Ancient Egypt and the Near East

Physical features of Egypt

Nile River, Libyan desert, arabian desert, nubian desert, mediterranean sea, red sea

Environmental factors of Egypt

Nile river (farming, fishing, animals), natural irrigation, vegetation plentiful (papyrus)

Physical features of Kush

Nile River, Libyan river, arabian desert, nubian desert, red sea

Environmental features of Kush

See Egypt

Physical features of Canaan

Mediterranean sea, lebanon mountains, lower hills of Galilee, jordan river, sea of galilee, dead sea, syrian desert, negev desert

Environmental factors of Canaan

Jordan river, sea of galilee (freshwater lake)

What were the three kingdoms of Egypt?

Old, middle, and new kingdom

Old kingdom (time period)

2700-2200 BCE

Old kingdom (traits)

Early pharoes set up strong central government

Middle kingdom (time period)

2000-1800 BCE

Middle kingdom (traits)

Period of Reunification

New kingdom (time period)

1600-1100 BCE

New kingdom (traits)

Egypt's golden age

Egyptian society

New kingdom represented the divisions within society and created social classes/pyramids

Hierarchy

A classification of a group based off economic, social, religious

Order of the social pyramid

Pharaoh, Government officials, priests, scribes, artisans, peasants

Men (social classes)

Heads of household, supported family, trained sons

Women (social classes)

Manage home, raise children, owned land/businesses, ask for divorce, represent themselves legally, could get jobs

Government officials (role)

Assisted pharaohs, usually from upper class or family

Vizier (role)

Advised pharaoh, carried out commands, appoints and supervised officials

Chief treasurer (role)

Looked over government, wealth, and collected taxes

General of the armies (role)

Advised pharaoh in matters of war, national security, and alliances

Who were the important officials?

Vizier, chief treasurer, general of the armies

Lifestyle (important officials)

Lived luxuriously, lavish banquets, finest foods

Priests (role)

powerful, highly respected, pharaoh is the highest priest (seen as God)

Priests (duties/job)

Advised pharaoh, oversaw all religious ceremonies

What would temple priests/priestesses do?

Take care of specific jobs

Burial process

Belief in an afterlife thereof had an elaborate embalming process

First step (burial)

removed organs

Second step (burial)

body and organs dehydrated in salt for 70 days

third step (burial)

Wrapped body in linen and decorated it with jewelry and charms

fourth step (burial)

mask over head

fifth step (burial)

coat the body with a black goey substance

sixth step (burial)

Final linen wrap

seventh step (burial)

placed in wooden coffin and then stone tomb (sarcophagus )

Scribe (role)

official writers and record keepers

Scribe school

Started school at 5, spent 12 years learning hieroglyphics, strict schools run by priests who often yelled/beat students

The work of scribes

Responsible for keeping records of foods storages, population, legal matters

Tools that scribes used

Reeds as pens and papyrus as paper

Artisans role

Highly skilled laborers

Types of artisans

Carpenter, jewelers, leatherworks, metalworks, painters, potters, sculptors, weavers

Who had a big part in tomb building

Artisans

The Daily Life and Work of Artisans:

middle class, work 10 days at a stretch before taking time off, relied on employers for basic needs, viewed as common laborers

Peasants role

Made up the lowest and largest class, grew crops, built monuments/pyramids

flooding season (three seasons of the nile)

the planting season, the harvest season (june-sept)

planting season (three seasons of the nile)

Sowed the fields; wheat and barley

harvest season (three seasons of the nile)

collecting the crops

Daily life of peasants

Simple homes/diets, most time spent working without much leisure time

how would farmers pay taxes?

With crops, if they failed to pay they would get beaten

Kingdom of kush (time period)

2000 BCE- 350 BCE

Kingdom of Kush (traits)

Egypt's African nation to the south, complicated relationship with Egypt

Egyptianized

Egypt's culture was adopted by Kush, heavily influenced (wrote, spoke, worshiped)

What was Kush known for?

Farming abilities, gold mines, crucial trading center linking central and southern Africa to Egypt

What would Egyptians trade?

grain, beer, linen for Kush's gold, ivory, leather, timber, and slaves

When did Egypt fall apart?

It was invaded and conquered in 730 BCE

Kushite King Piye

Declared himself pharaoh and "Uniter of two lands"

What happens after the Kushites were driven out in 650 BCE by Assyrians?

Egypt rose again about 590 BCE (invaded kush), kush moved capital to Meroe (major trading center), started ironworks (weapons)

Kush returned to African roots

Worshiped lion Gods, wrote/spoke native language, art/architecture flourished, rise of kandrakes (female rulers)

The Torah

Book of history and tradition, handed down orally then written down

1950 BCE (early history of the hebrews)

Abraham and followers fled canaan

1800 BCE (early history of the hebrews)

Hebrews moved to Egypt, fled because of famine, prospered then enslaved, moses helped escape, settled in canaan after 40 years

1000 BCE (early history of the hebrews)

established kingdom of Israel

Important Hebrew leaders

Abraham "father of the hebrews", born in 2000 BCE in UR, believed in one God

Covenant

sacred agreement

Abraham chnaged name to Abram

means father of many

God promised..

to favor and protect Abram's descendants, and that he would be a leader of great people

Promised land

canaan

Abraham's sacrifice

God told Abram to sacrifice his only son

Judaism came from…

Came from Abram's only son, hebrews flourished- 12 tribes descended from Abram's grandson Jacob

life of Moses

led jews out of Egypt - 1250 BCE

Moses parted Red sea

How did moses lead jews out of Egypt?

jews were enslaved, pharaoh refused to free, God sent plagues, pharaoh agreed then changed his mind and sent armies

ten commandments

Laws given to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai

Three things Moses did

1. Exodus (E from Egypt)

2. 10 commandments

3. Forged Hebrews into a united people devoted to one God

King David

1000 BCE, became king after winning a war against a giant (Goliath), God made David and his descendants kings of Israel

King Solomon

Built a large temple for Arc of covenant, taxed people for it, northern tribes broke away due to resentment from taxation

Four central beliefs (1)

Monotheism (believed in one God), faced persecution for being different

Four central beliefs (2)

Following God's law - lead a life that pleases God

Four central beliefs (3)

Equality and Social Justice - value right and wrong

Four central beliefs (4)

The importance of study (toar and writings)