Egyptian Timeline

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Egyptian Timeline

• Old Kingdom (2700-2150)
• Hieroglyphics and religion develop in Egypt
• pyramids built
• Middle Kingdom (2040-1786)
• extension of Egyptian control into Nubia
• New Kingdom (1570-1075)
• militaristic - Hebrews enslaved
• mummification perfected

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I. Geography

• River dominates Egyptian world/thought
• Surrounded by desert with occasional oasis
• Permits some trade
• Defense from invasion
• Contributes to feeling of safety
• preserves artifacts

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Egypt is the gift of the Nile -Herodotus
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I. The Nile

• yearly flooding - no concern for soil depletion
• Predictable
• Irrigation systems
• Encourages
• Trade
• Communication
• Political unity

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I. The Nile
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I. The Nile
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I. The Nile
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I. The Nile

• Impact on religion
• divided life - living and dying.
• East (sunrise) is land of the living - cities,
  temples
• West (sunset) is land of the dead - tombs

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II. Religion

• Omnipresence of religion
• Polytheistic
• interaction with the natural environment shows
  interrelated gods and goddesses yearly rebirth of
  Nile and daily rebirth of sun
• over 2000 gods
• Pharaoh as living god
• Afterlife
• Evolution of who has an afterlife
• Old vs. New Kingdom

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II. Osiris

• God of the Dead - rebirth - and the weighing of
  the heart
• Evolution of Egyptian mythology
• known as a ruler in the Nile delta -
• a local god
• regional god.

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II. Horus

• Horus, god of balance and harmony
• maintained the natural order the flow of the
  Nile and the fertility of the soil.

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II. Early Pyramids
Zozers stepped pyramid - similar to Babylonian
ziggurats
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Why build Pyramids?

• Belief in the afterlife demanded
• Bodies be interred whole
• Material goods for use in afterlife be present
• The need to protect the bodies demands good
  burial tombs
• First were mastabas
• Then pyramids
• Then later hidden tombs

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Mastaba
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II. Great Pyramid

• Tomb for Khufu
• an almost perfect square (deviation .05)
• Orientation is exactly North, South, East West
• 2,300,000 blocks, 500ft high
• 20 years to build
• Average block weighs 2.5 tons
• Some weigh 9 tons!

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Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu
Queen Pyramids in front
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III. The Pharaoh

• God-King - unlike Mesopotamia
• Temporal power
• owns all the land and people and what people
  posses
• law vs. Pharaoh's will
• irrigation
• no city walls

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III. The Pharaoh

• God-King - unlike Mesopotamia
• Religious
• direct descendant of the Sun god
• controls access to the afterlife
• July-Sept, during floods life is controlled by
  the Pharaoh
• 365 day calendar.

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III. Role played by size in Egyptian Artwork
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IV. Daily Life in Egypt

• Cosmetics, cleanliness (bathe 3 times a day),
  shaved bodies, wigs
• main food is beer and bread
• Grow many crops emmer, barley, flax, lentils,
  onion, beans, and millet
• common building made of sun-dried mud bricks - up
  to three stories in height
• Four social classes - slaves on the bottom
• Most common job farming

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IV. Farmers in Egypt
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IV. Hieroglyphics

• Language is written without vowels
• Different pronunciations
• MNFR as Memphis
• SR as Osiris
• TTMS as either Thutmose, Thutmosis, Tatmusa or
  Atithmese
• Who learns this writing style?

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IV. Hieroglyphics

• Use in temples
• Rosetta Stone
• Napoleon and Egyptology.

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IV. Egyptian Artwork
Stela (carved stone)
Egyptian Farmers animals
Notice, all people drawn from the side even
when looking right at you!
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V. Middle Kingdom 2050-1750 BCE

• End of civil wars, farming and trade return
• move capital south to Upper Egypt (Thebes)
• public improvements
• drain swamps, canal to Red Sea
• belief in afterlife expands to include common
  people
• tombs instead of pyramids
• better protection for mummies.

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V. Middle Kingdom 2050-1750 BCE
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VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE

• Ahmose I expelled the invading Hyksos and
  reunited Egypt
• Known as the Empire period
• development of public and private zones at
  temples.

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Ahmose I leading Egyptians against the Hyksos
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VI. New Kingdom 1550-1075 BCE

• Characterized by a more militaristic and
  imperialistic nature
• incorporated chariot, bronze working, horses
• development of a professional army
• became a slave based economy fueled by war and
  expansion

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VI. Threats to Tradition

• Amenhotep IV (c. 1362-1347 B.C.) introduced the
  worship of Aton, god of the sun disk, as the
  chief god and pursued his worship with
  enthusiasm.
• Changed name to Akhenaten (It is well with
  Aton)
• He closed the temples of other gods and
  especially endeavored to lessen the power of
  Amon-Re and his priesthood at Thebes.

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VI. Threats to Tradition1355-1335 BCE

• Nefertiti
• Wife of Akhenaton the only pharaoh to even
  partially reject polytheism
• political move against priests of Amon-Re
• moved capital to Amarna
• worshipped Aton, the sun disk
• royal inbreeding.

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VI. Tutankhamen 1335-1325 BCE

• (King Tut)
• child ruler
• ruled nine years, died at 18
• young death meant burial in the tomb of a lesser
  person (noble) resulting in preservation

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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)

• greatest New Kingdom ruler
• military leader of Egypt
• expanded into southern Turkey
• built many monuments to himself
• last gasp of Egyptian power.

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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)
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VI. Ramses II (1279-1213)
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