JC+Egypt

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__**Egypt**

Geography__
 * Located in Africa
 * The Nile River runs through the center
 * Even though it has a desert climate it has fertile soil and silt due to annual flooding of the Nile
 * Black land- Fertile soil
 * Red Land-Desert sand
 * Flooding in the Nile was predictable, but the amount of water in the flood was not always predictable
 * If the flood waters were a few feet lower than normal, there would not be enough fertile soil for crops, and people would starve.
 * If the flood waters were a few feet higher than normal, the farmers' seeds would be washed out of the ground so no crops can be grown, and buildings would be destroyed.
 * Due to the Nile being such a lifeline, Egyptians revered it as a god that rarely turned against them.
 * Egypt was called "The gift of the Nile"

__Comparisons to Mesopotamia__
 * Both civilizations had a river that flooded to provide fertile soil, but in Mesopotamia the flooding was unpredictable
 * For major structures, Mesopotamia had ziggurats, which were town halls and temples. Egypt had pyramids, which were tombs for pharaohs.
 * The Egyptian desert cut off most warfare, so Egypt lived in more peace. Mesopotamia had constant warfare.
 * Both civilizations had mummification
 * In Egypt, pharaohs were considered gods and kings. In Mesopotamia, priests ruled and were considered messengers to the gods.

__Environmental Challenges__
 * The Nile can flood too much or too little.
 * The desert- people were forced to live on a small strip of land surrounding river (Black Land)
 * The desert cut off interaction with other civilizations
 * Desert spared warfare against other civilizations
 * Boats couldn't pass through cataracts towards Upper Egypt. Cataracts are rapids formed by boulders.

__Transportation__
 * Boats were used on the Nile to get to different Egyptian cities and towns
 * A sail was used when traveling against the currents.
 * Sails were not used when traveling with the current because the boats can be carried by it
 * Unification of villages and trading occurred when people used boats on the Nile as a transportation method

__Important People__
 * Narmer unified Upper and Lower Egypt
 * He also established the 1st dynasty

__Government__
 * Pharaohs were kings
 * They were revered as gods as well as kings
 * The government was a theocracy- a government based on religion
 * Egypt once had 2 governments- one for Upper Egypt and one for Lower Egypt
 * There were 31 dynasties
 * Pharaohs were thought to have ruled forever, even after death
 * A pharaoh's final resting place was in a pyramid
 * Pharaohs' power declined about 2180 B.C.
 * Middle Kingdom (2040-1690 B.C.)
 * Strong pharaohs regained control
 * Hyksos from Turkey invaded and controlled Egypt (1630-1523 B.C.)

__Religion/Afterlife__
 * The government was based on religion
 * The pyramids were a hub for the afterlife
 * Bodies were preserved for the afterlife using mummification
 * Religion was polytheistic government- over 2000 gods worshiped
 * Afterlife was believed in
 * Heart weighed before afterlife- a good, light heart meant afterlife, a heart heavy with sin was fed to the Devourer of Souls
 * Kings' life force (ka) ruled after death
 * Book of The Dead
 * Afterlife in Egypt was good, while Mesopotamian afterlife was torturous

__Social Class__
 * 1st level- Kings/queens, royal family
 * 2nd level- Wealthy landowners, gov. officials, priests, army commanders
 * 3rd Level- Middle class merchants/artisans
 * 4th level- Lower class (largest group) peasants, farmers, laborers
 * 5th level- Slaves (work against their will)

__Architecture__ __ Writing__
 * Engineering feats- amazing buildings
 * Used stone for construction
 * Linked to government- projects very organized and need sophisticated government to keep them going.
 * Hieroglyphics- sacred carving
 * Simple pictographs earliest form of writing
 * Pictures interpreted ideas
 * Writing became more complex, pictures started to stand for sounds.
 * First writing on stone, then papyrus
 * Rosetta stone let us decode hieroglyphics

__Technology__
 * Papyrus
 * Calendars kept track of floods
 * Stars were used for math calculations
 * Developed system of numbers for calculations
 * Math helped in the building of the pyramids
 * First to use stone columns
 * Medicine- pulse/heart rate checks, wound treatment, etc.
 * Embalming