Ancient Egypt

Economy

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

Technology

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

Religion

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

Geography

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

Culture/ Arts

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

Daily Life

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

Prominent Events

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

Influential Leaders

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

Politics

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

Warfare

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