7. Ancient Egypt I

Ancient Egypt Overview

• ARKY 325: Ancient Civilizations

  • Course focus on Ancient Egypt

  • Semester: Winter 2025

Gift of the Nile

• Geographic Significance

  • Ancient Egypt developed along the Nile River floodplain.

  • The Nile is the longest river in the world, spanning about 6,600 km.

  • Major tributaries include:

    • Blue Nile originating from Lake Tana in the Ethiopian highlands.

    • White Nile starting in Lake Victoria.

  • The river flows north to the Mediterranean Sea's Delta.

• Flooding Patterns

  • Annual floods provided rich alluvium; floods were more predictable than those in Mesopotamia.

Geography of Ancient Egypt

• Territorial State

  • First territorial state of its size in history.

  • Description: Long and narrow oasis, surrounded by desert.

  • Geographic isolation from tropical Africa and the Near East, yet traded for:

    • Gold

    • Ivory

    • Semi-precious stones

    • Timber from the Levant and tropical Africa.

• Transportation

  • Travel via the Nile by boat is prominent; earliest image of a boat dates back to ca. 7000 BC near Khartoum, Sudan.

The Red Land and the Black Land

• Terminology

  • Ancient Egyptians referred to their land as:

    • Kemet (Black Land) - fertile soils of the floodplain.

    • Deshret (Red Land) - dry desert sands.

Two Geopolitical Areas

• Regions of Ancient Egypt

  • Lower Egypt: Nile river delta, known as "ta-mehu" (land of the papyrus).

  • Upper Egypt: Region south of the delta extending to Nubia, referred to as "ta-shemu" (land of the shemu reed).

Crowns of Egypt

• Symbols of Power

  • Upper Egypt: White crown, known as “hedjet.”

  • Lower Egypt: Red crown, known as “deshret.”

  • Combined Crown: Known as “sekhemti.”

Timeline of Ancient Egypt

• Historical Periods

  1. Neolithic/Chalcolithic (Pre-dynastic Period): 5000-3100 BC

  2. Early Dynastic Period: 3100-2700 BC

  3. Dynastic Period: 2700-1070 BC

     • Old Kingdom: 2700-2140 BC

     • First Intermediate Period: 2140-2040 BC

     • Middle Kingdom: 2040-1640 BC

     • Second Intermediate Period: 1640-1550 BC

     • New Kingdom: 1550-1070 BC

     • Third Intermediate/Decline: after 1100 BC

• Key Characteristics

  • Centralized authority under kings (pharaohs) with capital cities.

  • Intermediary periods mark decentralization and local authority rule by nomarchs.

Pre-Dynastic Egypt

• Early Developments

  • Around 5000 BC, simple farming based on cattle and cereal emerges in the Nile floodplain.

  • Villages: Located at the floodplain's edge, farmers planted crops as floods receded.

  • Most tools were stone; began using copper for certain purposes.

Social Differences in Lower Egypt

• Burial Practices

  • By 4000 BC, social stratification evident in burial sites.

  • Chiefs buried with special items like discoidal maces, while commoners had simpler burials.

  • By 3500 BC, larger towns had local deities and rulers like Buto, known for trade and ceramics.

Upper Egypt Farming Society

• Badarian Culture

  • Earliest known farming society in Upper Egypt, known for:

    • Cultivation of wheat, barley, lentils, livestock.

    • Evidence from burials with grave goods.

  • Mummification Practices

    • Evidence of early mummification found at c. 3700-3500 BCE, similar burial treatments later used in New Kingdom.

Developments in Technology: Egyptian Faience

• What is Faience?

  • Material made from crushed quartz or sand with various oxides to create colored artifacts.

  • Produced a glassy surface through molding and firing.

  • Origin possibly around 5500 BC, imitating turquoise and other gems.

Nekhen: Economic Center

• Activity in Nekhen

  • Key player in pre-dynastic brewing and pottery, supporting economic development.

  • Notable for large-scale beer brewing, vital to culture.

Urbanism in Upper Egypt

• Development of City-States

  • By ~3600 BC, notable cities include Naqada and Nekhen, marked by:

    • Advancements in irrigation.

    • Evidence of social inequality through burial artifacts.

Ceremonial Complex in Nekhen

• Religious Significance

  • Known as the City of the Falcon Deity, significant for early religious practices.

• Earliest known temple constructed with mud and reed surrounding.

Animal Burials in Nekhen

• Symbolic Significance

  • Exotic animal burials found, symbolizing the ruler's control over nature.

  • Represents wealth and status of rulers.

Elite Tombs in Nekhen

• Substantial Tomb Discoveries

  • Example of tomb U100 with elaborate imagery representing the journey to the afterlife.

Proto-Dynastic Period and Leadership

• Kingship Development

• Emergence of named kings by ca. 3400-3100 BCE leading up to unification of Egypt.

King Scorpion: Evidence of Early Leadership

• Tomb Discoveries

  • Tomb U-J at This dated 3250 BC shows wealth and imports.

  • Scorpion name associated with hieroglyphics, earliest proven instance of written script.

Unification of Egypt under King Narmer

• Historical Impact

  • Unification around 3100 BCE marked by the Narmer Palette, which illustrates the combining of Upper and Lower Egypt, signaling the start of Dynasty 1.