Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt

1. Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt Egypt by: Kassandra Mesopotamia by: Kassandra Issy & Pavitra

2. Introduction to Mesopotamia Ancient Mesopotamia was the world’s first civilization and was located between two rivers, the Tigris river and the Euphrates river. That’s why Mesopotamia is called the “cradle of civilization” or “the land between two rivers”. The first inhabitants were the Sumerians who are known for inventing the first writing system “cuneiform”.

3. States of Mesopotamia Sumer - 3500 BC - 2000 BC. : It was the world's first civilization. Sumer was located in the southern area of Mesopotamia where the twin rivers meet. The people who lived in this area were called “Sumerians”. Babylonia - 1830 BC. - 1500 BC. : Ancient Akkadian-speaking Semitic state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia. King Hammurabi created one of the first written codes of law in the world. Babylonians were one of the first to use money, and were great trading partners.

4. States of Mesopotamia Contd. Assyria - 1300 BC. - 609 BC. : Major Mesopotamian East Semitic independent kingdom and empire of the Ancient Near East. The Assyrians were known to perfect drainage and sewage systems, and use roads and postal service. Chaldea - 609 BC. - 530 BC. : Small Semitic nation of Southern Mesopotamia. Famous kings included Nebuchadnezzar II and Belshazzar. Belshazzar was known to have defended Babylon against the Medes and Persians.

5. Key Terms Cradle of civilization: This is a nickname given to Mesopotamia as it’s the world’s first civilization. Ziggurat: Is a temple that was located in the of each Sumerian city-state. It housed the city-state's patron god. The term “ziggurat” means "mountain of god" or "hill of heaven." Since the ziggurat was a sacred place, only priests were allowed to enter it. Cuneiform: The world’s first form of writing, it was invented by the Sumerians. It means “wedge shaped” because of the tool’s shape that was used to write. Edubba: Is the Sumerian school where boys learned how to read and write as well as arithmetics.

6. Key People Hammurabi: Was a Mesopotamian king who recorded a system of laws that are called the “code of Hammurabi” These 282 codes were engraved into stone and placed in public. The phrase “an eye for an eye” seems to have originated from here. This is the earliest form of law that we are able to read. Gilgamesh: A legendary king of the Sumerian city state of Uruk, supposedly ruling sometime during the first half of the third millennium BC. He was said to be two-thirds divine and one-third human, but was thought to be too controlling by his people. Sargon the Great (Akkad): A sumerian king that established himself when he led a revolt as a government official in Kish. He is known for unifying lower Mesopotamia after conquering the Sumerians in 2331 BC.

7. Key People Contd. Sargon II: Assyrian king who made Israel an Assyrian province and brought the Israelites into his empire. Ashurbanipal: Assyrian king known to be the greatest empire builder. Nebuchadnezzar II: Chaldean warrior king known for transforming Babylon into one of the most beautiful cities in the world. He had the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one out of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, constructed for his homesick wife, Queen Amytis.

8. Fertile Crescent • Centre of agriculture, urbanization, writing, trade, science, religion & history • Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, and Chaldea were the strongest city states at different times • Agriculture and domestication of animals were practiced here • Rich silt that the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provided

9. Ancient Wonders of Mesopotamia and Egypt Hanging Gardens Of Babylon What is it? • Giant man-made garden/mountain. Location: • Mahaweel, Iraq. Description: Construction started in 605 B.C,it’s been said that the outer walls were 56 miles long, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high (but that’s been questioned). Great Pyramid Of Giza What is it? • A pyramid in Egypt. Location: • Al Haram, Giza Governorate, Egypt. Description: Pyramid shaped, 139 meters tall, and it’s a monument/tomb. It has 3 burial chambers. There’s also a king’s chamber that’s 8 meters high.

10. Ancient Egypt

11. The Nile River • The Nile River is the main reason life could be sustained in ancient Egypt. • It’s the longest river in Africa spanning about 6 695 kilometers and running through 5 countries (including Egypt)! • Rainfall in Egypt is rare so the people living there depended on the flooding of the river every year between June and September to sustain life. This season is called “akhet”.

