Life in Ancient Egypt

• Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilizations
• The term "kmt" means 'The Black Land', and refers to ancient Egypt

Life in Ancient Egypt

• Life was centered around the Nile River
• Yearly floods provided nutrients to the soil
• The Nile served as a main route for travel
• Egyptians settled at the delta, the Nile Valley, and near oases in the deserts

The Nile's Influence

• The Nile divided into channels north of Memphis, forming a delta
• The delta land was swampy but good for farming in certain areas
• Oases in the Western Desert provided water for growing crops
• The Eastern Desert lacked oases but contained valuable minerals like gold
• The Nile valley was 19 km wide and over 5,960 km long
• Cataracts stopped ships sailing south

Ancient Egyptian History Time Frame

• Nile Culture began as early as 3900 BCE
• The Archaic period followed unification, spanning from 3200 to 2650 BCE
• The Old Kingdom lasted from 2650 to 2134 BCE
• The Middle Kingdom was from 2040 to 1640 BCE
• The New Kingdom existed from 1550 to 1070 BCE
• The Late Period spanned from 750 to 332 BCE
• The Greek Ptolemaic Era was from 332 to 30 BCE
• The Roman Period lasted from 30 BCE to 395 CE

Social Pyramid of Egypt

• Pharaoh
• Upper Class: Royal Family, Government Officials, Army Officers, Priests, Landowners, scribes and Doctors
• Middle Class: Merchants, Manufacturers, and Artisans
• Lower Class: Unskilled Laborers and Farmers
• Servants

Union of Two Crowns

• Red Crown represented Lower Egypt
• White Crown represented Upper Egypt
• Menes overthrew the king of Lower Egypt and wore a Double Crown
• Unification involved joining separate parts into one whole

Symbols of Power

• The Nemes was a striped head cloth worn by pharaohs
• The cloth was tied at the back with lappets falling on either side of the face and was a decorative headdress
• A cartouche is an oblong magical rope in hieroglyphics, used to spell out the name of a pharaoh
• The flail symbolized the pharaoh's role as a provider, and the crook symbolized the pharaoh as the shepherd of the people

Lotus Flower

• The Lotus Flower is depicted on architecture, especially on the capitals of pillars
• The lotus symbolized the sun with creation, rebirth and regeneration

Papyrus

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

Egypt's Economy

• The Pharaoh was central to the economy
• Agriculture was the base of the economy
• The Pharaoh taxed crops grown and goods made
• Goods were bartered or traded for needed goods
• Good farmland depended on irrigation systems and complex flooding patterns
• Complex flooding patterns required both mathematical skills and advanced planning

Food Production

• Surplus food was produced
• Surplus food was used for future use, and to trade for other goods
• Food surplus allowed for some people to farm
• New trades and roles emerged

Trading The Surplus

• New products and ideas were imported at the time
• Surplus trading allowed for money to be invested
• Cities could develop from the wealth
• Trading was also done to please the gods

Craftsmen

• Surplus food production paid for new jobs for talented craftsmen
• New products and skills arose
• Some new skills had medical applications
• Pots of various shapes came from local clay and stiff sand, glazed and hardened in fire
• Egyptians had gold mines coming from Nubia
• Jewelry and gold objects were made
• Royals had statues and coffins made of solid gold
• Shoemakers made sandals of leather or papyrus reed, but people usually went barefoot
• Wood carving was common, and woodworking tools like saws and chisels have remained the same since

New Hierarchy

• Agricultural and trading opportunities allowed a new hierarchy to develop
• The hierarchy was based among the Elite, Aristocracy
• Citizens could pay wages to others to work for them
• Life of leisure developed
• More free time birthed new ideas, new inventions, and new skills

Ancient Egyptian Language

• Three different languages used in Ancient Egypt are Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic

Hieroglyphics, A Writing System

• There were 24 "letters" in the Hieroglyphics “Alphabet” used for writing
• Papyrus was a key component
• Pictographs were used commonly
• Hieroglyphics allowed ideas to transfer throughout the country and through generations
• Hieroglyphics were used to keep record
• Scribes recorded information and were sometimes original accountants
• Papyrus was used for paper, as well as other uses
• The Rosetta Stone transcribed Hieroglyphics, Greek, and Demotic

