Egypt

Ancient Civilizations
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 Ancient Egypt
• Around 5000 years ago the ancient
Egyptians established an extraordinary
civilisation.
• The culture of Ancient Egypt lived along
the Nile River in Egypt from before the 5th
millennium BC until the 4th Century AD.
 Topics
• Geography
• Nile
• History
• Daily life
• Religion
• Achievements
• Life after the death
Geography
Maps
 NILE
The Longest River
 It is the longest river in the world.
 The river flows northward for more than 4,000 miles from its
main source at Lake Victoria in central Africa.
 The Nile was known as the giver of life.
 The Nile River Valley has fertile land along each side of the
river.
 People were not able to survive in the harsh desert and began to
move into the Nile River Valley.
 It united the population of Egypt into one nation.
Historic map of
the River Nile
by Piri Reis
From Kitab-ı
Bahriye
 Nile as the Basis of Civilization
• Common problems helped unite the
Ancient Egyptians.
• They were able to predict when the yearly
floods (inundation) would come.
• To prevent this event they created a 365
day calendar based on the sun.
 The Nile Gives Birth to a New
Civilisation
• (A) THE DELTA • Good Farming Land
North of Memphis, the Nile
divided into channels, to form a • Irrigation systems
delta. Much of this land was
swampy, but the rest was good for • Complex flood patterns
farming.
– Mathematical skills required
(B) OASIS
The Western Desert had a few
– Advanced planning required
places where enough water was
available for crops to be grown.
These were called oases.

(C) THE EASTERN DESERT

The Eastern Desert had no oases
but it contained valuable minerals,
including gold.

(D) THE VALLEY

The valley was only 19 km wide
but over 5,960 km long.

(E) CATARACTS
Ships sailing south were stopped
by cataracts (rapids).
UPPER EGYPT AND LOWER EGYPT

The land around the river is higher

at the beginning of the river and lower
near the mouth of the river.

The ancient people called the higher

land in the south “Upper Egypt.”

The land in the north, the delta area,

was called “Lower Egypt.”
Upper and Lower Egypt
Both had rich soil.

The land was perfect for growing crops.

People were able to settle around the

river and farm instead of hunting and
gathering.
 Producing More than enough Food
(A) HARVEST
When the main crops were ready, nearly
everyone - men and women, even priests -
• Surplus Food Produced
helped with the harvest.
– Store for future use
(B) MUSIC
Musicians played while work went on in the – Trade for other goods
fields. At planting time, magic spells were
chanted to make the crops grow. – Not everyone needs to farm
(C) WINNOWING • New trades and specialities develop
Women scooped the grain up with wooden
trays, letting the chaff blow away while the
heavier grain fell to the ground.
(D) TAXES
Farmers paid part of their crop as taxes.
Scribes kept careful records of the amounts.
(E) CATTLE
Young boys helped to look after the
livestock. A man's wealth could be judged
by the cattle he owned. Farmers also owned
sheep, goats, and donkeys.
 A New Hierarchy Develops
• Agricultural and
Trading opportunities
allow New Hierarchy
to be formed
– Elite/Aristocracy
• Pay wages to others to
work for them
• Life of leisure
– Free time to think
• New ideas
• New Inventions
• New Skills
 In Ancient Egypt, there were two kinds of land.
the 'black land‘ and the 'red land'
• The 'red land' was the
desert that protected Egypt
• The 'black land' was
on two sides. These
the fertile land on the deserts separated ancient
banks of the Nile. Egypt from neighboring
• The ancient Egyptians countries and invading
armies.
used this land for
growing their crops. • They also provided the
ancient Egyptians with a
source for valuable metals
and semi-precious stones.
How do we know about the history of
Ancient Egypt?

