Ancient Egypt

1. 6th Grade World History Ancient Egypt

2. The Nile Valley • Essential Question: • How did the geography of the Nile River valley lead to the growth of a civilization there?

3. A Mighty River • Nile River • Drank from it • Bathed in it • Cooking and cleaning • Fish

4. A Sheltered Land • Before it reaches the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile forms a delta • Desert located on either side – keeps armies away from Egypt’s territory • Traded in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea

5. The River People • Nile floods were predictable and consistent • Leave behind a layer of dark, fertile mud • Irrigation Techniques • Dug canals to carry water to fields beyond the river’s reach • Papyrus – reed plant • Baskets, sandals, river rafts and paper!

8. Hieroglyphics • Created symbols that stood for objects, ideas and sounds • Few people could read and write • Scribes: Few Egyptian men • Kept records for rulers, priests and traders • Carved hieroglyphics into stone monuments

9. The Rise of Government in Ancient Egypt • Irrigation systems had to be built and maintained • Surplus grain had to be stored and passed out in the case of need • Disputes over land ownership had to be settled • Earliest rulers were village chiefs who would gradually take over neighboring villages

10. Upper and Lower Egypt • 4000 B.C.E. – Egypt was made up of 2 large kingdoms • Lower Egypt • Upper Egypt • 3100 B.C.E. – Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt • Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties grouped into 3 categories • Old Kingdom • Middle Kingdom • New Kingdom

12. Egypt’s Social Classes • Pharaoh • Priests and Nobles • Traders, Artisans, Shopkeepers and Scribes • Farmers and Herders • Unskilled Workers

14. Family Life • Men were often considered the head of the household • However, Egyptian women enjoyed more rights than females in almost every other early civilization • Few Egyptian children attended school • Mothers taught daughters • Fathers taught sons

15. Making Connections • 1. What is papyrus and how did the Egyptian’s use it? • 2. Cause and Effect: Name three things that led to the growth of government in Ancient Egypt. • 3. Answer the Essential Question: How did the geography of the Nile River valley lead to the growth of a civilization there?

16. Egypt’s Old Kingdom • Essential Question: • What characterized the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians?

17. Old Kingdom Rulers – 2600-2300 B.C.E. • Pharaoh • All powerful ruler who guided all activity • Lived in grand palaces • Appointed officials to carry out their wishes • Considered to be the son of Re – The Sun God

18. Egypt’s Religion • Worshipped many deities who were believed to control nature and human activities • Re – The Sun God • Isis – Worshipped as the ideal wife and mother • Osiris – God of the Dead • Hapi – Ruled the Nile River

19. Life After Death • Hopeful view that life after death would be better than the life before it • Book of the Dead • Collection of spells and prayers to obtain life after death • For centuries, Egyptians believed only the pharaohs and elite few could enjoy the afterlife and their spirit would travel to the afterlife after death • Body could not be decayed for this journey

20. Enbalming and Mummification • Protection for the Pharaoh’s Body • Egyptians learned much about the human body through embalming Apply natron, a special salt to the body Body is filled with spices and perfumes • Remove organs from body Body is stored for several days to dry Body is sewed shut Body cleaned with special oils Body is tightly wrapped in linen Mummy is placed inside wooden coffin inside tomb

21. The Pyramids • Protected bodies of dead pharaohs from floods, animals and grave robbers • Held supplies pharaohs would need in the afterlife • Clothing • Furniture • Jewelry • Food • Skilled artisans used copper tools to cut stone into huge blocks • Pulled stone on sleds to pyramid site • Dragged and pushed them up ramps to be set in place • Great Pyramid at Giza

25. Making Connections • 1. What might Egyptians have learned from embalming bodies? • 2. Answer the Essential Question: What characterized the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians?

27. The Egyptian Empire • Essential Question: • How did Akenaton upset the traditional order of the New Kingdom?

28. The Middle Kingdom 2050-1670 B.C.E. • New dynasty came to power • Moved Egyptian capital to Thebes • Golden Age of stability, prosperity and achievement • Forced conquered people to send tribute to the pharaoh

29. The Arts Blossom • Painters covered walls of tombs and temples with colorful scenes of the deities and daily life • Sculptors created large statues of pharaohs • Tombs were cut into the side of cliffs – Valley of the Kings

31. The New Kingdom • Queen Hatshepsut • More interested in trade than conquest • Traded beads, gold, ivory, ebony and incense for wood • Trade under her rule brought great wealth to Egypt

32. Expanding the Empire • Thutmose III’s armies expanded Egypt North of Mesopotamia and into Africa • Enslaved prisoners of war • Could own land, marry and eventually be granted freedom

33. The Legacies of Two Pharaohs • Amenhotep/Akhenaton • Introduced one god worship of Aton • Removed priests who resisted the changes • People saw this as an attack on Egypt itself • Devotion to a new religion caused him to ignore the attack of the Hittites who took over much of the empire

34. The Legacies of Two Pharaohs • Tutankhamen – The Boy King • Restored the old religion • Died unexpectedly – murder? • Most famous of all pharaohs because of his brilliant gold funeral mask

35. End of the New Kingdom • Ramses II – rebuilt the empire and constructed new temples • Karnak • Thebes • Temples were the homes of gods and goddesses

36. Egypt’s Decline and Fall • Later pharaohs have difficulty controlling a large empire • Egypt was attacked by people from the Mediterranean • Iron weapons • Egypt changed hands several times • 670B.C.E. – Egypt is taken over by the Assyrians

37. Making Connections • 1. What improvements did the Middle Kingdom rulers make? • 2. Answer the Essential Question: How did Akenaton upset the traditional order of the New Kingdom?