and traditions of that
society?

How did the physical features of a region and limited natural resources necessitate trade between societies?

What was governments role in protecting and expanding the economy of early civilizations?

People to Identify

Menes
Hyksos
Hatshepsut
Akhenaton
Tutankhamen
Ramses II
Cleopatra VII

Places to Locate

Nile River
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
Giza

Preview of Events
3100 BCE King Menes unites
villages of Upper and Lower
Egypt
2540 BCE Great Pyramid is built
1652 BCE Hyksos invade Egypt
1085 BCE New Kingdom
collapses

Impact of Geography
The Nile is a unique river, beginning in the
heart of Africa and coursing northward for
more than 4000 miles.
It is the longest river in the world.
The Nile Delta is called Lower Egypt; the
land upstream, to the south, is called
Upper Egypt.
To the ancient Egyptians, the most
important feature was the yearly flooding.

Impact of Geography Continued

The fertile land the Egyptians called the
Black Land
Blessed by natural barriers, the regularity
of the Nile floods created a feeling of
security.

Importance of Religion
Religion also provided a sense of security.
The ancient Egyptians had no word for
religion.
Religious ideas were an inseparable part
of their world order.
Polytheistic- Were divided into two groups
sun gods and land gods

The Importance of Religion

Continued
The Sun, source of life, took different forms
and names, depending on his role.
He was known as Atum in human form, but
as Ra with a human body and the head of a
falcon.
River and land gods included Osiris and Isis.
Osiris took on an important role for the
Egyptians as a symbol of resurrection.
By identifying with Osiris, people could hope
to gain new life after death.

Egyptian History
3 Major Periods: Old Kingdom, Middle
Kingdom, and the New Kingdom
These were periods of long term stability
The history of Egypt begins around 3100
BCE when Menes united the villages of
Upper (southern) and Lower (northern)
Egypt into a single kingdom and created
the first dynasty.
Dynasty - a family of rulers whose right to
rule is passed on within the family.

The Old Kingdom

Lasted from around 2700 to 2200 BCE
Was an age of prosperity and splendor
The most common title for Egyptian
monarchs was pharaoh meaning great
house or palace
Kingship was a divine authority in Ancient
Egypt
A breakdown in royal power could only
mean that citizens were offending the
gods and weakening the world order .

Egyptian Government
The pharaoh possessed absolute power
Did have help ruling- a bureaucracy
developed during the old kingdom (An
administrative organization with officials
and regular procedures) developed
The vizier was especially important as
they were the steward of the whole land;
the vizier was directly responsible to the
pharaoh and was in charge of the
bureaucracy

The Pyramids
The building of the pyramids occurred
during the Old Kingdom.
Pyramids were built as part of a city of the
dead.
The area included a large pyramid for the
pharaohs burial, smaller pyramids for his
family, and mastabas for his officials.
Well prepared for their residents including
chairs, boats, chests, weapons, and a
variety of foods.

The Pyramids Continued.

The Ancient Egyptians believed humans had two
bodies, a physical one and the spiritual body, known
as the ka.
Surrounded by its earthly comforts the ka could
continue to live despite the death of the physical
body.
To preserve the bodies they practiced
mummification, a process of slowly drying a dead
body to keep it from rotting.
After the 70 day process, a lifelike mask was placed
over the head and shoulders of the mummy. The
mummy was then sealed in case and placed in its
tomb.

The Great Pyramid

Largest and most magnificent of all the
pyramids
Built under King Khufu at Giza around 2540
BCE
It covers 13 acres, is 756 feet at each side of
its base, and stands 481 feet high.
Guarding the Great Pyramid is a huge statue
known as the Great Sphinx.
Still stands as a visible symbol of the power
of the Egyptian pharaohs of the Old Kingdom.

The Great Pyramid

The Middle Kingdom

Lasted from about 2050 to 1652 BCE
Egyptians later portrayed the Middle
Kingdom as a Golden Age an age of
stability.
Egypt began a period of expansion during
this period.
One feature was a new concern of the
pharaohs for the people. He was portrayed
as the shepherd who provided for his
people.

The Hyksos
The Middle Kingdom was brought to an
end by the invasion of the Hyksos, a
people from western Asia.
The Hyksos used horse drawn war
chariots and overwhelmed the Egyptian
soldiers who fought on donkey carts
They ruled for almost 100 years

The New Kingdom

A new dynasty used the new weapons and
drove out the Hyksos, establishing the
New Kingdom in 1567 BCE.
The New Kingdom lasted until 1085 BCE.
Egypt created an empire and became the
most powerful state in Southwest Asia.
Massive wealth boosted the power of the
New Kingdom Pharaohs

Pharaohs of the New Kingdom

Hatshepsut- the first woman to become
pharaoh built a great temple at Deir el Bahri.
Thutmose III, her nephew, lead 17 military
campaigns into Syria and Palestine.
Amenhotep IV introduced the worship of
Aton, god of the sun disk, as the sole god. He
changed his name to Akhenaton and closed
the temples of the other gods.
The boy pharaoh Tutankhamen restored the
old gods.

Pharaohs of the New Kingdom

Ramses II, who reigned from 1279 to
1213 BCE, helped regain control of
Palestine but they could not regain
the borders of their empire lost under
Akhenaton.
The New Kingdom collapsed in 1085
BCE.
For the next 1000 years Egypt was
ruled by many foreign powers.
In the first century BCE, Cleopatra
VII tried to reestablish Egypts
independence, but despite her efforts
they became a part of the Romes
mighty empire.

Society in Ancient Egypt

God-King (Pharaoh)
Upper Class of Nobles and Priests
Merchants, Artisans, Scribes, and Tax
Collectors (The Middle Class)
Peasants the largest number of people
in Egypt simply worked the land

Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

Had a very positive attitude toward daily life on
Earth
Arranged marriages at an early age; Monogamy
was the general rule
Husband was master but wives were very well
respected
Womens property and stayed in their hands
Most careers and public offices were closed to
women, but some did operate businesses
4 queens even became pharaohs

Writing and Education

Writing in Egypt emerged around 3000 BCE
The Greeks called this earliest writing
hieroglyphics, meaning sacred writings.
Eventually a simplified version called hieratic
script came into being.
Written on stone and then papyrus
Scribes were the masters of the art of writing
and its teaching.
At the age of 10, boys of upper classes went
to schools run by scribes

Achievements in Arts and Sciences

Artists were expected to follow particular
style. The human body was often
portrayed as a combination of profile, semi
profile, and frontal view.
Egyptians also made advances in
mathematics.
Developed an accurate 365 day calendar.
Embalming led to medical expertise in
anatomy

Temple of Ramses