•Egyptians left written records like Greeks or

Romans
•They developed hieroglyphics, a
system of writing.
• Scribes studied for years to learn hieroglyphics.
• They also learned math.
• A scribe’s job often was tax collecting and record keeping.
• They wrote on stone and on papyrus.
• Books were scrolls – rolls of papyrus joined end-to-end.
•Some were over100 feet long.
• Scribes recorded Egyptian history.
•But Scribes did not write history as it actually happen. For example,
the Egyptian scribes wrote about the famous Kadesh Battle as the
victory of Egyptians. In fact, it was not the success for Egyptians.
Egyptian Scribe
 The Battle of Kadesh
• The first battle in the history on which there are
written evidences.
• The Battle of Kadesh (also Qadesh) took place
between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under
Ramses II and the Hittite Empire under Mutawali
II at the city of Kadesh what is now the Syrian
Arab Republic.
• The battle is generally dated to 1274 BC. It was
probably the largest chariot battle ever fought,
involving perhaps 5,000–6,000 chariots.
The Egyptian Empireunder Ramesses II (green) bordering on the Hittite
Empire (red) at the height of its power in ca. 1279 BC
Ramses II at Kadesh Battle
 Historical Overview
Ancient Egypt was the
birthplace of one of the
World’s greatest
civilizations. It was far
more advanced than
European tribes of the
same time period, who
were still in the Stone Age.
Located in the northeast
corner of Africa, Egypt
grew to be an important
civilization for over three
hundred years because of
the Nile River.
 Major Time Periods of Egypt
 The Old Kingdom
When the pharaohs built
the pyramids
 The Middle Kingdom
When training and military explorers were
sent out to expand Egypt’s boundaries
 The New Kingdom
Ending with Queen Cleopatra losing her land
to Augustus Caesar and Rome
 Ancient Egyptian
PeriodsHistory
Time Frame
Nile Culture 3900 B. C. E.
Begins
Archaic 3100 – 2650 B. C. E.
Old Kingdom 2650 – 2134 B. C. E.
Middle Kingdom 2040 – 1640 B. C. E.
New Kingdom 1550 – 1070 B. C. E.
Late Period 750 – 332 B. C. E.
Greek Ptolemaic 332 – 30 B. C. E.
Era
 A Quranic Overview of Egypt
• 2:61 - Hani bir zamanlar, "Ey Musa, biz tek çeşit yemeğe asla
katlanamayacağız, yeter artık bizim için Rabbine dua et de bize yerin
yetiştirdiği şeylerden; sebzesinden, kabağından, sarmısağından,
mercimeğinden ve soğanından çıkarsın." dediniz. O da size "O üstün olanı
daha aşağı olanla değiştirmek mi istiyorsunuz? Bir kasabaya konaklayın o
vakit istediğiniz elbette olacaktır." dedi. Üzerlerine zillet ve meskenet damgası
vuruldu ve nihayet Allah'dan bir gazaba uğradılar. Evet öyle oldu, çünkü
Allah'ın âyetlerini inkâr ediyorlar ve haksız yere peygamberleri
öldürüyorlardı. Evet öyle oldu, çünkü isyana dalıyorlar ve aşırı gidiyorlardı.
• 10:87 - Biz Musa ile kardeşine şöyle vahyettik: "Kavminiz için Mısır'da
birtakım evler hazırlayın ve evlerinizi kıbleye karşı yapın ve namazı kılın ve
müminlere müjde verin." 12:21 - Onu satın alan Mısırlı, eşine dedi ki: "Buna
güzel bak. Bize faydalı olabilir, ya da evlat ediniriz." Yusuf'u böylece oraya
yerleştirdik. Ona rüyaların tabirini de öğrettik. Allah emrinde galiptir. Fakat
insanların çoğu bunu bilmezler.
• 12:99 - Ne zaman ki, onlar Yusuf'un yanına vardılar, işte o zaman Yusuf
anasını ve babasını kucakladı, yanına aldı ve "Buyurun Allah'ın dilemesiyle
güven içinde Mısır'a girin" dedi.
• 43:51 - Firavun kavmine seslenerek dedi ki: "Ey kavmim! Mısır hükümdarlığı
ve altımdan akıp giden şu ırmaklar benim değil mi? Görmüyor musunuz?
 A Biblical Overview of Egypt
• Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, was the favorite child. His father
made him a coat of many colors. His brothers were jealous of him.
They were going to kill him, but sold him as a slave. He found favor
with the Pharaoh Potiphar. He interpreted dreams for the Pharaoh.
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain where they ran into
Joseph. They did not recognize him. He tested them and revealed his
identity. He forgave them for sending him away. He said it was God
who sent him to Egypt to save people’s lives.
• When a new Pharaoh ruled Egypt, he was worried that the Israelites
would rise up against him. He decided that every baby boy should be
thrown into the Nile River. One woman was determined to save her
son. She kept the baby boy hidden for three months, then she put him
in a basket she had made and let him float down the river. The
Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby boy and called him Moses, which
means “pulled out or the water”.
• Moses was commanded by God to ask the Pharaoh to release the
people of Egypt. He obeyed God’s command and asked Pharaoh to let
his people go. God knew that Pharaoh would deny the command and
he did. God sent ten plagues to Egypt to curse the land.
ANCIENT EGYPT

DAILY LIFE
 Social Pyramid of Egypt
• Pharaoh
• Upper Class
– Royal Family, Government Officials,
Army Officers, Priests, Landowners,
and Doctors

• Middle Class
– Merchants, Manufacturers, and Artisans

• Lower Class
– Unskilled Laborers and Farmers

• Slaves and Servants

Pharaoh
Pharaoh was believed by
the Egyptians to be the
supreme ruler chosen
by the gods to lead his
people.
They believed that when a
man became a pharaoh,
he also became a god.
To keep the bloodline of
the gods pure, pharaohs
often married their
sisters, mothers, and
cousins.
Some Famous Egyptian
Pharaohs
Tutankha
mon
1336-1327 B.
C. E.

