Ancient Egypt: Geography and Timeline

• Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilizations

Geography and Environment

• Ancient Egypt was called "kmt," meaning "The Black Land."
• Life was centered around the Nile River.
• Yearly floods provided nutrients to the soil.
• The Nile served as a main route of travel.
• Egyptians settled at the delta, in the Nile Valley, and around oases in the deserts.
• North of Memphis, the Nile divided into channels, forming a delta with swampy and farmable land.
• The Western Desert had oases where enough water was available for crops.
• The Eastern Desert lacked oases but contained valuable minerals, including gold.
• The Nile Valley was 19 km wide but over 5,960 km long.
• Cataracts (rapids) stopped ships sailing south.

Timeline of Ancient Egypt

• Nile Culture began around 3900 B.C.E.
• The Archaic period occurred from 3200-2650 B.C.E., following the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
• The Old Kingdom existed from 2650-2134 B.C.E.
• The Middle Kingdom existed from 2040-1640 B.C.E.
• The New Kingdom existed from 1550-1070 B.C.E.

Social Classes

• The social hierarchy consisted of the Pharaoh, Upper Class, Middle Class, Lower Class, and Servants.
• The Upper Class included the Royal Family, Government Officials, Army Officers, Priests, Landowners, scribes, and Doctors.
• The Middle Class included Merchants, Manufacturers, and Artisans.
• The Lower Class included Unskilled Laborers and Farmers.

Unification

• Lower Egypt was symbolized by the Red Crown.
• Upper Egypt was symbolized by the White Crown.
• Menes overthrew the king of Lower Egypt.
• Menes wore a Double Crown.
• Unification involved joining separate parts into one whole.

Royal Symbols

• The Nemes was a striped head cloth tied at the back of the head.
• Lappets are decorative flaps in a ceremonial headdress or garment.
• The Pharaoh's Flail symbolized the role as provider of food for the people.
• The crook symbolized the role as the 'shepherd' of the people.
• A cartouche is an oblong magical rope in hieroglyphics, containing the name of a Pharaoh.

Lotus Flower

• The Lotus Flower is depicted on ancient Egyptian architecture.
• Specifically on the capitals (tops) of Egyptian pillars.
• The lotus symbolizes the sun, creation, rebirth, and regeneration.

Papyrus

• Papyrus is a plant grown in Lower Egypt.
• Stem fibers were used for making paper.
• Papyrus is part of the Sedge Family.

Economy

• The Pharaoh was at the center of the economy.
• The economy was based upon Agriculture.
• Pharaohs collected taxes on crops and goods.
• Goods were "bartered" or traded for other needed goods.
• Good farming land, irrigation systems, and complex flood patterns that rely on complex math skills, contributed to the economy

Food Production

• When the main crops were ready nearly everyone, even priests, helped with the harvest.
• Musicians played while work went on, and magic spells were chanted to make the crops grow.
• Women scooped the grain up with wooden trays while winnowing.
• Farmers paid part of their crop as taxes.
• Scribes kept careful records of the amounts.
• Young boys looked after the livestock.
• Wealth was judged by the cattle owned.
• Farmers also owned sheep, goats, and donkeys.
• Produced surplus food was stored for future use.
• Surplus food was traded for other goods.
• Not everyone was required to farm.
• New trades and specialties developed.

Trade

• New products and ideas can be imported thru trade
• Trade makes money which can be invested in cities and to please the Gods
• Small boats were made of bundles of reeds.
• Larger ships were built of wood and sailed through the dangerous Red Sea.
• Ships had no deck, except for short sections at each end.
• The crew stowed cargo in the open hold.
• The ship had oars and one large sail.
• Ships that sailed to Punt were carried across the desert in pieces and built on the shore of the Red Sea.
• Punt was probably in eastern Africa, but nobody knows exactly where.

Craftsmen

• New jobs became available for talented craftsmen.
• Surplus food production allowed for wages to be paid.
• New products and skills developed.
• Some new skills had medical applications.
• Pots of many shapes and sizes were made from local clay shaped by hand with stiff sand, given glaze, and hardened in fire.
• Egyptians had plenty of gold mostly from mines in Nubia.
• Jewelery and gold-plated objects were made.
• Statues and even a king's coffin were made of solid gold.
• The shoemaker's trade was simple, the only shoes were sandals of leather or papyrus reed.
• Often people went barefoot.
• Most woodworking tools, such as saws and chisels, have not changed much since.

Hierarchy

• Agricultural and trading opportunities allowed new hierarchy to be formed of the elite/aristocracy
• People pay wages to others to work for them creating a life of leisure
• Leisure time allowed people to think, have new ideas, new inventions and new skills

Language and Writing

• The Ancient Egyptian language included Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic scripts.
• Hieroglyphics was a development of writing using picture graphs.
• Hieroglyphics used papyrus.
• Hieroglyphics allowed ideas to be transferred allowing ideas to spread and be passed down thru the generations
• Used to keep records
• Scribes were record keepers and original accountants writing on papyrus
• The Rosetta Stone transcribed Hieroglyphics, Greek, and Demotic

Literature

• The ancient Egyptians viewed literature as a source of spiritual nourishment and a unique way to elevate style of expression.
• Works were classified by subjects or "genres".
• Included novels, short stories, poetry, folkloric tales, proverbs, wise-sayings, moral teachings, philosophical meditations, and literary messages.
• Ancient Egyptians wrote plays, dramatic poetry, songs, religious hymns, love poetry, description of nature and panegyrical poems.
• Panegyrical poems were to glorify their kings and their glorious battles.

