Egyptian CivilizationChapter 2 section 4

Chief Gods and Goddesses

• Amon-Re – great lord of the gods– Pharaohs were believed

to receive their right to rule from Amon-Re

• Osiris – god of the Nile• Isis – promised the

faithful they would have life after death

A Pharaoh Tries to Reshape Religion

• Akhenaton- ordered priests to worship only Aton (a minor god) and to remove the names of other gods from their temples– radical

• Was he effective?

Proving Oneself to Osiris

• Each soul had to pass a test to win eternal life• To survive the journey in the underworld, Egyptians

relied on the Book of the Dead– Contained spells, charms, and formulas for the dead to

use in the afterlife

Preparing the Dead for the Afterlife

• Egyptians believed the afterlife would be much like life on earth

• People were buried with everything they would need

• Mummification – preservation of dead bodies by embalming them and wrapping them in cloth

• During the New Kingdom, pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings– Tutankhamen (“King Tut”)

King Tut’s Tomb

Egyptians Organize Their Society

Pharaoh & Royal Family

Govn’t Officials, High Priests & Priestesses

Merchants,Scribes,Artisans Peasants

Egyptians Organize Their Society

• Most Egyptians were peasant farmers or slaves• In the off season they would serve the pharaoh– Temples, palaces, tombs

• Women would raise children, collect water, & cook• Egyptians women had more power than other

women in the ancient world

Keeping Written Records

• Hieroglyphics – a system in which symbols or pictures represent objects, concepts, or sounds

• Hieratic demotic symbols – a cursive form of writing

• Papyrus – a paper like writing material

The Clues of the Rosetta Stone

• 1800s Jean Champollion deciphered the meanings of ancient hieroglyphics

• Rosetta Stone – hieroglyphics, demotic script, and Greek

Furthering Science and Mathematics

• Physicians performed surgery and believed in magic as well

• Mapped constellations and movement of planets• Made a 12 month with 30 days calendar with 5 days

added on the end• Developed geometry