HIST 10 World Civilizations to 1500
Lect. #3 

Preserving the Past (and Future): Ancient Egypt

King Tut - lyrics

---

 

I. Introduction

II. Gift of the Nile?

         A. Delta and Upper Egypt
              1.Cairo = Lower (northern)
              2.Luxor = Upper (southern)

         B. Nile
              1. River flows north
              2. Winds blow south

         C. Floods
              1. rainfall = 5 days per year (on average)
              2. Typically between July and September

         D. Isolation
              1. desert - east and west
              2. rapids - south
              3. sea - north (delta)
 

II. Ancient Egpytian Society
         A. Political Organization of  Ancient Egypt
               1. Historic Division
                       1) Old Kingdom (2663-2195 BCE)
                       2) Middle Kingdom (2066-1650 BCE)
                       3) New Kingdom (1550-1094 BCE)

               2. The Pharaoh
                       •ma'at
                       •Vizier (Chief minister)
                              - Imhotep
                       • ~40 provinces

         B. What is a king?
              1. UNIFIER - Narmer (ca. 3100-3000 BCE)
                       • Narmer Palette (front/back)
                       • Establishing a unified Egypt
                       • Turning from external to indigenous motifs

              2. QUEEN PHARAOH: Hatshepsut (ca. 1473-1458 BCE)
                       • Female ruler
                       • Artistic rendering: female vs. male
                       • Timeline of her rule

              3. REFORMER: Akhenaten (r. 1350-1334 BCE)
                       • "Servant of Aten"
                              - Dismantle priesthood, closed temples
                       • New Capital: el-Amarna

         B. Writing (Hieroglyphics )
               1. mdju netjer - words of the gods
               2. First hieroglyphs - 3100 BCE in the late Predynastic Period,
                   Last hieroglyphs - 394 ACE..
               3. Greek - ta hieroglyphica, "the sacred carved letters."

         C. Spiritual life
              1. Cult of Sun God
              2. Osiris Myth

          D. Monumental Architecture
              1. Pyramid Building (visual tour)
                       • mastabas
              2. Pyramids at Giza (2540BC)
                       • 756 along each side
                       • 481 feet high
                       • oriented north-south-east-west

III.

Other sites of interest:

Ancient Egypt through New Eyes is a UPENN e-exhibit that offers an excellent cross-section of Ancient Egypt society including key definitions and historical summaries.

Ancient Egyptian Relgion exhibit sponsored by MSU-I Museum

If you have Shockwave you can wile away your time playing Scarabeaus, a game which tests your knowledge on Ancient Egypt]