INTRODUCTION TO EGYPTCHAPTER 2, SECTION 2

THE NILE RIVERFlows from the highlands of East-Central

Africa to the Mediterranean Sea4,100 Miles, the longest river in the WorldMade surrounding lands very fertile due to

yearly floodingGrow Wheat and BarleyIrrigation SystemYearly Cycle: Flood, Plant, then HarvestUpper and Lower Egypt

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGESNile flooded at the same time every yearFlooding is still a threat whether it be too

much water or not enough waterSurrounded by vast deserts

CULTURAL DIFFUSIONContact with the peoples of MesopotamiaTrade

Upper and Lower regionsMesopotamiaNubia and Kush

For its 3,000 year history Egypt was a land of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity

KINGDOM3,100 B.C. the King of Upper Egypt, Menes,

united all of EgyptEgypt would eventually consist of 31

Dynasties, spanning 2,600 yearsThe first 2 Dynasties are not recorded very

wellThe 3rd Dynasty-2,660 to 2,180-begins the

period known as the Old Kingdom

PHARAOHS Egyptian Kings are known as GodsKnown as Pharaohs: God-KingsPharaohs were at the center of Egypt’s…

ReligionGovernmentArmy

Theocracy: type of government in which the ruler is a divine figure

Duties of the Pharaohs

PYRAMID BUILDERSBelief that the king ruled even after his deathKa: eternal spirit, which continued to take

part in the governing of EgyptSince kings ruled forever their tombs were

even more important than their palacesPyramid: the kings resting place after deathThe Old Kingdom was the great age of

pyramid building in ancient EgyptGranite and LimestoneStrength in Government, Leadership and

Economics

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CULTUREPolytheistic

Ra: Sun GodHorus: God of LightIsis: Goddess, represented the ideal wife and

motherWorshiped more than 2,000 Gods and

GoddessesBuilt huge temples to honor the major deitiesBelief in an afterlife

Osiris: God of the DeadMummification: embalming and drying the

corpse to prevent it from decaying

EGYPTION GODS•RA: Sun God•Horus: God of Light•Isis: Goddess, Mother and Wife•Osiris: God of the Dead

SOCIETYSocial Classes/Hierarchy

King, Queen, Royal Family___________>

Wealthy landowners, Priests, Gov.officials and Army commanders__>

Merchants and Artisans______>

Peasant farmers and UnskilledWorkers________________>

SOCIETY CONT’DSlavesAbility to move up the social ladderWomen

Wealthy and Middle-class women could own and trade property

Could propose marriage and ask for a divorceIf granted a divorce the woman was entitled to

one-third of the couples property

WRITINGHieroglyphics, Greek for “sacred carving”Papyrus: reeds that grew in the marshy delta

of the Nile

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYNumber system-counting, adding and

subtractingGeometry ArchitectureCalendarMedicine

END OF THE OLD KINGDOMPower of the Pharaohs declined about 2,180

B.C.Short lived Middle KingdomAsian-nomadic chariot ridersEgypt will rise again with the New Kingdom