Social
At the bottom of the classes were Slaves and Farmers, they represented the greatest percent of the Egyptian population.
The workers supported the professionals above them, just as the base of the pyramid supports the rest of the structure Above were skilled Craftsmen Scribes. Priests, Doctors, and engineers. High Priests and Nobles - they served as generals and administrators, and formed the government. The Vizier was the Pharaoh's closest advisor. Finally, at the top of the social status pyramid was the Pharaoh. He was not simply a ruler, but was considered a god on earth. |
(Picture of the social pyramid)
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Political
Ancient Egypt, also had dynasties. They were families who often ruled for a considerable number of years and did impressive things — such as building pyramids — during their rule.
The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three main periods: the Old Kingdom (about 2,700-2,200 B.C.E.), the Middle Kingdom (2,050-1,800 B.C.E.), and the New Kingdom (about 1,550-1,100 B.C.E.). The New Kingdom was followed by a period called the Late New
During these periods, power passed from one dynasty to another. A dynasty ruled until it was overthrown or there were no heirs left to rule. Each kingdom ended in turmoil either after a period of infighting or after being invaded.
There were more than 30 dynasties in Egyptian history. Dynasties helped keep Egypt united, which was no easy task. Leaders faced periods of chaos, ambitious rivals, and also foreigners who wanted to conquer the region.
Beginning in about 4,000 B.C.E., all of Egyptian society existed in two kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Around 3,100 B.C.E., Menes, the king of Upper Egypt, started the long string of dynasties by conquering Lower Egypt. So began the first dynasty, called the Early Dynastic Period.
About 300 years after Menes united Egypt, its rulers formed a central government in which they held supreme power. This was the beginning of the Old Kingdom. During the Old Kingdom, pyramid building flourished. Cheops had the six-million-ton Great Pyramid of Giza constructed as his tomb. Under Chephren, a Fourth Dynasty ruler, the Great Sphinx was built.
Montuhotep II (2,007-1,956 B.C.E.), an Eleventh dynasty pharaoh, was the last ruler of the Old Kingdom and the first ruler of the Middle Kingdom. He and his successors restored political order.
The Middle Kingdom is remembered as a time of flourishing arts, particularly in jewelry making. Egypt became a great trading power during this period and continued massive construction projects. Eventually, all the success had to end somewhere soon all old problems starting resurfacing crop failures, economic woes, dynastic power struggles, and foreign invaders.
Amenemhet III (1817-1772 B.C.E.), of the Twelfth Dynasty, was responsible for the construction of two great projects. He completed the building of the giant waterwheels of the Faiyum region that diverted the floodwaters of the Nile. Amenemhet also constructed the Pyramid of Hawara, which became known as the Labyrinth. It contained about 3,000 rooms.
Trouble came along when a group of foreigners, the Hyksos, a Semitic-Asiatic group, invaded the Nile Delta region. These advanced warriors used new tools for war: bronze weapons and horse-drawn chariots. They defeated the Egyptians, who fought on foot with copper-and-stone weapons.
Early pharaohs of the New Kingdom evicted the Hyksos. The New Kingdom is remembered as a time of renaissance in artistic creation, but also as the end of dynastic rule. This period was also marred by corrupt priests and tomb-robbing by government officials.
A famed pharaoh of the new period was Amenhotep IV, who triggered a religious revolution. Before Amenhotep's rule, Egypt was a polytheistic society that believed in many gods, the most important named Amon. But, Amenhotep believed only in Aton, the sun god. Belief in only one god (monotheism) was a radical notion. To show his devotion to Aton, the pharaoh changed his name to Akenhaton. Akenhaton moved his capital from Thebes, where Amon was worshipped, to Tell el Amarna.
Naturally, the priests who represented the other gods did not like this change one bit. Many Egyptians also did not like the pharaoh discrediting their gods. After the death of Akenhaton, the powerful priests forced the new capital to be moved back to Thebes .
The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three main periods: the Old Kingdom (about 2,700-2,200 B.C.E.), the Middle Kingdom (2,050-1,800 B.C.E.), and the New Kingdom (about 1,550-1,100 B.C.E.). The New Kingdom was followed by a period called the Late New
During these periods, power passed from one dynasty to another. A dynasty ruled until it was overthrown or there were no heirs left to rule. Each kingdom ended in turmoil either after a period of infighting or after being invaded.
