Chapter 2-First Civilizations: Africa and Asia. Objective: To understand the grandeur and...
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Transcript of Chapter 2-First Civilizations: Africa and Asia. Objective: To understand the grandeur and...
Chapter 2-First Civilizations: Africa and Asia
Objective: To understand the grandeur and accomplishments of ancient Egyptian civilization
Focus: KWL on Egypt
The Nile Rivers Power
The Nile River fueled ancient Egyptian civilization just as it does today
Flows north to the sea from the mountains of interior Africa
Annual floods soaked the land and deposited nutrients making the soil rich
Had to control the floods with irrigation projects
Served as a trade route
Kingdoms of the Nile
3 main periods of Egypt:
– Old Kingdom a.k.a Pyramid Age (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.)
– Middle Kingdom(2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.)
– New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)
– How long ago is this?
Old Kingdom
Government was created Vizier-chief minister of the Pharaoh
Departments (bureaus) Oversaw tax collection, farming and
irrigation Great Pyramids of Giza were constructed Why build such lavish projects?
Why build such grand projects?
Burial purposes Symbolized power
The Old Kingdom’s downfall was created by power struggles, crop failures, and the cost of the pyramids, leading to the Middle Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
During the Middle Kingdom, corruption and rebellions were commonplace.
It occupied part of Nubia (south) By 1700 B.C., they were defeated by
the Hyksos and their war-chariots. After 100 years, the Egyptians drove
out the Hyksos and set up the New Kingdom.
New Kingdom Powerful pharaohs created a large empire Merchant class and skilled artisans rose as a result
from increased trade and war First woman pharaoh-Hatshepsut and the most
powerful pharaoh, Ramses II ruled during the New Kingdom.
After Ramses II, Egyptian power slowly declined. Egyptians forgot the meanings of ancient
hieroglyphics They were invaded by Assyrians, Persians, and
later Greek and Roman armies.
Key Rulers of New Kingdom
Ramses II Hatsheput Akhenaton King Tutankhamen
Women’s Rights Women had the right to divorce, inherit property,
go to court and engage in trade
Women could not be scribes or hold government positions, however.
Egyptian Religion The belief in eternal life had a profound effect on
their civilization
Key gods:– Amon-Re; the sun god who was closely linked
to the pharaoh.– Osiris-ruler of the underworld and god of the
Nile, who controlled the annual floods– Isis; wife of Osiris who taught women
everything– Horus-the son of Osiris and Isis revenged his
parents by killing Set (his uncle)
The Path to the Afterlife Book of the Dead helped navigate someone in their
journey to the other side Osiris puts the soul on trial Anubis weighs the dead person’s heart against the
feather of truth Thoth, the scribe God, records the verdict The heavy, sinful heart that weighs more than a feather
is eaten by the croc shaped eater of the dead After-life was just like this life Mummification and buried with things needed for the
after-life (Book of the Dead, personal items)
Egyptian Society/Social Stratification Class system/society (in order of
importance): Pharaoh, high priests, nobles who fought the wars, merchants, scribes and artisans, and finally, the peasant farmers/slaves
Cont…
Rossetta Stone (demotic, hieroglyphs and Greek) Medicine (anise, saffron) Human anatomy was learned how? Created a calendar through astronomy (12 months
and 30 days-5 days at the end of the year) Used geometry to recalculate boundaries of fields
and what else? Distinctive Art Grand architecture and construction