Ancient Egypt

2. Ancient Egypt app. 10,000 sq. miles the same as Sumer and Akkad radically different in shape a ribbon of fertile land 600 miles long half a dozen miles wide for most of its length compared to 165 miles in Mesopotamia

3. Egypt, con�t more arid and more fertile than Mesopotamia divided into two parts the Delta (Lower Egypt) and the Upper Nile �south�, not �north� is the important direction

4. Earliest Villages ?? 4500 B.C. but recent studies may push it back one thousand years or more

5. Two Kingdoms, 3,500 B.C. two kingdoms upper and lower Egypt same culture same language same gods

7. Unification tradition is the only source Date? around 3000 (3200?) B.C., or so.... Menes (Namar) the first pharaoh reigned for 62 years killed by a hippopotamus (ah, well...)

9. Culture and Civilization Egyptian culture distinctive and peculiar already set prior to unification continued to evolve through the Old Kingdom period by the Pyramid Age (3-4th dynasties, ca. 2700 B.C.) it was set and would not change for 2,000 years

10. Origins of Egyptian Civilization diffusion from Mesopotamia ?? and how do you tell, anyway ?? writing ?? cylinder seals ??

11. Formative Period ended by 2700 B.C. theocratic highly centralized government Primary Phase, which will last about 1,000 years

12. Historical Schema The Old Kingdom (2700-2200 B.C.) First Intermediate Period (2200-2000 B.C.) The Middle Kingdom (2000-1800 B.C.) Second Intermediate Period (1800-1500 B.C.) The New Kingdom (1500- 1100 B.C.?)

13. The Hyksos ended the Middle Kingdom by invasion Semites generate an imperialist response the New Kingdom

14. Comparison and Contrast with Babylon profound differences because of environmental conditions Mesopotamia: open to invasion Egypt: isolated by geography invasion as culturally stimulating ????

15. C. and C., con�t effects on Egypt: positive and negative E. culture: perfectly adapted to the environment lines of development: logical and obvious Egyptian culture: static, outwardly opposed to innovation

16. Agriculture depended on irrigation nationally controlled annual flooding of the Nile (Gift of the Nile)

17. Transportation Mesopotamia: wheeled vehicles and boats Egypt: boats (The Nile as Highway) sailboats still a major means of transportation Old and Middle Kingdom: wheeled vehicles rare

18. Architecture lacks timber used mud-brick main building: STONE

19. Sculpture early and sophisticated development human figures and architectural forms led to great expertise in painting and other representational arts

20. Writing hieroglyphic scripts for architectural and monumental purposes papyrus paper

22. Other Features wheat, instead of barley cattle and poultry slavery virtually unknown high degree of social mobility

23. Dynastic Chronology Egyptians divided their history into dynasties not always chronologically successive Manetho, gave the chronology to the Greeks the system is confusing, but maintained by Egyptologists

24. Theocratic Government all Egyptian government was theocratic in form all power was concentrated in the Pharaoh the pharaoh was the head of a planned and organized economy modern comparisons ???

25. The Nature of Kingship and Religion modern perceptions ancient ideas even �politics� had a religious base

26. Unification the most important event in Egyptian history what role did Menes play in religion and politics ? how was unification maintained ?

27. Egyptian Kingship Mesopotamian kings (and Hebrew) Semitic in their concepts acted as mediators between gods and the people

28. Kingship, con�t Pharaoh: link between the gods and people Pharaoh: divine his rule eternal and absolute Egypt was not just ruled for the gods but by a god

29. Distinctions ? human vs. divine ?? They could tell the difference in practice: whoever held the throne was divine including: women, foreigners, commoners

30. The Pharaoh shed his impermanent and human status assumed the eternal and unchangeable divine status became the embodiment of the divine led a divinely unified Egyptian state

31. Theory of the New State basis of justice and authority meaning: �truth, justice, order, righteousness, balance� a cosmic or divine force for harmony and stability, dating from the beginning of time

32. these confirmed, consolidated and perpetuated the rule of the Pharaoh this unified and stabilized the state

33. Egyptian Religion each city had its patron deity emergence of national government caused some to be more important as dynasties changed, the primary gods changed why??

34. Examples Memphis: Ptah later, as the center of power changed, Re/Ra or Horus etc.

35. The Gods Mesopotamian gods: mostly anthropomorphic Egyptian gods: vary wildly animals, human, celestial bodies, etc.

36. Cosmology Gods created Order out of Chaos various stories not mutually exclusive like the monotheistic religions

37. Early Creation Story Atum primeval mound of mud (Annual flood of the Nile?) godly (How do you get a date when there is nobody there but you?) generation of the gods

39. Different Perspectives Mesopotamians: pessimistic life is unpredictable, their gods unstable, their afterlife indistinct and undesirable Egyptian religion inspired confidence in the eternal, stable order of the universe

40. Different Perspectives, con�t divinely guided, rhythmic cycle of life and death and belief in a final, eternal bliss

41. Egyptian religion extremely tolerant of difference extremely tolerant of many gods as opposed to, say.. Hebrew religion the principal deity (national/Pharoah�s deity) allowed other gods to flourish the number is considerable