There were more than 30 dynasties in Egyptian history. Dynasties helped keep Egypt united, which was no easy task. Leaders faced periods of chaos, ambitious rivals, and also foreigners who wanted to conquer the region.
Beginning in about 4,000 B.C.E., all of Egyptian society existed in two kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Around 3,100 B.C.E., Menes, the king of Upper Egypt, started the long string of dynasties by conquering Lower Egypt. So began the first dynasty, called the Early Dynastic Period.
About 300 years after Menes united Egypt, its rulers formed a central government in which they held supreme power. This was the beginning of the Old Kingdom. During the Old Kingdom, pyramid building flourished. Cheops had the six-million-ton Great Pyramid of Giza constructed as his tomb. Under Chephren, a Fourth Dynasty ruler, the Great Sphinx was built.
Montuhotep II (2,007-1,956 B.C.E.), an Eleventh dynasty pharaoh, was the last ruler of the Old Kingdom and the first ruler of the Middle Kingdom. He and his successors restored political order.
The Middle Kingdom is remembered as a time of flourishing arts, particularly in jewelry making. Egypt became a great trading power during this period and continued massive construction projects. Eventually, all the success had to end somewhere soon all old problems starting resurfacing crop failures, economic woes, dynastic power struggles, and foreign invaders.
Amenemhet III (1817-1772 B.C.E.), of the Twelfth Dynasty, was responsible for the construction of two great projects. He completed the building of the giant waterwheels of the Faiyum region that diverted the floodwaters of the Nile. Amenemhet also constructed the Pyramid of Hawara, which became known as the Labyrinth. It contained about 3,000 rooms.
Trouble came along when a group of foreigners, the Hyksos, a Semitic-Asiatic group, invaded the Nile Delta region. These advanced warriors used new tools for war: bronze weapons and horse-drawn chariots. They defeated the Egyptians, who fought on foot with copper-and-stone weapons.
Early pharaohs of the New Kingdom evicted the Hyksos. The New Kingdom is remembered as a time of renaissance in artistic creation, but also as the end of dynastic rule. This period was also marred by corrupt priests and tomb-robbing by government officials.
A famed pharaoh of the new period was Amenhotep IV, who triggered a religious revolution. Before Amenhotep's rule, Egypt was a polytheistic society that believed in many gods, the most important named Amon. But, Amenhotep believed only in Aton, the sun god. Belief in only one god (monotheism) was a radical notion. To show his devotion to Aton, the pharaoh changed his name to Akenhaton. Akenhaton moved his capital from Thebes, where Amon was worshipped, to Tell el Amarna.
Naturally, the priests who represented the other gods did not like this change one bit. Many Egyptians also did not like the pharaoh discrediting their gods. After the death of Akenhaton, the powerful priests forced the new capital to be moved back to Thebes .
Religious
In prehistory each community of people in the Nile valley has developed its own god or gods, many of them connected with animals. As Egypt becomes unified, under pharaohs who are themselves seen as divine, the entire pantheon settles down into a relatively easy working relationship.
Appearance in tomb paintings has made some gods more familiar than others: Anubis, the jackal-headed god, who conducts the dead through their trials; ibis-headed Thoth, the scribe to the gods; falcon-headed Horus, god of the sky and light; Seth, a rival to Horus, recognizable by his mysterious pointed snout; and Osiris, wearing a tall white headdress, who represents the idea of resurrection in the next world |
The central divinity of Egyptian religion is the sun, and from early times the most important sun god is Re. He is believed to sail his boat under the world each night. Every time, during the journey, he has to defeat an evil spirit, Apophis, before he can reappear.
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Innovations
Ancient Egyptians created many of the innovations that we still see today. The Egyptians created innovations that helped their city thrive throughout the time period of around 3000 years in length.
Firstly, the Ancient Egyptians created housing and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramids. They say, “It took over 20 years to build the pyramids” and “ they were made of over 2 million blocks.” Houses were made of bricks and mud as glue. The bricks were made of mud, straw, and water all mixed together. Secondly, the people of Ancient Egypt invented a shadof, a nifty tool to help them get water out of the Nile River. It was made of a log with a weight on one end and the bucket over the other end. They would dip the bucket in the water, then when the bucket was full they would drop the weight, and the bucket would lift up. Thirdly, the astronomers of Ancient Egypt created the calendar with 365 days the same as we have today. They also created the time measurement system of 24 hours in a day. Additionally, they created a water clock and the shadow clock. |
Egyptians made bricks to build houses
The first shadow clock Egyptians made
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Technology
(Two other inventions along with some hieroglyphics)
One of the most important inventions of the Ancient Egyptians was writing. They wrote in hieroglyphics.Writing allowed the Egyptians to keep accurate records and maintain control of their large empire.
