Currency
Cash was introduced after the Persian invasion
Agriculture
Farmers grew many crops
Vegetables
Wheat
Barley
Fruits
Irrigation Systems
Annual floods of the Nile were very important
Kept land fertile
Trade
Traded with countries like Greece, Turkey and Punt
Exports
Gold
Linen
Woods
Papyrus
Grain
Imports
Gold
Resins
Ebony
Animals
Ivory
Transport
Boats traveled along the Nile River and the Mediterranean Sea
Education
Vocational skills were taught on the job.
Ex: engineering, sculture, architecture
Formal Schools
Controlled by priests
Scribes and priests trainees
Science, medicine and math were taught
Drill and memorization were methods employed
Work-study method was available
Architecture
Temples
Great Aten temple
Luxor temple
Temple of Dendur
Temple of Thoth
Pyramids
Step pyramid of Djoser
Built in Saqqara
Predates the Great Pyramids of Giza
60m in height, 10m per step
First monumental stone building constructed
Required 1000s of labourers and 1000s of tonnes of stone
Pyramids of Giza
Built to honour Pharaoh Khufu
Took 20 years to build each pyramid
Fourth Dynasty's creation
Built by farmers during flood season
and soldiers when not needed
Materials
Temples, pyramids and palaces were mainly made of stone
Illnesses and Medicine
Diseases thought to be inflicted by gods
as punishment for sin
Doctors had to be able to read religious literature
Gods/ Goddesses
Osiris
God of underworld
Isis
Re
God of sun
Head of hawk
Anubis
Funerary practices
Sekhmet
God war, healing
Hathor
Motherhood/ fertility
Cow head
Ptah
Horus
Sky god
Falcon head
Beliefs
Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic people who believed that gods and goddesses controlled the forces of the human, natural, and supernatural world.
Rituals
Mummification
Preserved the bodies and souls of the deceased
and increased their likelihood of entering afterlife
Casting Magic Spells
Land/ Desert
Saharan Desert
Acted as a border of defence on Egypt's South, East and West
Black Land & Red Land
Red Land
Land beyond fertile region
Black Land
Egyptians called it "Kemet"
Rich soil along the banks of the Nile
Regions
Upper Egypt
Lower Egypt
Nile River's delta (turns into Mediterranean)
Sea/ River
Nile River
Delta
Makes for 240km of coastline
106km in length
Over 4000 miles
Lifeblood of ancient Egypt. It made the desert habitable.
Crucial for farming
Acted as a sustainable source of food and water.
Branches into "White" and "Blue" Nile in modern day Sudan.
Blue Nile is in Ethiopia
White Nile is in Sudan
Mediterranean Sea
Utilized for trade between Egypt and other countries such as Greece, Italy and Turkey.
Acted as a defensive border on Egypt's North
Cities
Alexandria
Named after Alexander "The Great"
Trading hub
Became centre of Greek-speaking world
Cairo
Pyramids of Giza
Pharaohs' treasures
Memphis
Capital city
Still around 3500 years later
First temple built to god Ptah
Writing/ Literature
Less than 2% of the population
were literate
Hieroglyphics
24 basic consonants
A gift from Toth
Functionality
Primary concern was function
Protection was the driving force in the production of art
Influences
The Nile River
The two kingdoms
Religion
The Heavens
Gods
Pharaohs
Very commonly depicted in art form
Painted in profile view
Animals
Hieroglyphics
Most common written language in ancient Egypt
Buildings (temples, pyramids) were decorated
with paint, or etched on in hieroglyphics
Importance
Art commemorated the culture of various eras and kingdoms
Clothing
Class Specific
Farmers wore bin cloths or tunics
Footwear was very uncommon. In rainy weather,
they wrapped their feet in rags
Wealthy individuals wore white linen gowns, leather
sandals and capes
In the Middle and New kingdoms, gowns
became more ornamented
Some people wore dark wigs to protect
themselves from the sun
In the Middle and New kingdoms, wigs were beaded
Makeup and perfume indicated upper class citizens
Personal Grooming
People used hair combs, mirrors and razors
Food
Class Specific
Common people ate bread, ducks and geese and drank
beer from barley
Wealthy people ate beef, antelope, gazelle,
baked goods and drank wine
Homes
Indicator of Social Class
Poor folks lived in simple huts
Lacked amenities like gardens
Homes were close together
Wealthy citizens had larger residences
Amenities such as fruit trees,
slaves and gardens
Central rooms stated the wealth
of a home owner
Several bedrooms, storerooms
Homes were walled-in
Mud bricks were the primary building material
Roofs were made of papyrus and clay
Family Structures
Children
Children were deemed important
Male children were most desired, for it
was they who organized their parents'
funeral processions
Young boys shaved their heads,
leaving one lock of hair. When they
reached manhood, their lock was cut off
Men
Head of the household
Women
Denied roles of superiority
(scribes, government members)
Comforted their husband
The "Beginning of Egypt"
1st: Nomes emerged
2nd: Nomes fought for power
3rd: Nomes were taken over by kingdoms
The Old Kingdom
2650 - 2134 BCE
1st - 4th dynasties
King Djoser built a strong central government
Introduction of pharaohs
Engineering skills developed
Pyramids of Giza were built
Regulated and improved TRADE
Hieroglyphic writing improved
Old Kingdom's Demise
Priests & government officials gained power
Pepi II died & the kingdom was divided in 2.
