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AP World History

AP World History. Chapter 3 Early Egyptian and African Societies. Development of African Agriculture. Sahara desert originally highly fertile region Western Sudan region nomadic herders, 9000 B.C.E. Domestication of cattle 7500 B.C.E.

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AP World History

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  1. AP World History Chapter 3 Early Egyptian and African Societies

  2. Development of African Agriculture • Sahara desert originally highly fertile region • Western Sudan region nomadic herders, 9000 B.C.E. • Domestication of cattle 7500 B.C.E. • Later, cultivation of sorghum, yams, increasingly diverse • Widespread desiccation of the Sahara 5000 B.C.E.

  3. The Gift of the Nile • Gradual, predictable flooding • Alluvial deposits support productive agricultural society • “Gift of the Nile”

  4. Early Agriculture in Nile Valley • 10,000 B.C.E. migrants from Red Sea hills (northern Ethiopia) • Introduce collection of wild grains, • 5000 B.C.E. Sudanic cultivators, herders migrate to Nile River valley • Adaptation to seasonal flooding of Nile through construction of dikes, waterways • Villages dot Nile by 4000 B.C.E.

  5. Impact on Political Organization • As in Mesopotamia, a need for formal organization of public affairs • Need to maintain order and organize community projects • Egypt: simple, local irrigation projects • Rural rather than heavily urban development • Trade networks develop Shaduf style of Irrigation

  6. Unification of Egypt • Legendary conqueror Menes, 3100 BCE, unifies Egyptian kingdom • Sometimes identified with Narmer • Tradition: founder of Memphis, cultural and political center of ancient Egypt • Instituted the rule of the pharaoh • Claimed descent from the gods • Absolute rulers, had slaves buried with them from 2600 B.C.E. • Most powerful during Archaic Period (3100-2660 B.C.E.) and Old Kingdom (2660-2160 B.C.E.)

  7. The Pyramids • Symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and divine status • A testimony of the pharaohs’ ability to marshal Egypt’s resources • Largest Khufu (Cheops), 2.3 M limestone blocks, average weight 2.5 tons • Role: burial chambers for pharaohs Sphinx of Giza

  8. Relations with Nubia • Competition over Nile trade • Military conflict between 3100 and 2600 B.C.E. • Drove Nubians to the south • Established kingdom of Kush, ca. 2500 B.C.E. • Trade, cultural influences continue despite military conflict

  9. The New Kingdom • Few pyramids, but major monumental architectural projects • Engaged in empire-building to protect against foreign invasion • After New Kingdom, local resistance drives Egypt out of Nubia • Kingdom of Kush revives ca. 1100 B.C.E. • Invasions of Kushites, Assyrians destroy Egypt mid-sixth century B.C.E. Hittite and Egyptian Empires

  10. Egyptian Urban Culture • Major cities along Nile River, especially at delta • Memphis 3100 B.C.E., Heliopolis 2900 B.C.E. • Nubian cities • Located at cataracts of the Nile • Well-defined social classes • Pharaohs to slaves • Archaeological discoveries in Nubia also support class-based society • Patriarchal societies, notable exceptions: female pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 B.C.E.)

  11. Economic Specialization • Bronze metallurgy introduced late, with Hyksos invasion • Development of iron early, 900 B.C.E. • Trade along Nile River • More difficult in Nubia due to cataracts • Sea trade in Mediterranean

  12. Hieroglyphs Papyrus paper and plant • “Holy inscriptions” • Writing appeared at least by 3200 B.C.E. • Survives on monuments, buildings, and sheets of papyrus • Hieroglyphs for formal writing, hieratic script for everyday affairs used from 2600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. • Greek alphabet adopted – demotic and Coptic scripts • Meroitic writing: flexible system borrowed from hieroglyphs, represents sounds rather than ideas

  13. Development of Organized Religious Traditions • Principal gods Amon and Re • Religious tumult under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) (1353-1335 B.C.E.) • Introduces sole worship of sun god Aten • One of the world’s earliest expressions of monotheism • Death of Akhenaten, traditional priests restore the cult of Amon-Re to privileged status Amon Aten

  14. Mummification and the Afterlife • Inspiration of the cycles of the Nile • Belief in the revival of the dead • First: ruling classes only, later expanded to include lower classes • Cult of Osiris • Lord of the underworld • Power to determine who deserved immortality • Held out hope of eternal reward for those who lived moral lives

  15. Bantu Migrations, 3000-1000 B.C.E. • Bantu: “people” • Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions • Population pressures • Over 500 variations of original Bantu language • 90 million speakers • By 1000 B.C.E., occupied most of Africa south of the equator Bantu Migrations

  16. Bantu Migrations, 2000 B.C.E.-1000 C.E.

  17. Bantu Religions • Evidence of early monotheism • Deistic views as well • Prayers to intercessors, e.g. ancestor spirits • Great variations among populations

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