12. The Nile River • The Nile helped support life by providing fertile soil, papyrus (which was used to make paper), food like fish and birds as well as a method of transportation through the country. • The god of the Nile was called “Hapi” and was worshipped for the flood that brought the Egyptians life every year. Circa 1900: The pyramids at Giza on the banks of the River Nile.

13. The People Of Egypt - Appearance • Most Egyptians had darker hair and a skin tone to match although most shaved their heads and wore wigs instead. • Most young children didn’t wear clothes until the age of 6 or 7, and the working classes clothes consisted of loin cloth or kilts for men and 1 or 2 strap dresses for women. • The skirts varied in length depending on time period.

14. The People Of Egypt - Appearance • Most times they went barefoot but they occasionally wore sandals made of papyrus for the poor or leather for the wealthy. • Egyptians also wore jewellery like earring, pendants and collars hoping to please the gods with it. • They also enjoyed make up, both men and women alike would wear black kohl and green eye paint.

15. The People Of Egypt - Death • Egyptians believed in life after death, this caused them to perform several rituals during life and death. • These rituals helped insure their entrance into the afterlife. • Tombs would be built in hopes of helping them get through to the afterlife, and ensuring their possessions would go with them.

16. The People Of Egypt - Death • These tombs would be filled with furniture, jewellery, pets, as well as food, wine, and clothing and more to help the dead have a good afterlife. • Unfortunately grave robbers would raid the tombs for their treasures, this eventually led to the tombs being hidden away to ensure entrance into the afterlife.

17. The People Of Egypt - Embalming Embalming was one of the most important processes to the afterlife as the Egyptians believed the body must stay intact for the “ka” “ba” and “akh” to work properly in the afterlife. There’s several steps to perform after a person dies in ancient Egypt so they can get into the afterlife. • First the priests recite prayers for the dead. • Then the body is washed in an “ibu” first with palm wine and then it’s rinsed with water from the Nile.

18. The People Of Egypt - Embalming • Next they are taken to the embalmer’s place this is called a “wabet”. • Then the skull is now emptied and rinsed clean. The brains aren’t preserved. • The organs are removed and then stored in “canopic jars”. • The body is then packed with a natural salt called “Natron” for 40 days to dry.

19. The People Of Egypt - Embalming • Next the body is filled with sawdust, natron and linen. • Then the deceased is wrapped in bandages with jewellery between the layers. • A mask is then placed over the face. • The deceased is placed into their coffin.

20. The People Of Egypt - Opening Of The Mouth Ritual • This is the last ritual done by the priests and it was believed by Egyptians to give the deceased the ability to eat, speak, and use his body again. • They used tools like the Urheka and sebur to perform the ritual. (Urheka on the left, sebur on the right.)

21. The People Of Egypt - Social Structure

22. Pharaohs - A Brief Description • A pharaoh was the most powerful person in ancient Egypt and was the “lord of two lands” as they were the ruler of upper and lower Egypt. • The pharaoh had the power to rule everything, they were the law as he made the rules, and they were the government collecting the taxes, as well as the leader of the ancient Egyptian military.

23. Pharaohs - A Brief Description • Most pharaohs didn’t take the time personally to do things like tax collection, instead they had someone else do it for them. Some pharaohs never even saw a battlefield in their lifetime. • A pharaoh’s worth seemed to be measured by the things they could have made, like a tomb or statues, even though some pharaohs didn’t even live long enough to see their impact or even their monuments.

24. Pharaohs - A Brief Description • Here’s a brief description of what the cobra, the crook/shepherd's stick, and the flail/whip.

25. Key Terms Pharaoh: A ruler in ancient Egypt. Akhet: An ancient Egyptian flooding season. Senet:A board game from predynastic/ancient Egypt. The oldest found hieroglyph representing a Senet game dates to approx. 3 100 BC. Ibu: A place of purification where the deceased were washed. Canopic Jars: Four jars that are used to store the preserved internal organs of the dead. Each jar is represents one of the four sons of Horus. The term comes from the Greek.

26. Key Terms Book Of The Dead: A collection of ancient Egyptian funerary text that contained spells, rituals, and prayers that they believed helped them to the afterlife. Egyptologist: Is an archeologist who specializes in Egypt’s history. Hieroglyph: Is a stylized picture of an object that represents a word, syllable, or sound, as found in ancient Egyptian writing systems. Obelisk: A monument shaped like a tall pillar that Egyptians typically built in pairs near the entrances to their temples. Ankh: Is shaped like a knot and is a symbol of life. It was carried by deities and/or people in the funeral procession, or it was offered to the king as the breath of life.

