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ANCIENT EGYPT. LAND OF THE PHAROAHS. Geography. Egypt is almost all desert. Egypt is located next to the Nile River. The Nile stretches 4,500 miles making it the longest river in the world. The Nile was Ancient Egypt’s lifeline. Gifts of the Nile.
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ANCIENT EGYPT LAND OF THE PHAROAHS
Geography • Egypt is almost all desert. • Egypt is located next to the Nile River. • The Nile stretches 4,500 miles making it the longest river in the world. • The Nile was Ancient Egypt’s lifeline.
Gifts of the Nile • Egyptian farmers depended on the predictable annual flooding of the Nile to grow crops. • The Nile was a good source of fish and water birds for food. • Papyrus Plants grew by the banks, and were used for paper & boats.
The Union of Two Lands • Legend says that around 3100 B.C., Upper Egypt and Lower became one kingdom under King Menes, who founded the first Egyptian dynasty. • Ancient Egyptian History began around 3000B.C. and is divided into three major periods. • In the 1,000 years before Egypt’s written history began, Egyptians learned to farm, formed governments, and invented hieroglyphic writing.
The Egyptian Religion • Egyptians believed in afterlife, and that after death, each person needed an undecayed physical body to keep his or her spirit alive. • Egyptians placed possessions in tombs for use by the dead person in the afterlife. • Egyptians believed in many gods. Some gods created the world and ran the afterlife, while others oversaw everyday life.
A Writing System • The earliest Egyptian writing was called hieroglyphics and used pictures to represent objects, ideas, and sounds. • Decoding the Rosetta Stone, in A.D. 1822, allowed modern people to translate Egyptian texts and to learn about Egyptian life and beliefs. • Only a few people knew how to read and write. They were called scribes.
Art • Egyptian artwork included beautiful murals on buildings and inside tombs. • Artists & craftsmen provided goods for the king and his family. Painters smoothed stone walls with plaster and used grids to paint. • Goldsmiths made beautiful jewelry. Egypt had a century long control of the nearest gold source in Nubia.
Architecture • The Ancient Egyptians built remarkable srtuctures including pyramids, the Sphinx, temples, tombs & monuments. • Stonemasons gave stone blocks their definate shape. • Builders were often farmers that had no work during the flooding season or were slaves.
A Social Pyramid • Egyptian society was like a pyramid, with only one person at the top; the king. The king was believed to be a god. • Below the king was the royal family, nobility, priests, government officials, and scribes. Last were craftsmen and skilled workers. • Farmers formed the large base.
New Kingdom Rulers:Queen Hatshepsut • During the New Kingdom period, 1570-1070 B.C., Egyptians began calling their kings pharaohs. • The female pharaoh Hatshepsut concentrated on peace and prosperity, sending trade groups to other kingdoms, restoring damaged temples, and resuming the practice of mining.
Pharaoh Thutmose III • Hatshepsut’s successor, Thutmose III, conquered Syria, Palestine, and other regions, bringing great wealth to Egypt, and making it one of the Mediterranean’s most powerful kingdoms.
Pharaoh Akhenaton • This pharaoh was seen as a visionary by many, and a madman to some. • He disrupted the balance of power & religion by believing in only one god. • He moved the capitol from Thebes to Armana.
Pharaoh Tutankhamun • Believed to be Akhenaton’s son, Tut became the youngest pharaoh at the age of nine. • He restored peace to Egypt by returning to the old religion and rebuilding monuments. • He only ruled until age 19, dying under mysterious circumstances. His tomb is famous worldwide for its treasures discovered in 1922.
Pharaoh Ramses II • Ramses was the first pharaoh of the 19th dynasty. • He was a teen when he was crowned. • He built the great statues of Abu Sinbel.
Achievements of the Egyptians • The Egyptians developed a more accurate calendar than the Babylonians. • In the 1500s B.C., an unknown Egyptian doctor wrote a medical document filled with accurate and detailed observations of the human body. • Tomb painters created paintings that are one of Egypt’s finest achievements.
Egypt Dominates Kush • During the Middle Kingdom period, Egypt built forts and trading posts in the Kush kingdom and came to see Kush as part of its empire. • Kushite soldiers helped the Egyptians drive out a conquering invader from the north. • Egyptian culture had a strong influence on the religion and crafts in Kush.
Kush Conquers Egypt • When Egypt fell into decline at the end of the New Kingdom period, the Kushite ruler Kashta rebelled and conquered Upper Egypt. • His son, Piankhy, conquered the Nile delta and the city of Memphis, and his successor became the first Kushite pharaoh.
Kush’s Last Thousand Years • The Kushites soon lost control of Egypt, but held on to their old kingdom. • The Kushite capital was moved south to Meroe, where it became an important center for iron, wood, and trade with the Middle East, the Far East and many parts of Africa.
Over time, Egyptian influence lessened. The Kushites developed their own hieroglyphics and religion. • Meroe was conquered and destroyed by a neighboring kingdom in A.D. 350 after being an important cultural and trade center for more than 600 years.