The Middle Kingdom
New leadership emerged from Thebes
Position of governor was granted
to middle class citizens
Humble origins made
them obedient
Priests replaced god Re with patron god of Thebes, Amon
Agriculture
Irrigation systems repaired and improved
Amenemhat I setup new government outside of Memphis
Prosperity returned
Middle Kingdom's Decline
Caused by lack of leadership
Pharaohs had short reigns
Immigration weakened authority
Hyksos conquered lower Egypt
2nd Intermediate Period
Ruled by Hyksos kings
Innovations introduced
A family from Upper Egypt drove the Hyksos out
and formed the New Kingdom
Ancient Egypt's Decline
New kingdom fell apart
Nobles & priests fought for power
Greek Period
Alexander "The Great" rose to power in Greece and conquered Mediterranean in 300s BCE
Greeks captured Middle East, Asia, Egypt
Greeks ruled Egypt for 300 years
Pharaohs
Pepi II
Lived to the age of 94
His death caused the division of the Old Kingdom
Khufu
Hatshepsut
Was the only living heir of Pharaoh Thutmosis I
and his Great Wife
Married Thut II at age 12
Ruled in co-regency with Thut III after the death of Thut II
Name means "Foremost of noble ladies"
Thutmosis III
Greatest warrior pharaoh
Known as the "Napoleon of Egypt"
Expanded empire
Akhenaten
Introduced god Ate, disc of the sun
Abandoned traditional gods of Egypt and introduced god Aten
Changed his name in honour of Aten
Challenged intellectual structure of Egypt
His revolution angered priests and nobles
All of his monuments were
destroyed upon his death
Tutankamun
Tomb discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter
Walked with a limp
His left foot had been clubbed
Ramsses II
Most powerful pharaoh
born into non-royal family
Magnum Opus
Led a 1000km expedition out of Egypt into Punt
Found a land rich in products
Started a zoo
Djoser
Devised idea of step pyramid
His vizier was Imhotep
Extended Egypt's southern borders
Menes
Nubian king responsible for uniting Egypt
1st dynasty began with him
Founded Memphis
Cleopatra
Last pharaoh of Egypt
Social Organization
Highest Class/ Rulers - Pharaohs
Instated laws, taxation, etc
Upper Class - Priests, Senior Officials, etc.
Managed property, taxes, storehouses
Upper Class - Scribes
Educated class
Lower Class - Farmers, Peasants
Majority of population
Lowest Class - Slaves
Prisoners of war
The first (2) Kingdoms
Lower Egypt
Kings wore a red crown
Upper Egypt
Kings wore a white crown
Theocratic Monarchy
Kings ruled by the mandates from the gods
Ancient Egyptians had a sense
of superiority over foreigners
Not much enslaving of entire ethnicities
Central Government
Law System
Based on common sense
Followed teachings of Ma'at
Old Kingdom
Weapons
Shields, spears, cudgels, bows and arrows, etc
Wars
Battle of Kadesh
1274 BCE
Battle of the delta
1175 BCE
Battle of Pelusium
In the Nile Delta
Battle of Meggido
15th century BCE
Hyksos and the invasion of ancient Egypt
Foreigners infiltrated the country
Military Aspects/ Equipment
Standing army
Chariots
Archers
Weaponry
Projectile weapons were used to weaken
the opposing army before contact
Slings
Spears
Javelins
Enemy Civilizations
Nubians
Hyksos
Lybians
Soldiers
Began combat training early on (around age 5)
Couldn't go to war until age 20
Trained regularly