27. Key Terms Rosetta Stone: A stone found in 1799 by soldiers in Napoleon's army with the same statement written in both Greek and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, that helped make headway in translating/learning ancient hieroglyphics. Scribe: The educated class of ancient Egypt, they the people who were able read and write. Osiris: The ancient Egyptian god of the underworld. Papyrus: Is a plant that grows on the bank of the Nile river and was used to make paper, sandals, boats and rope.

28. The People Of Egypt - Entertainment • Egyptians had many hobbies that many people today do as well like fishing, swimming and hunting for things like lions, hippos, and crocodiles. • They also held parties with food, wine and beer just like we do today. • Ancient Egyptians also had a love for music and played instruments like the harp and lyre.

29. The People Of Egypt - Entertainment • Children would entertain themselves back then with toys and figurines carved out of ivory. • They also had board games to play like “senet” and “mehen”. • A really popular sport back then was wrestling because it helped prepare young men for battle and work.

30. Pharaohs - Cleopatra VII • She was known for her excessive parties as well as being the last pharaoh. • Cleopatra killed her way to the top, even her family. • She paid off the Romans for years to prevent an attack. • She wanted to restore Egypt to it’s former glory days.

31. Pharaohs - Cleopatra VII • Formed an alliance with Julius Caesar, who was later assassinated in 44 BC. • After that she formed an alliance with Mark Antony who defeated along with Cleopatra in the battle of Actium in 31 BC. • Both Cleopatra and Mark commit suicide and the reign of ptolemies is over and the Roman period of Egypt begins.

32. Pharaohs - Hatshepsut • Is known for being the first pharaoh that was a women. • She expanded trade routes. • During this time period Egypt was in it’s “golden age” it not only had plenty of wealth but food as well.

33. Pharaohs - Akhenaton • Changed religion, he was a monotheist and worshipped the sun god. • Changed the capitol to Amarna. • Showed realistic art, instead of perfectionism. • Was a bad pharaoh, because he was too focused on his new religion to properly care for Egypt’s needs.

34. Handouts for Ancient Egypt 9. Ancient Egypt (Ancient Civilizations For Children Series) - Arizona Smith (video/worksheet) 10. The Age of The Pyramids (note/PP) 11. Social Organization in Ancient Egypt (PP/note) 12. Hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone (note) 13. Egyptian Charioteer (note/worksheet) 14. Champollion and the Rosetta Stone (note) • Ancient Egypt: GIFT OF THE NILE • Ancient Egypt: Gift of the Nile crossword puzzle • EGYPT: Red Land, Black Land (overhead note) • Egyptian Pyramid Timeline (PP/Note) • The Challenge of the Pyramids /Map of Egypt (Worksheet/Questions) • Egyptian Views on Death and the Afterlife (note) • Timeline of Ancient Egypt (PP/Note) • Egypt: An Historical Overview (note/pp)

35. Handouts For Egypt Con’t. 15. Egypt Think/Pair/Share (note/worksheet) 16. Royal Symbols (note) 17. Egyptian Government & Bureaucracy (overhead note) 18. Ancient Egypt: People and Events 19. Ancient Egypt Review (crossword) 20. Cleopatra VII (overhead note) 21. Textbook questions pg. 66 2-3, pg. 70 2-3

36. Handouts for Ancient Mesopotamia 8. Textbook Questions: page 46 #3, pg 48 #1-2, pg 50 #1, 4 • The History of the Imagination: Myths and Legends • Mesopotamia: Cradle of Civilization (overhead note) • Ancient Mesopotamia (video worksheet) • Hammurabi’s Code • Ancient Mesopotamia Map • Mesopotamia: Four Main Peoples • The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World worksheet

37. Kahoot Test Format • 25 matching • 5 x 2 = 10 marks identify and state significance (choice of 6) • 5 fill in the blanks • 5 T/F • 5 x 3 = 15 marks for short answers (choice of 5) • Total of 60 marks • Whole 75 minutes to write