Literature

• Ancient Egyptians saw literature as spiritual
• Literature categorized in short stories, poetry, folkloric tales, proverbs, wise-sayings, instructions, meditations and messages
• Plays, poetry, songs, religious hymns and love poetry were written as well as descriptions of nature, poems glorifying kings and battles

Civilization

• Sophisticated civilization led to scaled up projects
• Planning, writing and mathematics were needed
• Workers raised stone blocks with ramps and ropes with supervisors directing the gangs
• Stone was carefully shaped to fit in place
• Many workmen were killed or injured by the blocks
• Towns and cities developed, so craftsmen, traders, and laborers lived closer
• Urban life developed
• Living in an urban setting rose medical threats

Pyramids

• Pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs to have an afterlife with the things they needed
• Zoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara was the beginning of pyramids used in that era
• Khufu's pyramid was among the greatest pyramids
• The original height was 146m
• The present height is 137m
• Total number of blocks used being 2,300,000
• The average block weighed 2.5 tons
• Around 285 blocks were used each day to build it

Religion

• Religion was an important aspect of Ancient Egypt
• Temples and priests were essential
• Charms were used often
• Priests were used in alternative medical care from master physicians

Charms

• The Ankh symbolized regeneration and enduring life
• The Eye of Ra (Eye of Horus) was a talisman worn by the living and dead, and the symbol of the Egyptian Doctor
• The Djed symbol represented stability
• The 'Was Scepter', topped with a symbolic animal head, embodied magical powers and symbolized divine power, held by gods and royalty

Egyptian Religion: Polytheism

• Egyptians worshipped multiple gods and goddesses -Ra was the god of the sun
• Ra (Khepr- Ra- Atum)
• Amon-Ra was the chief god of Thebes
• Osiris was the god of the dead
• Horus was the protective god of the living king, and 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

Death and Funerals

• Ptah: the god of craftsmen and god of Memphis
• Sekhmet: goddess of war
• Thot: god of knowledge and writing
• Hapi: god of the Nile
• Seth: god of evil
• Nephtys: sister of Isis and one of the protective goddesses of the viscera jars of the dead
• There were three souls: "ka, ba, and akh"
• Embalming and burial tombs were commonly done

3 forms of the Sun God

• Khepr: the scarab at the early morning
• Ra: the sun disc at noon time
• Atum: the ram at sunset time

The Afterlife

• The process involved an elaborate death ritual and was directed by priests
• Sophisticated tools and techniques were used with focus to medical procedure
• The embalming procedure was non medical ,as the person was already dead

Mummification

• Excessive respect for the dead was a facet to mummifcation
• Mummification hindered future medical breakthroughs
• Exploration of the sacred body was not allowed
• Anubis Priest was in charge of mummification wearing the mask of Anubis
• Priest stands with incense
• Body was wrapped in layers of linen before being placed in the coffin
• Natron, a kind of soda, was placed in the body to dry out before wrapping in linen
• Body parts and organs are taken out leaving the heart
• Linen was soaked in plaster sometimes so they could harden
• It was common to remove the brain through the nose
• A cut was made to remove the internal organs kept in containers

Daily Life

• Personal hygiene was important
• Public Works allowed for drain systems
• Sanitation meant a water delivery system
• Bathing

Family

• The nuclear family and many gods were grouped in Ancient Egypt
• Respect for ones parents was important, with special roles for the son to ensure the parents had proper burials
• They traced the mother and fathers bloodline

Women

• Women had more freedom of choice and equality under justice under the law
• Women had the right to initiate divorce and were able to serve on juries
• Women could testify in trials, inherit real estate, and disinherit ungrateful children
• Gender roles were important in determining the female role in upper and peasant classes
• Women of the peasant class worked side by side with men in the fields
• Elite women worked at home while their husbands worked crafts or worked civil jobs
• Both men and women got properties separately

Childhood

• Without kids, there was no society or family in Ancient Egypt
• Wealthy children had dolls and toys
• Working class kids mirrored their parents roles by working in fields or doing house chores