Transcript Document

Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
A Map of Ancient Egypt
Populated Areas
There were three main areas that were populated
in Egypt:
1. The Nile Valley
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sole source of water for Egypt
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Predictable flooding provided rich fertile soil
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Both revered and feared (too much flooding
or droughts)
2.
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3.
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The Nile Delta
Area were Nile empties into Mediterranean
Sea
Largest piece of fertile land
Encompassed major centres of Egypt
Faiyum
Lake Moeris lies at end of branch of Nile is
centre of oasis called Faiyum
Irrigation from Nile made Faiyum the third
most populated land
• Fertile soil
• deserts provided protection
and shelter from outside
influences
• Access to Mediterranean
increased and expanded trade
and culture
• culture was one of stability
and not rapid change
• Deserts were an important
source of minerals and
building supplies (copper, tin,
gold and natron, the drying
agent used in mummification)
Geographic
Effects
Highlights of Ancient Egyptian History
•King Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt and wears double crown in
3100 BCE. Following Menes came 31 dynasties over 3000 years.
Geography
•Death and the afterlife was an integral part of Egyptian life
•Era of the Old Kingdom (2690 BCE), Pharaohs were absolute rulers and
viewed as a god holding absolute secular and religious power. Old Kingdom
also began that Age of Pyramids
•Imhotep was not a ruler but revered and his life was recorded (architect,
medicine, right hand to Pharaoh Djoser (2686-2613 BCE)
•Pyramids- evolved from mastabas, then Step Pyramids, most known are
Pyramids at Giza (2600-2500 BCE)
•Middle Kingdom: Under Theban Kings (south), the Theban god “Amon”
merged with sun god “Re” which became Egyptian national god “Amon-Re”
•Improved technology emerged due to the Intermediate Periods (ie. 2
wheeled chariots, stronger army, expansion of empire)
Other Pharaohs
•1470 BCE – Reign of Hatsheput (one of four female Kings)
•1350 BCE – Reign of Akhenaton (Wanted to change religious beliefs to
monotheism)
•1334 BCE – Reign of Tutankhamun (Religious revolution is reversed)
•1297 BCE - Reign of Ramses II. He had over 200 wives and concubines,
approximately 90 sons and 60 daughters and reigned over 67 years! His reign
saw massive building projects in Egypt. The Exodus of Jews from Egypt also
occurred during his reign.
•525 BCE – Persians conquer Egypt
•332 BCE – Alexander the Great defeats the Persians and
considered savior of Egypt
•50 BCE – Cleopatra VII is crowned Queen of Egypt
•30 BCE – Egypt becomes part of Roman empire after death of Cleopatra VII
and Mark Anthony
How did Pharaoh's rule?
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•absolute rulers of the land
•believed to be the earthly embodiment of
the god Horus who was the son of Amon-Re
•Therefore they had the divine right to rule
•This allowed them to move between god
and their people
•People followed their orders because they
believed they were from god
•No one would challenge the King’s
authority and he could rule in relative peace
•Ma’at was the goddess and symbol of
equilibrium of the universe and the king had
to rule according to her principles
•The throne passed on to eldest son of
Principal Queen who was usual the eldest
daughter of the previous king therefore the
king’s sister
•Pharaohs owned all the land – they had a
hierarchy of government officials to help
him rule
•Second to the Pharaohs were the scribes
who would record the doings of the Pharaoh
MA’AT
-symbol of
the equilibrium
of the universe
Religion
• The Egyptians were deeply
religious people
• religious roots were in the
worship of nature deities – their
first gods were in animal forms
• Those responsible for creation
were the most important gods
(Atum is the creator God)
• They later developed national
gods around the Middle
Kingdom (Amon- local god of
Thebes; gods of Dead: Osiris,
Anubis, Horus and Thoth)
Atum
Afterlife
• Life and death was measured in accordance to Ma’at
• Death viewed as a new beginning
• Afterlife common to all, regardless of social status (preparation
varied as well as goods stored in tombs)
• 2 Common Principles:
1) body preservation in a lifelike form
2) the deceased must have items necessary for life in the
afterworld
• Personal belongings were usually placed in the tomb to make the
Ka more at home and to assist the dead in their journey into the
afterlife.
