Egyptian Civilization
Kasyap. P, Faculty, Malabar Christian College
Vocabulary
• 1. hieroglyphics – the Ancient Egyptian system of writing that used pictures and symbols to represent
words. Often Written on papyrus
• 2. pharoahs -a ruler in ancient Egypt often referred to as Egyptian god-kings
• 3. pyramids - a large structure built especially in ancient Egypt that usually has a square base and four
triangular sides meeting at a point and that contains tombs of the pharoahs.
• 4. mummification - The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used
• to preserve the body for the afterlife.
• 5. Nile River – The longest river in the world that flows south to north in Africa.
• 6. papyrus - a reed that grows in marshy areas around the Nile river. In ancient Egypt, the wild plant was used
for a variety of uses, and specially cultivated papyrus, grown on plantations, was used to make paper.
Geography of Ancient Egypt
• Egypt is located on the Nile
River
• The Nile begins in the
Highlands of Ethiopia with
two branches:
• The White Nile and th Blue
Nile
• These rivers unite and flow
north where the empty into
the Mediterranean Sea.
• Where the river empties into the
Nile it forms the Nile Delta, a
rich area of alluvial soil.
1
• “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” – Herodotus
• People settled and established farming villages along the Nile.
• Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil.
• Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation
ditches.
• Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt.
• The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the
Mediterranean world.
Timeline of Ancient Egypt
Religion
• For the Egyptians, religion was closely tied to daily life.
• The Egyptians were polytheistic, worshipping many different gods.
• About 1,500 deities are known.
• The most important god was the god of the sun, Re, also
sometimes referred to as Ra or Amon-Re.
• It was believed that the Pharaoh was connected to this god.
• The state dedicated enormous resources to religious rituals and to
the construction of temples.
• Individuals could interact with the gods for their own purposes,
appealing for help through prayer or compelling the gods to act
through magic
Egyptian Deities
• Re (Ra)
• The Chief Egyptian god. Was seen
as the god of the sun.
• Anubis was the patron of
embalming. He was also the
keeper of poisons and medicines
• Osiris supreme god and judge of the dead
• Isis as a winged goddess she may represent the
wind.
• Isis was a great enchantress, the goddess of
magic.
• The religion had its roots in Egypt's prehistory and lasted
for 3,500 years
• The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a
monarch.
• Belief in eternal life after death.
• Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through
the afterworld.
• Practiced mummification, the preservation of the
body for use in the next life.
• The religion declined following the Roman conquest of
Egypt in 30 BC and Egyptians began converting to
Christianity. In addition practices such as mummification
halted.
Pharaohs and their history
• Egyptian History is
divided into three
main periods
1. The Old Kingdom
2. The Middle Kingdom
3. The New Kingdom
1
OLD MIDDLE NEW
KINGDOM KINGDOM KINGDOM
Pharaohs organized a strong Large drainage project created Powerful pharaohs
central state, were absolute arable farmland.
created a large empire
rulers, and were considered
Traders had contacts with Middle
that reached the
gods.
East and Crete. Euphrates River.
Egyptians built pyramids at
Giza. Corruption and rebellions were Hatshepsut
common. encouraged trade.
Power struggles, crop
failures, and cost of pyramids Hyksos invaded and occupied
Ramses II expanded
contributed to the collapse of the delta region. Egyptian rule to Syria.
the Old Kingdom.
Egyptian power
declined.
The Old Kingdom 2700-2200 B.C.
• The Old Kingdom was a period of great prosperity.
• This time is also called the pyramid age, because the great
pyramids were built during this time.
• Egyptian kings came to be known as Pharaohs.
• The Pharaoh was seen as divine, or godlike. The people believed
that the Pharaoh controlled many things including the flooding
of the Nile itself.
• The Pharaoh wielded absolute power, but used advisors to help
them.
• The Chief advisor to the Pharaoh was the Vizier.
The Middle Kingdom 2050-1652 B.C
• After the fall of the Old Kingdom there was a period of chaos for
about 150 years
• A new dynasty took over in Egypt, bringing a period of stability.
• Egypt expanded into Nubia to its south.
• The government also sent troops into Palestine and Syria and sent
traders to Kush, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Crete
• In the new kingdom the Pharaoh took new interest in the common
people. The Pharaoh also implemented many public works projects.
New Kingdom 1567-1085 B.C.
• The Middle Kingdom ended with the invasion
of a people called the Hyksos
• The Hyksos had Chariots and superior weapons
to the
Egyptians. The Egyptians were easily defeated.
• Eventually the Egyptians overthrew the
Hyksos and established the New Kingdom
• The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom took a more
aggressive ruling style
• Egypt became the most powerful state in
Southwest Asia
• This is the period in history in which the
Egyptians enslaved the Jews according to the
Old Testament
Hatshepsut
• Hatshepsut was the first woman to be
Pharaoh
• She was the daughter of a Pharaoh and the
mother and regent of a Pharaoh.
