2700 BCE to 2200 BCE People saw their kings as gods Called a theocracy same person is the political AND religious leader King gave many responsibilities to a bureaucracy groups of government officials ID: 647067
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Ancient Egypt
Part 2Slide2
The Old Kingdom(2700 BCE to 2200 BCE)
People saw their kings as gods
Called a
theocracy = same person is the political AND religious leaderKing gave many responsibilities to a bureaucracy = groups of government officialsKing controlled trade & taxesKing supervised building of canals, dams, grain storehousesSlide3
The Old Kingdom
(2700 BCE to 2200 BCE)
Egyptians built pyramids as burial places for their kings
Great Pyramids in GizaKing’s bodies were mummified for preservationSlide4
PyramidsSlide5
The Great Pyramid
The Pyramids were considered "Houses of Eternity“.
Tallest human-made structure until the Eiffel Tower in the 1800's
Took approximately 23 years to build
All pyramids had to have a North-facing entrance, to align with the North Star.
Built by farmers and other laborers during the Inundation (flood season)
Most stones weigh 2.5 tons, but some weigh up to 80 tons
Laborers used mud-slicked ramps to move the stones.Slide6
Egyptian PyramidSlide7
The Great PyramidSlide8
Contributions of Egypt
Language
: Hieroglyphics
Architecture
: Pyramids
Inventions
: 365 day calendar, papyrus (paper), irrigation system, mathematics, medicine, weapons, chariots,
Art
: statues, paintings, jewelrySlide9
A System of Writing
The Ancient Egyptians had no separate word for “art”, their word for “art” was the word for “writing”.
This Egyptian “alphabet” was made up of about 800 picture-symbols called HIEROGLYPHS.
The word HEIROGLYPHICS means “sacred writing”Slide10
Other Symbols of Egypt
King Tut
Queen Hatputshut
Scarab Beetle
amulets
The Sphinx
Cartouche
Eye of HorusSlide11
A System of Writing
The Egyptians considered HIEROGLYPHS sacred and believed that they conveyed the words of the gods.
HIEROGLYPHICS also helped to preserve the memory of deceased people.
In order to keep track of government records, taxes, and the passage of time, the Egyptians developed a system of writing called HIEROGLYPHICS.Slide12
A System of Writing
PAPYRUS:
The earliest form of paper
Made from the papyrus reed that grew in the Nile
The reeds would be criss-crossed and pounded down to a paper-like thickness.Slide13
A System of Writing
Not all Egyptians could read or write hieroglyphics:
SCRIBES:
Pharaoh’s record keepers
Very Educated in reading, writing & math
Highly respected
Only boys could become SCRIBES
A SCRIBE’S training started at the age of 10
SCRIBES used rolls of PAPYRUS to write on
Only the SCRIBES used HIEROGLYPHICS.
Slide14
A System of Writing
The Common people of Egypt used a form of writing called “hieratic”, a form of script writing.
Eventually, the responsibility of reading & interpreting the HIEROGLYPHS fell to the priests. Even SCRIBES lost the ability to read the ancient symbols.
By 400 AD, no one could read the HIEROGLYPHS anymore.Slide15
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone was the key that unlocked the mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Napoleon's troops discovered it in 1799
The inscription is written on the stone three times, once in hieroglyphic, once in hieratic, and once in Greek.
Jean Francois Champollion, a French Egyptologist, deciphered the hieroglyphic and hieratic texts by comparing them with the known Greek text.
From this meager starting point, a generation of Egyptologists eventually managed to read most everything that remains of the Egyptians' ancient writings.
ReturnSlide16
The End of the Old Kingdom
The economy began to be strained by huge government building projects.
People became unhappy with the pharaoh's demands for taxes to pay for these projects.
Pharaoh Pepy III
ruled for 92 years, he eventually lost control over the central government -
local governors took over
.
This period without any pharaohs lasted about 150 years - there were foreign invasions and disorder during this time.Slide17
The Middle Kingdom(2050 BCE to 1800 BCE)
Old Kingdom ended with violence & a new dynasty reunited Egypt
Capital moved to Thebes
Theben kings = seized new territory & added thousands of acres to their civilizationBuilt canals and irrigation systemsSlide18
The Middle Kingdom(2050 BCE to 1800 BCE)
Local leaders began to challenge the kings’ power, which threatened peace
At same time = 1st real threat to Egypt = invasion by Hyksos (people from western Asia)
Hyksos swept through with new tools for war --> bronze weapons & horse-drawn chariotsEasily conquered the Egyptians & set up a new dynasty (for about 110 years)Slide19
The Middle Kingdom
2100
BC
- 1700BC
Order was restored by
Mentohotep:
strong military leader
restored unity to Egypt
moved the capital to
Thebes
took control of
Nubia
Nubian gold brought increased prosperity (economy improved)Slide20
The Middle Kingdom
2100BC - 1700BC
Egypt's contact with other parts of the world increased, bringing foreign goods and
foreign ideas to the Egyptian civilization.Egyptian trade increased with Western Asia, creating a new wealthy class of "common people" -
Middle Class
Outside groups began moving into Egypt -
Hyksos
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