• Text was read from the 'Book of the Dead' which was a collection
of spells, charms, passwords, numbers and magical formulas for
the use of the deceased in the afterlife.
This scene depicts what occurs after a person has died,
according to the ancient Egyptians.
• panel of 14 judges
• ankh, the key of life
• Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at
• Judgment of scale
• record of the outcome
• Mummification focused
on Egyptian belief of the
importance of
preserving the body
• Afterlife would be spent
enjoying best of life
experiences
• Body covered with
natron and dried for up
to 70 days
• Body wrapped in linen
coated with resins and
oils
• Middle Kingdom
became customary to
place a mask over the
face
Mummification
• Removal of organs (lungs, stomach,
intestines, liver) in Canopic Jars were
closed with stoppers fashioned in the
shape of four heads -- human,
baboon, falcon, and jackal representing the four protective
spirits called the Four Sons of Horus.
• brain was sucked out of the cranial
cavity and thrown away because the
Egyptian's thought it was useless.
Hieroglyphics
• History of Writing:
1) pictograms (sun= sun)
2) ideograms (sun = sun, daylight,
warmth, light)
3) phonograms: symbols that suggest a
particular sound; related ideas and also
sound (Sun = sun, son, Sunday)
• Each hieroglyph found in pyramids and
tombs often symbolized more than one
consonant. Not only that, but actual
Egyptian hieroglyphs were a combination
of sound-signs, pictograms, and
ideograms. No wonder it was so hard to
decode them!
• New Kingdom= 700
hieroglyphs in common
usage, while rest were
phonograms
• 100 were strictly visual,
while rest were
phonograms
• Eventually scribes
adapted hieroglyphic
symbols
• By 700 BCE, script was
refined to the demotic
(or popular script) was
used for secular matters
such as letters, accounts
and record keeping
Rosetta Stone
What is the Rosetta Stone?
• The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it
in two languages (Egyptian and Greek), using
three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and
Greek). It was carved in 196 BCE.
Why is it in three different scripts?
• The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts
(hieroglyphs for religious documents;
demotic- common script of Egypt; Greeklanguage of the rulers of Egypt at that time)
• The Rosetta Stone was written in all three
scripts so that the priests, government officials
and rulers of Egypt could read what it said.
When was the Rosetta Stone found?
• The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 by
French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in
Egypt (in a small village in Delta called
Rosetta (Rashid)
What does the Rosetta Stone say?
• The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group
of priests in Egypt to honour the Egyptian
pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the
pharaoh had done that were good for the
priests and the people of Egypt.
Art
In Egyptian art, the translation of information was more
important than realism. In creating Egyptian wall art,
several rules must be followed.
• Rule 1: Profile: Head in profile. Side view
of eye and eyebrow. Eye never looks
straight ahead
• Rule 2: Colour: Men painted in red ochre.
