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Ancient Egypt. Geography: The Nile. Longest River 4,000 miles long Flows through the Sahara Desert Without water, nobody could live Natural protection. Geography: The Nile Delta. Delta – Mouth of a River Silt Deposits Longest Delta in the World. Geography. Black Land Red Land
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Ancient Egypt
Geography: The Nile • Longest River • 4,000 miles long • Flows through the Sahara Desert • Without water, nobody could live • Natural protection
Geography: The Nile Delta • Delta – Mouth of a River • Silt Deposits • Longest Delta in the World
Geography • Black Land • Red Land • Cataracts
The Sahara • Gave comfort to the Egyptians • It was difficult to cross • Discouraged people from invading
Two Kingdoms • 1st were villages – 5,000 BC • Villages consolidated into two kingdoms • Northern Kingdom • Southern Kingdom
Northern Kingdom • Lower Egypt • Lower end of Nile • Occupied most of the Delta • Cobra Goddess • Snake was their symbol
Southern Kingdom • Upper Egypt • Laid along the rivers • Stretched from south of the delta to the 1st Cataract • Prayed to a vulture goddess • The vulture was their symbol • A white crown Symbolized Upper Egypt
Unification • 3100 BC • King Menes • Memphis became the Capital • Adopted the Symbol of Lower and Upper Egypt • Established the 1st Dynasty • Wore a red and white crown – using the two kingdom’s colors
Old Kingdom: 3rd Dynasty 2650 BC • Lasted 500 years • The pyramids • Near Giza • Tombs • Changed over time • Mostly peasants built them
Pharaohs • Government developed during the Old Kingdom • Head of the government • Means “Great House” • Owned all the land • Their word was law • Acted as judges • Leaders of the Egyptian Army • A god in human form • Theocracy
Middle Kingdom • Old Kingdom collapsed in 2100 BC • 200 years of civil war • Famine made things worse • In 2055 BC, a new dynasty emerged • Strong leadership – strong economy • Trade Routes were not Always safe • 1650 BC – the Hyksos invaded the Nile Delta • The Hyksos brought superior military technologies • They ruled for 100 years • Egyptians resented being ruled by foreigners • They rose against the Hyksos
New Kingdom • Egyptians realized that they could not rely solely on geographic barriors for protection • Created a powerful military • Adopted Hyksos weaponry • Expanded their empire • Headed into Nubia and conquered the Kingdom of Kush and forced them to pay tribute to Egypt
Reign of Hatshepsut • Encouraged trade • Brought gold, apes, and myrrh • One of the few women to rule egypt • Referred to herself as the “son of the sun god” • Her nephew took over after she died and tried to destroy any evidence of her ruling
Akhenaton: Monotheism in Egypt • 1353 BC – Amenhotem IV took over • Changed his name to Akhenaten, which means, “beloved of Aten” • Egyptians were polytheistic, but he changed Egypt to a monotheistic culture during his reign • Banned worship of any other god other than Aten • Stripped power from the priests of other gods and ordered their god’s image be destroyed • This religion didn’t last past his death • Pharaoh Tutankhaman restored the worship of Egypt’s traditional gods and moved the capital back to Thebes
Ramses the Great • Hittites from Mesopotamia invaded Egyptian territory • Ramses II led his army out to confront the Hittites • According to Hittite records, the Hittites won • The Egyptian records say that the Egyptians won • However, the two armies agreed to a truce • Ramses married a Hittite princess • He ruled for 60 years • Built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh
Egypt’s decline • First major invasion – the sea peoples • Priests and nobles struggled for power • Egypt broke into smaller states • Over the next 700 years, foreign rulers controlled Egypt • Libyans • Kushites • Then the Assyrians • Then the Persians • Then the Egyptians drove the Persians out • Then the Persians returned • Then in 332 BC Alexander the Great marched into Egypt