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Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt. Aim: What features made Ancient Egypt an important early civilization?. Vocabulary. Pharaoh – a king of Ancient Egypt (who is also considered a God) Theocracy – a government in which the leader is also seen as a religious leader or God

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Ancient Egypt

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  1. Ancient Egypt Aim: What features made Ancient Egypt an important early civilization?

  2. Vocabulary • Pharaoh – a king of Ancient Egypt (who is also considered a God) • Theocracy – a government in which the leader is also seen as a religious leader or God • Social mobility – the ability to move up from one’s born social class • Hieroglyphics – Ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas

  3. Egypt: “The gift of the Nile”

  4. Egypt’s Geographical Advantages • Nile River: • Irrigation • Nile River flooded, but it was predictable • Trade • Travel • Transport • Deserts: • Deserts on both sides of the Nile River provided a barrier to invaders • Prevented interaction with other civilizations

  5. Remember: the 7 requirements for a civilization • Cities • Laws/Government • Organized religion • Job specialization • Social classes • Writing system • Science/Technology

  6. 1. Cities • Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt was all one big empire – no smaller city-states • In 3100 BC, King Menes of Upper Egypt united both sections of Upper and Lower Egypt • Egypt was ruled by a King, called the “Pharaoh” • Pharaoh’s served as both political and religious leaders (GODS) • Theocracy: a type of government where political leaders are also seen as Gods or religious leaders

  7. 2. Government • Pharaohs: Kings; the rulers of Egypt • Pharaohs were considered Gods • Served both political and religious roles (theocracy) • People believed that Pharaohs ruled the empire even after death because they all possessed the same eternal spirit • Because of this, enormous pyramids were constructed as their tombs to honor them in their afterlife

  8. Pyramids

  9. 3. Organized Religion Polytheistic: belief in multiple Gods • Ancient Egyptians believed in over 2,000 Gods and Goddesses • For example: Sun God, Sky God, “Mother Goddess” associated with the Nile River (“giver of life”)

  10. The Afterlife in Ancient Egypt • Egyptians believed in life after death • After a person died, he or she was wrapped in cloth (mummies!) This was how they believed they could be transported safely and presented to the afterlife • They believed that each dead person was presented to Osiris, the God of the Dead. Osiris would measure the person’s heart against the weight of a feather. If your heart was heavier than a feather, the “Devourer of Souls” would come and eat you. If it was lighter than the feather, you would live forever in the Other World

  11. 4. Jobs and Social Structure • Royal Family • Pharaoh and his relatives • Upper Class • Priests, landowners, nobility, army commanders, government officials • Middle Class • Merchants, artisans (skilled laborers) • Lower Class • Peasant farmers, unskilled laborers ** Note: people had SOCIAL MOBILITY, which means that you were not born and “locked in” to your social class. Through hard work, you could move up from lower to middle to upper class!!

  12. A. Harvesting grain; B. Musicians play for the workers in the fields; C. Women winnowing the grain; D. Scribes tally the farmer’s taxes; E. The farmer’s son tending the livestock / cattle.

  13. Women in Egyptian society • Women had many of the same rights as men. • They could own property, seek divorce, and even rule the country! (For example – Cleopatra!) (A) SERVANTS (B) PETS The Egyptians kept birds and monkeys, as well as cats and dogs. (C) A HOUSEHOLD GOD Gods lived in ordinary houses as well as temples. (D) BEAUTY TREATMENT Here a woman is making herself beautiful. (E) CHILDREN The Egyptians enjoyed family life and liked children. Parents expected their children to respect them and obey them.

  14. 6. Writing System • Egyptians used complex drawings (pictographs) called hieroglyphics to record stories • These were written on papyrus – dried strips of reeds from the Nile River

  15. 7. Science and technology • Because of the flooding of the Nile River, Egyptians developed a calendar to keep track of flooding and planting seasons • This led them to invent a 365-day calendar, which they divided into 12 months of 30 days each (plus 5 days of holidays) • Egyptians invented a system of written numbers for the purpose of counting, adding, subtracting • Useful for collecting taxes and mapping out flood areas • Their numeric system used the base of 10 (just like the one we use today)

  16. END Please take your quiz and fill out your Review Sheet on Ancient Egypt! 

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