Ancient Egypt

A River Valley and Its People

5000 B.C.-Nomadic hunter-gatherers settledby the Nile and took up afarming life.They harvested papyrusto make rope, matting,sandals, baskets and paper.

Two large kingdoms

4000 B.C.-Lower Egypt in the NorthUpper Egypt in the South3000 B.C.-Narmer (King of upper Egypt)set up the first goverment thatruled all over the country.

Dynasties

3000 B.C. – 332 B.C.A series of 30 dynastiesruled Egypt.Three great periods:• The Old Kingdom• The Middle Kingdom• The New kingdom

The Old Kingdom (2700 B.C. – 2200 B.C.)

Theocracy

King as a God –political andreligious leader.BureaucracyControlled trade and collectedtaxes. Supervised the building of dams, canals and storehousesfor grain.

The Pyramids• The step Pyramidbuilt for king Djoserin the mid-2600 B.C.• The three pyramids at Giza.Egyptians believed that a king´s soul

continued to guidethe kingdom after death.

The sphinx

The Middle Kingdom (2050 - 1800 B.C.)• Capital in Thebes• Constuction of a canal between the Nile and the Red

Sea (allowed trade along the coasts of the arabian peninsula and east Africa)

• Invasion by the Hyksos, established a dynasty that ruled for 110 years.

The New Kingdom (1600 B.C.)

• About 1600 B.C. Ahmoseraised an army and drove theHyksos out.• Pharaos rule an empire• Pharaos used large armiesto realice their dreams of conquest. *pharaoh: great house of the king.

Queen Hatshepsut (1480 B.C.)

• Ruled with her husbandand later with her stepson.• Became pharaoh and built a great funeral temple and tombnow called the Valley of the Kings.• Thutmose III conquered anEmpire for Egypt (Syria).• No longer isolated from othercultures.

Recovery and Decline

• Ramses II (the great)Ruled for 67 years, after his death in 1237 B.C.,Egypt weakened under the attacks of sea raidersand in 975 B.C. it cameunder the rule of foreignersamong them the Libyans.