The Egyptians learned how to make durable sheets of parchment from the papyrus plant. It was used for important documents and religious texts. The Egyptians kept the process to make the sheets a secret so they could sell the parchment to other civilizations such as Ancient Greece.
The Ancient Egyptians had a wide variety of medicines and cures. Some of their medicines were quite strange. For example, they used honey and human brains to cure eye infections. They also used a whole cooked mouse to help cure coughs. Many of their medicines were accompanied by spells to ward off the evil spirits making the person sick.
The Egyptians needed a good understanding of mathematics and geometry to build the pyramids and other large buildings. They also used math and numbers to keep track of business transactions. For numbers they used a decimal system. They didn't have numerals for 2 - 9 or zero. They just had numbers for factors of 10 such as 1, 10, 100, etc. In order to write the number 3 they would write down three number 1s. To write the number 40, they would write down four number 10s.
All Egyptians wore makeup, even the men. They made a dark eye makeup called kohl from soot and other minerals. The makeup was a fashion statement, but it also had the side affect of protecting their skin from the hot desert sun.
The Egyptians learned how to make durable sheets of parchment from the papyrus plant. It was used for important documents and religious texts. The Egyptians kept the process to make the sheets a secret so they could sell the parchment to other civilizations such as Ancient Greece.
The Ancient Egyptians had a wide variety of medicines and cures. Some of their medicines were quite strange. For example, they used honey and human brains to cure eye infections. They also used a whole cooked mouse to help cure coughs. Many of their medicines were accompanied by spells to ward off the evil spirits making the person sick.
The Egyptians needed a good understanding of mathematics and geometry to build the pyramids and other large buildings. They also used math and numbers to keep track of business transactions. For numbers they used a decimal system. They didn't have numerals for 2 - 9 or zero. They just had numbers for factors of 10 such as 1, 10, 100, etc. In order to write the number 3 they would write down three number 1s. To write the number 40, they would write down four number 10s.
All Egyptians wore makeup, even the men. They made a dark eye makeup called kohl from soot and other minerals. The makeup was a fashion statement, but it also had the side affect of protecting their skin from the hot desert sun.
Enviroment
Between 50,000 and 15,000 years ago the desert area west of the Nile had little population due to the region's lack of moisture. During this period a series of cultures arrived on the banks of the Nile. As rains came in from Africa, the desert became less dry, and people moved into the Sahara from all directions. Between 10,000 and 6,000 B.C. archaeological evidence has been interpreted to suggest that the number of people living along the Nile dropped. At the same time, in the desert west of the river there is evidence of an increase in population. After the climate again grew more dry after 6000 B.C. there is evidence for migration back into the Nile Valley.
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Ancient Egypt was centered on the Nile Valley in the Sahara, Africa's largest desert. The climate of this part of the continent, which has varied from time to time, has played a major role in how humans have moved and interacted through the millennia. This region was a major route for humans from Africa.
Ancient Egypt’s civilization thrived along the Nile River in northeastern Africa for more than 3,000 years. Egypt was the longest-lived civilization of the ancient world. The Nile River was the main reason ancient Egyptian civilization was formed. The river originates in the north of East Africa and flows throughout the length of what are now Sudan and Egypt. Heavy rains near farther south in Africa cause the Nile River to overflow its banks every year in Egypt. When the floodwaters receded, a rich black soil covered the floodplain. This black soil enabled the Egyptians to develop a successful economy based on agriculture. Other natural factors that help the ancient Egyptians were there climate. In Egypt’s cloudless sky the Sun almost always shone, providing heat and light for them. The Nile served as transportation, a constant source of water, and the sustainer of all plants and animals. In addition, natural barriers provided good protection from other peoples. The desert to the west, the seas to the north and east, and the Nile’s rapids to the south prevented frequent hostile attacks. |
Sources
Websites I Used To Gather Information
http://www.ushistory.org/civ/3c.asp
http://historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistoriesResponsive.asp?historyid=ab32
https://ancientegptian.wordpress.com/innovations/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/inventions_and_technology.php
http://historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistoriesResponsive.asp?historyid=ab32
https://ancientegptian.wordpress.com/innovations/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/inventions_and_technology.php