• She took power for herself
• She had to pose as a man to cement her
authority.
• She built many monuments and temples.
Akhenaton
• Akhenaton wanted Egypt to worship the god
of the sun, Aton, as the only god.
• He closed all of the temples to the other gods
and caused major social and political problems.
He and his wife, Nefertiti, become unpopular
rulers.
• After his death Tutankhamen (King Tut)
restored the old ways of worship.
King Tut: Tutankhamen
• Became pharoah at the age of 9-10
years old
• Became Pharaoh after the death of
Akhenaton.
• Restored the old religious practices
• Has the only tomb to be found intact
Ramses II (The Great)
• Ramses II, reigned from 1279 until 1213 B.C. One of
the longest reigns in Egyptian History
• He sought to increase the size of the empire and went
on many military conquests, but he was unsuccessful.
He was only able to gain the area of Palestine.
• He fathered over 100 children
• Some think that he is the Pharaoh of the Hebrew
Exodus
Abu Simbel: Temple
of Ramses the
Great
Advances in Learning Advances in the Arts
Developed a form of picture writing Statues, paintings, and writings tell
called hieroglyphics. us about ancient Egyptian values
and attitudes.
Doctors diagnosed and cured
illnesses, performed surgery, and Developed painting style that
developed medicines still used remained unchanged for thousands
today. of years.
Developed 12-month calendar on Wrote hymns and prayers to the
which modern calendar is based. gods, proverbs, love poems, stories
Astronomers mapped constellations of victory in battle, and folk tales.
and charted movement of the
planets. Built pyramids and other great
buildings, such as temple of
Developed practical geometry. Ramses II.
Skilled in design and engineering.
Hieroglyphics
• Writing began in Egypt around 3000 B.C.
• There were different types of writing for different occasions.
• Hieroglyphics were ideograms used for formal writing
• Hieratic Script (Demotic) was a simplified version of Egyptian
writing.
The Rosetta Stone
• For a long time archaeologists were unable to translate
hieroglyphics
• The discovery of the Rosetta stone allowed for the
• translation of Hieroglyphics
• It contained the same passage in three languages
• Hieroglyphics
• Greek
• Demotic
Egyptian Society
• Egypt had a hierarchical social structure.
• Monogamy was the rule, and women had more rights in Ancient
Egypt than the rest of the Ancient world.
• Women could own property, business, and
request a divorce.
PHARAOH
Earthly leader; considered a god
HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES
Served gods and goddesses
NOBLES
Fought pharaoh’s wars
MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS
Made furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for
pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs
PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES
Worked in the fields and served the pharaoh
DISCOVER THE BEST OF
EGYP T
Egypt gained independence in 1952 and has since
struggled with political instability, social and economic
challenges, and periodic periods of conflict. Despite these
challenges, Egypt remains a fascinating and culturally
rich country with a wealth of historical and
archaeological treasures.
Sphinx of Giza Alexandria Abu Simbel Temple Tutankhamen statue
Great
Sphinx of
GIZA
The Pyramids and Sphinx
• Pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom
• They were designed to be tombs for the Pharaoh
• Originally there were step pyramids, then the
pyramids evolved into the ones we see at Giza
• The Pyramids were designed to protect the mummies
of the Pharaohs, but they ultimately failed. They
were robbed and pillaged.
Mummification
• To preserve the body so that the soul could stay in the afterlife,
the Egyptians perfected the process of mummification.
Mummification was expensive, however, and during the Old
Kingdom was a luxury of the rich.
• First the body was washed and the internal organs including the
lungs, stomach, liver and intestines were removed. The heart
was left in the body because the Egyptians viewed it as the
center of emotion.
• The Brain was removed through the nose and thrown away. The
Egyptians didn’t
think it served any purpose
• The Body was packed in Natron (a drying agent) and left for 70
days. After that the body was wrapped in linen with tree resin for
glue. Magical amulets and other treasures were buried with the
body.
240
feet
long
66 feet high
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a massive
limestone statue located on the Giza
Plateau in Egypt, just outside the city of
Cairo. It depicts a mythical creature with The oldest
monolithic
the head of a human and the body of a statue in the
lion, and is one of the largest and oldest world
monolithic statues in the world.
The Pyramids of Giza are one of the most iconic
Pyramids
and recognizable landmarks in the world. Located
on the Giza Plateau, just outside of Cairo in Egypt,
GIZA
the pyramids were constructed over 4,500 years
of ago during the Old Kingdom period of Ancient
Egypt.
The oldest
monolithic
statue in the
world
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