42. Egyptian religion: �oddities� overlap of functions expansion and contraction of cults amalgamation of cults worship of the Pharaoh was �nationwide�

43. Religion as a Unifying Force Mesopotamia: master-slave relationship Egypt: gods conceived of as shepherd who cherish and care for the people

44. Religion, con�t probably the origins of the idea of Jehovah-as-shepherd especially in the Psalms which are pre-dated by Egyptian psalms Akhenaton�s Hymn to the Sun

46. Permanence of the Cycle of Life everything was a cycle eternal, unchanging life and death continuous and rhythmic human life existed in a never-ending interchange of natural and universal elements

47. The Gods immanent in nature existed in a sphere of divine activity consubstantial: they are existent in everything

48. The Temples controlled by temple corporations producing those things necessary for the god maintaining the very existence of the universe !!!! if they get slack, we�re screwed...in a major way

49. The Idea of the Cosmos religious ideas: rooted in a static and changeless universe influenced every aspect of Egyptian life influenced every aspect of Egyptian development gave very strong resilience to Egyptian culture survived virtually unchanged for 3,000 years

50. The Pharonic State: Ancient Economy the �pyramid� model pharaoh as �capstone� pharaoh as �commander-in-chief� pharaoh as �royal administrator� pharaoh as �owner of Egypt�

51. The Pharonic State: Corvee the annual inundation conscription for �public works� dependence on irrigation cooperate work essential

52. Achievements of the Old Kingdom efficient, centralized authority astronomy, arithmetic, geometry medicine

53. The Most Important Solar calendar pyramids belief in immortality

54. Solar Calendar Egyptian solar calendar: 3rd millennium B.C. Connected with the rising of Sothis the Dog Star (Sirius) companion of Orion

55. Solar Calendar, con�t length of the solar year and the rising of Sothis are virtually identical only a few minutes difference we get our solar calendar from the Egyptians by way of the Romans

56. Pyramids Imhotep: architect and developer of the calendar? Imhotep: physician, architect, doctor, miracle worker, giver of wisdom designed the Step Pyramid of Zoser processor of the Pyramids of Giza

58. Pyramids, con�t eternal home for the immortal pharaoh insured their divinity for all eternity

60. Pyramids, con�t Khufu, Khafre, Menkure Cheops, Cehphren, Mycerinus amazing architecture how? necropolis

61. Belief in Immortality first to really develop the idea sophisticated consciousness another order of existence

62. Decline of the Old Kingdom Old Kingdom: the most stable period the Pharaoh dominated life the emergence of provincial power but gradually lost power to royal officials gradual drying of the environment failure of the Nile to flood on time

63. Decline of the Old Kingdom Pepi II: ruled 94 years at his death: rapid decline followed by Nitocris collapse of central power

64. First Intermediate Period 2180-2050 B.C. localism, anarchy, short reigns, palace coups, assassinations �seventy kings in seventy days� reversal of established order dissolution of law and order disruption of trade and agricultual production

65. The Middle Kingdom 2050-1800 B.C. united under the Eleventh Dynasty from Thebes, not Memphis followers of the god Amon elevated to the rank of primary god modern examples??

66. The Middle Kingdom solidification of Egyptian borders military garrisons on the borders new office: the vizier separate administrations of Upper and Lower Egypt suppression of the nobility; rise of the �middle class�

67. The Middle Kingdom decline with the Twelveth Dynasty Pharaoh Sobekeneferu beginning of the Second Intermediate

68. Second Intermediate Period 1800-1570 B.C. Thirteenth and Fourtheenth Dynasties contemporaries invasion by the Hyksos Semitic peoples from Palestine Hyksos dynasty by 1650 B.C. (Fifteenth Dynasty)

69. The New Kingdom rise of the Seventeenth Dynasty Thebes beginning of the imperial period reconquest of Egypt �We had to destroy this village to save it.�

70. The New Kingdom 1570-1150 B.C. reaction to control by a foreign people policy of planned aggression create a �buffer zone� (cordon sanitare) in Palestine any modern examples ???

71. The New Kingdom more cosmopolitan international trade large, professional army the usual bureaucracy

72. Imperialism: 18th Dynasty Thutmoses I Hatshueput I Thutmoses III conquest of an Asian Empire successor had problems

73. Akhenation: the Amarna Revolution worship of the Aton the solar disk elevated the worship of the Aton suspended the worship of other gods particularly Amon

74. Amarna Revolution: Political Terms struggle with the priests of Amon innovation vs. conservative stagnation monotheism ???

75. Lost of Empire to Indo-European states emerging in Asia Minor and other areas

76. King �Tut� Pharaoh Tutankhaten succeeded Akhenaten Restoration of the gods Probably murdered by a guy named Ay King Tut Video

78. High Point Nineteenth Dynasty Rameses II pharaoh of the Exodus ?? New Kingdom collapse ca. 1150 B.C.