Women painted in yellow ochre
• Rule 3: Stance: Hips have a three-quarter
turn. Chest and shoulders shown at their full
width. Both feet, legs, arms and hands must
be shown
• Rule 4: Scale: Size of figures reflects social
status. Men are larger than women of equal
status. Wives and children often in
crouching position,
with arms around the calves of the father
• Rule 5: Proportions: Hands and feet are
often large compared to
the rest of the body
Legal Traditions
• Law was governed by religious principle of
Ma’at
• Represented truth, righteousness and justice=
balance and order
• Laws were applied equally to all classes
specifically protected the family (children and
wives)
• Punishments could be quite severe (minor
crimes had 100 lashed; rapist were castrated;
corrupt officials had their hands amputated;
crimes that resulted in a death sentence could
have choice= devoured by a crocodile,
suicide, burning alive)
Social Roles
Role of Men
Role of Women
• Well treated and had
considerable legal rights
compared to other
civilizations
• Same legal rights as men
(land, property, divorce)
• Left women to be
economically independent
• Primary role was in domestic
life
• Common title for a married
women in ancient Egypt was
“nebet per” meaning “the
lady of the house”
• Bear and raise children
• Head of the family
• Men could have numerous
wives but economically men
had only 1 wife
• Labourers, craftsmen
• Jobs were hereditary
Education
• Contributed to stability and continuity of Egypt
• All children, regardless of social class, received some
education
• Followed a moral and ethical guide
• Goal for education was to ensure youth exhibited self
control and good manners
• At 14, young boys followed fathers in jobs, and girls
learned from mothers in the household
• Children of priests were schooled more formally
• Literacy was stressed for government jobs
• Education respected for creating a well rounded
individual
Map of Ancient Trade Routes From Mesopotamia to
Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea
Economy
Wealth
• Agriculture made up most of Egypt’s wealth – grain, vegetables, fruit,
cattle, goats, pigs and fowl
• Fishing was also a major of food and wealth
Economy
• Simple economy based on food production and minerals from desert
• Because of their access to the Mediterranean their routes extended as
far as Northern Europe, subtropical Africa and the Near East
• Trading was done by bartering
• Grain, oil and wheat were used as the base of the bartering system
• The extensive trading made Egypt a powerful influence on culture, art,
ideas and technology with the other areas
• For example our current calendar was taken from the Romans who had
borrowed it from the Egyptians; no currency until the Romans
THE MUMMY Movie
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Imhotep lived during the Old Kingdom and
was born a commoner during the Third
Dynasty. He was very skilled and was
dedicated to the ideals of his nation. Imhotep
quickly rose through the ranks of the temple
and court to become a vizier and the High
Priest of Ptah.
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Imhotep was a poet, an architect and
physician-priest. He wrote many medical and
didactic texts. He is best known, however, as
the chief architect of the step pyramid at
Saqqara. It remains today as one of the most
brilliant architecture wonders of the ancient
world.
During the New Kingdom, Imhotep was
deified and became the "Son of Ptah." The
Romans Claudius and Tiberius inscribed their
praises of Imhotep in the temples in Egypt.
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Scarab Beetle
• The particular species of beetle represented
in the numerous ancient Egyptian amulets
and works of art was commonly the large
sacred scarab.
• This beetle was famous for his habit of
rolling balls of dung along the ground and
depositing them in its burrows. The female
would lay her eggs in the ball of dung. When
they hatched, the larvae would use the ball
for food. When the dung was consumed the
young beetles would emerge from the hole.
• It seemed to the ancient Egyptians that the
young scarab beetles emerged spontaneously
from the burrow were they were born.
Therefore they were worshipped as
"Khepera", which means "he was came
forth." This creative aspect of the scarab was
associated with the creator god Atum.
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The Mummy is a 1999 American film written and
directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan
Fraser and Rachel Weisz, with Arnold Vosloo in
the title role as the reanimated mummy. The
movie features substantial dialogue in ancient
Egyptian language, spoken with the assistance of
a professional Egyptologist. It is a loose remake
of the 1932 film of the same name which starred
Boris Karloff in the title role. Originally intended
to be part of a low-budget horror series, the movie
was eventually turned into a blockbuster
adventure film.
The Mummy opened on May 7, 1999 and grossed
$43 million. The film went on to gross
$415 million worldwide.
Although its commercial success and popularity
with audiences was positive, critical reception
was mixed. The Mummy holds a 53 percent
"rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a
48 Metascore at Metacritic.
Roger Ebert, a film critic wrote, "There is hardly a
thing I can say in its favor, except that I was
cheered by nearly every minute of it. I cannot
argue for the script, the direction, the acting or
even the mummy, but I can say that I was not
bored and sometimes I was unreasonably
pleased.“
Likewise, Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment
Weekly gave the film a "B-" rating and said, "The
Mummy would like to make you shudder, but it
tries to do so without ever letting go of its jocular
inconsequentiality."