The Old Kingdom

1. The Old Kingdom

2. Do Now • Take out your Lesson 4.2 Packet and your vocabulary sheet. • Explain at least 1 thing that you learned doing your homework.

3. Question 1 • 1. Before Egypt was unified under King Narmer, the region was made up of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt.

4. Question 2 • When King Narmer unified Egypt, he formed the world’s first nation-state, which is a united people and a single government.

5. Question 3 • King Narmer established the world’s first dynasty, which is a series of rulers from the same family.

6. Egypt Unites • As Upper Egypt grew in wealth and power, they conducted diplomacy with Lower Egypt. • 3100 B.C. King Narmer united the 2 regions, and formed the first dynasty and first nation-state. • Memphis was the new capital.

7. Egypt Then and Now Egypt Today Memphis and Thebes (Ancient Egypt)

8. King Narmer

9. Egyptian Crowns

10. Question 4 • Kings of the Old Kingdom were seen as living gods, which meant…

11. Answer • A. The kings acted as the connection between the gods and the people of Egypt. • B. The people believed that the kings could never be wrong and were able to control the Nile’s flooding and the flood supply. • C. These beliefs not only helped unify the Egyptian people but also allowed the kings to maintain their authority.

12. Egypt’s Dynasties • 31 dynasties ruled for more than 3,000 years • 3 periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom • Old kingdom is when kings were seen as gods • The vizier, or chief advisor, carried out the king’s orders • Eventually, nomarchs, or governors ruled 42 separate nomes

13. Nomes of Ancient Egypt

14. Question 5 • What was Egyptian writing called? How many symbols were there? What did each symbol represent?

15. Answer • Egyptian writing was called hieroglyphics. Early Egyptian hieroglyphic writing had more than 700 symbols. Each glyph represented a sound, and object, or an idea.

16. Written Forms of Language • Hieroglyphic means “holy writing” • More than 700 symbols • Originally used for religion, then to record things such as royal ceremonies, tax collecting, and even the depth of the Nile • To record more and more records, Egyptians invented a paperlike material called papyrus • Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone

17. Hieroglyphics

18. Papyrus

19. Rosetta Stone

20. Activity/Homework Assignment • Use the hieroglyphic chart to write your name and at least 1 thing you have learned about the ancient Egyptians.

21. Question 6 • The great pyramids were an important part of Egyptian culture because they served as tombs for Egyptian rulers.

22. Building the Pyramids • The Old Kingdom is known as the “Age of the pyramids” • King Zoser was the first king to be buried in a pyramid • He was buried in the famous Step Pyramid at Saqqara

23. Building the Pyramids King Zoser Step Pyramid

24. Building the Pyramids • The best known of Egypt’s pyramids is the Great Pyramid at Giza, built for King Khufu

25. Building the Pyramids King Khufu Great Pyramid at Giza

26. Building the Pyramids • King Khufu’s son, King Khafre, ordered the building of one of the other two pyramids at Giza as well as the Sphinx.

27. Building the Pyramids King Khafre

28. Building the Pyramids Pyramids at Giza Sphinx

29. Question 7 • Why did Egyptians preserve the bodies of the dead?

30. Answer • They believed that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife.

31. Question 8 • What items were placed in the tomb with a royal mummy?

32. Answer • Everything a royal person might need in the afterlife, such as clothing, jewelry, furniture, and even games, was placed in the tomb.

33. Preparing for the Afterlife • Egyptians believed that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife. • Priests invented new techniques for making a mummy, or preserved body. • They removed all the organs except the heart because they believed this was the home of the soul. • The other organs were placed in special canopic jars.

34. Canopic Jars

35. Preparing for the Afterlife • The body was dried using a salt called natron, and then wrapped in linen bandages.

36. Preparing for the Afterlife • Everything a person might need in the afterlife was placed in the tomb. • A collection of writings called the Book of the Dead were placed in the royal tombs. They helped to explain the guidelines of the afterlife.

37. Question 9 • What was the importance of the ceremony in the afterlife that is called the “weighing of the heart”?

38. Answer • Egyptians believed that the soul of a dead person appeared before the god Osiris and a group of judges. The person’s heart was placed on a scale, with a feather o n the other side. If the two balanced, the judges would say, “I have judged the heart of [the dead person], and his soul stands as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him.” Heavy souls, the Egyptians believed, would be eaten by a monster that was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.

39. Fill in the Blank • About 3100BC, the Egyptians developed a form of writing using Hieroglyphs. At first, they carved on stone for religious purposes. Later, to record other kinds of information, the Egyptians created a paperlike material called papyrus by pressing together layers of plant stalks. Scribes wrote using sharpened reeds and forming long scrolls on which they recorded the history of their nation.

40. Wrap Up • Write down 3 things that you learned about Egypt in this lesson.