U2 Egypt

Section 1

Land in Ancient Egypt can be classified into the “Red Land” and “Black Land”. The Red Land, primarily located in the Nile River valley, was fertile and used for farming. An important geographical feature was the turtleback, which were points of higher elevation, and hosted towns as it protected them from floods (Kiger). The Black land was located in the arid desert, and had little civilization, yet was a desirable location for cemeteries due to being free from human disturbance (Carnegie Museum of Natural History).

Section 2

The Nile was a key part of life in Ancient Egypt. It provides fertile lands for farming, seafood, plants such as papyrus, and dirt to make bricks. The Nile also made transportation by water possible (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Ancient Egyptians worked a variety of occupations and had a system of social hierarchy. The pharaoh was on top, followed by noblemen & priests. Artisans, merchants, and craftsmen were in the middle. Farmers and slaves were at the bottom (Ancient Egypt Online).

Section 3

Pharaohs were the supreme leaders of Ancient Egypt. They were considered divine intermediates between gods and humans, and could mediate the two worlds. Pharaohs had many official duties, these included managing the economy and conducting religious ceremonies. Having absolute order over the people and the land, they could also make new laws (Encyclopedia Britannia).

Section 4

Pyramids were triangular structures built out of limestone. They served as monuments for the pharaohs and protected his tomb from grave robbers. Being massive structures, up to 100,000 (paid) workers were employed to construct the pyramids (Smithsonian). The largest pyramids include Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, both located in Giza, and the Red Pyramid in Cairo (Jones).

Section 5

Writing served an array of purposes in Ancient Egypt, including recording knowledge, honoring Gods in religious rituals, and facilitating cross-region communication (Ancient Egypt). One of the writing systems the Ancient Egyptians developed was Hieroglyphics. It had alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic elements, and was used for formal purposes, such as preserving information about Ancient Egyptian religion, beliefs and cultures. However, it eventually fell out of use at around 400 AD ( Encyclopedia Britannica). It wasn’t until the discovery of the Rosetta stone when deciphering Hieroglyphics was possible, as the stone contained the same text in Hieroglyphics aswell as Ancient Greek and Demotic, which were better understood (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Section 6

The Ancient Egyptians preserved their dead through mummification, in order to avoid problems such as people accidentally uncovering graves. It was also done to protect the body, as Egyptians believed souls would have to use it after death to navigate through the afterlife. The Egyptians had a mufficication process unique to natural mummification, which happens when the body unintentionally faces extremely cold or dry environmental conditions (Cutts). Ancient Egyptian Mummification mainly takes place in tent structures called an ibu, which was considered a place of purity. The body is first cleansed with wine, herbs and spices. Then, the brain was taken out by a hook through the nostrils, as Ancient Egyptians thought it was of little importance. Subsequently, the body was cut through the side and organs inside the abdomen were removed and stored in jars, with the exception of the heart, as it was believed it would be weighed by the Gods during the afterlife to determine if an individual goes to heaven. Lastly, the body is salted over, washed, wrapped in linen, and put into a coffin (Ancient Egypt).

Section 7 (Religion in Ancient Egypt)

Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic, believing in the existence of multiple Gods. They also

held a number of rituals for different religious purposes such as prayers and offerings to

satisfy Gods (Baines et al.). Pharaohs were believed to have possessed divine power, and would often perform rituals at temples to maintain a concept called Maat, the order of the cosmos (Encyclopedia Britannica).