Egypt: Unification and Old Kingdom - Study Guide PDF

T5: Egypt: Unification and Old Kingdom 1 Egypt and Mesopotamia: contrasts Almost as old as Mesopotamian civilizations More stable compared to Mesopotamia More pleasant climate Availability of metals & building stone in contrast to Mesopotamian mud-...

T5: Egypt: Unification and Old Kingdom 1 Egypt and Mesopotamia: contrasts Almost as old as Mesopotamian civilizations More stable compared to Mesopotamia More pleasant climate Availability of metals & building stone in contrast to Mesopotamian mud-brick Regular flood of Nile was in contrast to unpredictable flooding of Tigris and Euphrates Natural barriers (desert, Mediterranean Sea, Nile cataracts) in contrast to Mesopotamian open plain land 2  One of the longest rivers on The Nile earth – 6,853 km 2 streams: White Nile from Central Africa and Blue Nile from Ethiopia - merge near Khartoum (Sudan) and flow onto the Mediterranean Egypt named “Gift of the Nile” by Herodotus (484 - 425 BCE) due to: Predictable annual floods carrying rich alluvial silt Navigation- friendly, abundance of fish, geese etc. 3 Geography and common culture Limited area of fertile soil (less than 12,000 sq. miles out of nearly 400,000 sq. miles) – forcing people to live in a compact society Surrounded by sea (Mediterranean), deserts and cataracts (waterfalls), Egyptians developed a common culture 4 5  Lower and Upper Egypt Traditional rivalry between fertile Lower Egypt (North) and arid Upper Egypt (South) Emergence of two kingdoms by 4000 BCE – in Lower and Upper Egypt Narmer (Menes) a king of Upper Egypt, united both parts around 3100 BCE Egyptian kings known as Pharaoh 6  Main periods Archaic Period (3100 – 2686 BCE) Old Kingdom (2686 – 2181 BCE) Middle Kingdom (2055 – 1650 BCE) New Kingdom (1550 – 1069 BCE) Late Period ((747 – 332 BCE) There were gaps or intermediate periods between the three Kingdoms Ruled by 31 dynasties during 3 millennia (from 3100 to 332 BCE) 7  Archaic period (3100 – 2686 BCE) Narmer (Menes) founded the 1st Dynasty in c. 3100 BCE During the Archaic Period, canals were dug, cities and roads were built Centralized bureaucracy and a well-developed written language Initial burial monuments called Mastaba - later turned into gigantic Pyramids The purpose was to preserve and glorify the bodies of Pharaohs and their relatives 8 Mastaba- precursor to pyramid 9  Old Kingdom (2686 – 2181 BCE) Absolute state power controlled by the Pharaoh, considered as representatives of Sun god Step pyramid built by Pharaoh Djoser - predecessor of gigantic pyramids of later days Pharaohs married sisters to keep the “divine blood” uncontaminated Pharaoh himself was the chief priest No standing army Considered the “Golden Age” of Egyptian civilization Collapse of Old Kingdom around 2181 BCE mainly due to climate change – economic crisis – social and political unrest 10  Step pyramid Pharaoh Zoser Collapse of the Old Kingdom around 2181 BCE mainly due to: climate change, economic crisis, social and political unrest 11 Middle Kingdom (2050-1650 BCE) Foundation of Middle Kingdom after a century- long power struggle and chaos Alliance with middle class - nobility kept in check Stability and prosperity for about 4 centuries Extensive drainage and irrigation projects Built more temples than pyramids Famous Pharaohs: Amenhotep I, Sesostris I & III, Amenhotep III 12  Pyramid About 80 ancient pyramids known so far Not just tombs – huge monuments meant to glorify the Pharaoh Three largest and best-preserved pyramids at Giza built at the beginning of the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Khufu The most prominent one known as the ‘Great Pyramid’ (481 ft above ground) – built for pharaoh Khufu Over 20,000 workers – about 14 years 13 Great Pyramid of Giza (Pharaoh Khufu) 14  Luxor temple Amenhotep III 15  Karnak temple Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) 16  Study Questions What were the contrasts between Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations? Do you agree that ancient Egypt was the “gift of the Nile”? How did geographical factors facilitated the creation of a common Egyptian culture? How did the unification of Egypt take place? What were the achievements of the Archaic Period? Why is the Old Kingdom known as the “golden Age” in Egyptian history? Why did the Old Kingdom collapse? Why were pyramids built? 17 Thank You 18