Thutmos
e III
1504-1450 B.
C. E. Ramses II
1279-1212 B.
C. E.
 Daily life of the Wealthy
 Men were busy all day as merchants, trading along the Nile River.
Others supervised the daily workings of farms.
 Many of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Egypt were
priests.
 Boys were taught to read and write.
 Women could own land, run businesses, testify in court, and bring
charges against men.
 Women oversaw the running of the households and gave the
servants instructions for daily menus and child care.
 Children were allowed much playtime. Girls practiced singing and
dancing. Boys wrestled and played army.
 Women and girls wore straight dresses of beautiful lined and a lot
of jewelry. At parties, they wore cones of incense on their heads
that melted slowly giving off a pleasant smell.
 Men and boys wore linen kilts
 Both men and women wore eye make-up made from black ashes.
 Their homes were brick and wood containing many rooms, as well
as walled garden and a shrine for a favorite god.
 Daily Life of
Workers
 The poor worked long hours for goods that they could
exchange in the marketplace for the products they needed.
 Agriculture was a major trade and many workers were
farmers.
 Boys learned a trade from their fathers, and girls were
taught to care for the home and family by their mothers.
 Women and girls wore straight, sheath-like dresses of
rough, unbleached linen.
 Men and boys wore short cloth kilts.
 Their homes were usually one-story made out of sun-dried
brick. There would be a basement and four rooms. They
had little furniture. Stairs led to the flat rooftop so that the
family could enjoy the cool night air after the sun went
down.
Ancient Egyptian
HousingMiddle Class
Homes

Peasant
Homes
Scenes of Ancient
Egyptian
Daily Life
 Egypt’s Economy
• Pharaoh was at the center
of the economy
• Based upon Agriculture
• Pharaoh took taxes on
the crops that were
grown, and goods that
were made
• Goods were “bartered”
or traded for other
needed goods
 Towns and Cities Develop
• Craftsmen, traders,
labourers find it easier
and more convenient
to live in towns and
cities.
• Urban economy and
lifestyle develops
• Medical threats to an
urban population
 Hygienic Lifestyle
• Personal Hygiene
– Very important
• Public Works allow
for
– Drain Systems
– Water Delivery
systems
– Bathing
Egyptian Religion
• Polytheism
– About 2000
gods & goddesses
– Amon-Ra
– Osiris
– Horis

• Death and Funerals

– Three souls “ka, ba, and akh”
– Embalming
– Burial Tombs
 The Ancient Egyptians believed in many
gods and used stories about them
to explain events in nature.

They believed the sun was a god

that was born each day and died
each night.

They believed religion was important to

their survival in the Nile River Valley.
god of wisdom

goddess of love

ruled over the dead

god of the river

the sun god (most important)

 Egyptian Gods &
Goddesses:
“The Sacred ‘Trinity’”

Osiris Isis
Horus
 Life after Death
• The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife
of beauty, peace, and contentment.
• Since most of their lives were filled with hard
work, they looked forward to death as a
release from this lifetime.
• They believed their souls would need to use
their bodies again, so the Egyptians invented a
process to embalm their bodies called
mummification.
• Wealthy could afford better mummification
than the poor
Video about Ancient Egyptians

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ACHIEVEMENTS

CONTRIBUTIONS
 Major Contributions
• Egyptian civilization made many contributions to the
world. Among them are a 365 - day calendar,
• hieroglyphics (picture writing), and papyrus (paper like
writing material).
• papyrus (paper made from the papyrus plant)
• They also had one of the first national governments and
developed a religion that emphasized life after death.
• However their best known accomplishment are the
pyramids, gigantic stone structures built as tombs for the
pharaohs(kings that were constructed 4500 years ago and
are still standing.
 The End of Ancient Egypt
Civilization
• The ancient Egyptian civilization
effectively ended after the Roman
domination, but the pyramids and colossal
statues they left behind stand as testimony
to the power of the pharaohs.