Societal Advancements

• Large scale projects were now feasible with planning, writing/mathematics and new tools
• Raising stone blocks one of hardest jobs builders made huge ramps out of earth and dragged the stones up the ramps with ropes
• Supervisors, who may have been priests, directed the gangs of workmen.
• Shaping the stone required measuring each stone and shaped to fit into place.
• Many workmen were killed or injured by the heavy stone blocks.

Towns and Cities

• Craftsmen, traders, and laborers found it easier to live in towns and cities.
• Urban economy and lifestyle develops.
• Medical threats were present to the health of urban populaces.

Pyramids

• Built as tombs for the Pharaohs, the pyramids symbolized the Afterlife.
• Everything the Pharaoh needed was housed inside the pyramid.
• The Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is considered the earliest step pyramid.
• Khufu's pyramid is known as the great pyramid.
• Often considered the peak of pyramid building it's one of the wonders of the ancient world.
• the original height was 146m, current height is 137m
• contains a total of 2,300,000 blocks, each weighing 2.5 tons
• with 285 blocks added each day to construction.

Religion

• Religion was very important with many temples and priests
• Religion was an alternative form of medical care from the master physicians
• Charms were still used extensively

Charms and Symbols

• The Ankh symbolizes regeneration or enduring life.
• The Eye of Ra, also known as the Eye of Horus, known as the wedjet eye, was used as an amulet or talisman.
• The Wedjet eye was worn by both the living and the dead, symbolizing the Egyptian Doctor.
• The Djed symbol was a pillar-like symbol used in jewelry, amulets, hieroglyphics representing stability.
• The Was Scepter was a long staff, topped with a symbolic animal head and embodies magical powers, symbolizing divine power and authority.

Polytheism

• Egyptian religion held a belief in many gods, called Polytheism
• Ra was the God of the Sun.
• Ra (khepr- Ra- Atum) God.
• Amon-Ra was the chief of the gods, god of thebes.
• Osiris was the god of the dead.
• Horus was the protective god of the living king, son of Isis and osiris.
• Isis was the goddess of the throne and magic.
• Hathor was the goddess of love, joy and music.
• Anubis was the god of mummification.
• Ptah was the god of craftsmen and god of Memphis.
• Sekhmet was the goddess of war.
• Thot was the god of knowledge and writing.
• Hapi was the god of the Nile.
• Seth was the god of evil.
• Nephtys was the sister of Isis and one of the protective goddesses of the viscera jars of the dead.

Sun God Forms

• Khepr was the scarab at the early morning sun
• Ra was the sun disc at noon time
• Atum was the ram at sun set time.

Death & Afterlife

• Death and funerals are a major part of the culture
• there are "ka, ba, and akh" three souls.
• Embalming was performed on corpses, with a burial in Tombs
• The elaborate death rituals were performed to send to the afterlife
• procedures were directed by Priests using sophisticated tools and techniques

Mummification

• The elaborate process of directed by Priests
• Mummification was not a medical procedure, since the subject was already deceased.
• Mummification was performed with excessive respect for the Dead body will hindering medical developments for the future
• Sacred bodies would not allow explorations or experimentation.
• the process was Dissection Forbidden
• A priest in charge of the mummification wore the mark of Anubis, the god of the dead
• A priest stands by, holding sweet-smelling incense
• The body or mummy was wrapped in layer soft linen before being placed in coffin
• Natron, a type of soda was placed in the body to dry it out before placing linen
• Bandages were soaked to help hold the mummy together
• The implements used during mummification including an obsidian blade for removing the viscera and a bowl of natron for dehydrating the body
• Mummification was the best proof of the vast anatomical knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.
• Mummification involves the removal of the brain thru out the nose with a forked tool
• A cut was made in abdomen to extract organs to dry out and store in organ specific vessels

Hygienic Lifestyle

• Personal hygiene was very important with Public Works for Drain Systems, Water Delivery systems and Bathing

Family & Gender

• The nuclear family was the core of Egyptian society.
• Tremendous pride existed in one's family.
• Lineage was traced through both the mother's and father's lines.
• Respect for one's parents was a cornerstone of morality.
• The eldest son (or occasionally daughter) had the most fundamental duty to care for his parents and their burial.
• Egyptian women had greater freedom of choice and more equality.
• Allowed to initiate divorce, serve on juries, testify at trial, inherit real estate and disinherit kids
• Gender played an increasingly important role in determining female occupations.
• Women of the peasant class worked side by side with men in the fields.
• In higher levels of society, gender roles were more defined.
• Men and women inherited equally from each parent.
• Often the eldest son would inherit his father's job, but with that came the high cost/responsibility of caring for his parents burial
• Real estate was jointly held by the family

Childhood

• Childhood acknowledged in Ancient Egypt.
• Childrens roles differed by class, wealth and family
• Children were represented naked till the age of 6 years with finger in mouth and side hair loc