Ancient Egypt

Ms. Melick’s Core

Egyptian Geography

• Cropping– Rivers provided natural irrigation and

fertilization for the soil.• Shaduf

– Canals were dug to bring water that farmers need for their crops

– Counter weight

Egyptian Geography

• Winnowing Fan– Wooden fans– Used to separate grain from chaff

• Winnowing– Men gathered grain and chaff and threw it in the air– Wind carried lighter chaff leaving the grain– After donkeys brought wheat to the threshing floor,

two fans were used to separate grain from chaff.

Egyptian Geography

• Sickle– A simple tool– Made out of wood and flint teeth– Made to cut crops

Egyptian Geography

• Harvest festival– When dry season began, farmers dug

channels and canals to bring water to irrigate their land

– In New Kingdom a lifting system called Shaduf was introduced to raise water from the river

– If crops failed, people would go hungry.

Egyptian Geography

• Nile River and farming– Flooded every year– Created new fertile soil, each year– Farmers dug channels and canals to irrigate

land– Years of low flood led to crops failing

Egyptian geography

• Three seasons of the Nile– Flooding season is between/in June - Sept.– Planting season is between/in October– harvest season is between/in March

• Nile River – surrounded by the Libyan desert, Arabian

desert, and Nubian desert– Longest river in the world (4,100 miles long)

Egyptian geography

• Desert, banks, and rivers– covers 90% land– Egyptians lived on banks– Red land– Fertility has to make a civilization– Nile river was fertile

Egyptian geography

• On the banks of the Nile– Desert = Red land. covers more than 90% of

Egypt– Egyptians lived beside the Nile river. area

near Nile R. was kemet = black land. Farmers grew crops on the dark silt. Without this fertility = no civilization in Egypt

– When the Nile river flooded it would water the crops that the farmers planted

Egyptian geography• Because of the Nile rivers rich soil it made,

– Wheat– Barley– Legumes– Lettuce– Onions– Leeks– Dills– Grapes– Melons– gourds

Egyptian geography

• Egyptian geography– Egypt is commonly warm or hot/night– Winter is cold

• Nile crops– Chief crops were barley, wheat– Chief crops were used for making beer, and bread– Beans, lentils grown alongside leeks, onions

cabbages, radished, lettuces, cucumbers– Juicy melons, dates, figs grown in desert oases.

Grapes grown in vinyards

Egyptian Jobs

• Hunting– Bulls, Gazelles, Oryx, Antelopes, Lions– Used spears, and Bow & Arrows

• Fishing– Time of Pharaohs Fishing & Farming

produced A lot of food

Work of the people

• Farm laborers worked in wealthy men's property– Received very little for pay– Most of the workers in the Nile valley were

farm laborers• Pay

– Barley and grain– They did not use money, they used a barter

system

Warfare

• Bow & Arrow– Shot up to 890ft(260 meters)

• Other Weapons– Mostly made out of gold– Sword, shield, daggers Chariots

– Lighter and faster and smooth on rough ground

– More fighting capabilities

Carpentry

• Well paid• Wood

– Dark used for statues, Harps, furniture• Roofing beams need date palm or the

doom palm

FUN FACTS!!!!!

• King Amenhotep killed 100 lions

• Egypt invented the sand clock

• Egypt was the first to make false teeth

Egyptian Jobs

• Mummifies– Mummifies Job was to rap a dead body in a

huge towel.

– They did this because they thought when their body dies there soul moves on.

– To make these Mummies they put salt on their body's to preserve them.

Egyptian jobs

• Pyramid buildersThe pyramids were maid out of stone.

They built them for 2000 years. .

• They started a pyramaid by making ramps of sand and made the next smaller and tell they got to the top

Egyptian Government

• The Pharaoh– Was king of Egypt.– High priest of all– Overlord of all citizens– Thought to be chosen by the gods– Had four crowns to wear– Had as much as 900 children

Egyptian Government

• Scribes & writing– Scribes helped rule Egypt– Collected taxes– Wrote laws– Did no labor, but recorded who did– Painting scribes painted less important people

small– Scribe called the viser was second only to the

pharaoh

Egyptian Government

• Armed forces– All of the pharaoh’s sons were in it– Soldiers trained as early as age 10!– Preferred to attack from chariots with bows

and arrows

Egyptian Government

• Transportation– First rafts made of paper or papyrus reeds,

could be at least 120 feet long– Used poles to propel rafts through water, and

sails to go against currents– Boats put in pharaoh’s tomb to help him get to

the afterlife– Built roads for chariots

Family and Society in Egypt • Social Classes

– High• Government officials • Priests

– Medium• Scribes • Artisans

– Low• Peasants

– They were born into the social classes– Rarely moved up classes

Family And Society in Egypt

• Population– Nile

• 1-4 million people– Others lived in deltas, oases, and deserts

Family and society in Egypt• Dress

– Cotton– Silk– White, red, blue, and yellow linen– Bare footed or sandals– Men and women wore Makeup in style of winged eye– High class men and women wore jewelry and black wigs for fancy

occasions– Perfume was very popular

• Men– Skirts over short under kilt

• Women– Short or long robes

• Slaves – Wore little or nothing

Family and Society in Egypt

• Family– Was cherished

• Men– Head of the house

• Women– Managed estates– Entertained guests– Took care of children

Family and Society in Egypt

• Women rights– Fairly free– As high as there position– One of the kings wife would be the queen– Could own property – Were not controlled by fathers

Family and Society in Egypt

• War and Peace– Tlatti nation was a big threat– Tried to defeat Egypt– King of Syria defeated the Tlattis

Family and Society in Egypt• Housing

– How to make• Brick made from mud • Add straw for poor pebbles for rich to make bricks stronger• Pour mud in to wooden frame• Let the mud dry• When the frame is built plaster the inside and out

– Rich houses• Cool in hot weather• Small windows• Very large• Painted on the inside• Giant parties

– Poor houses• Simple paintings on inside• Small• Cool in hot weather

Family and Society in Egypt• People

– Peasant• Mainly farmers• Peasant made luxury items for kings• Lowest on social class• Peasants were beaten if they didn’t produce enough crops

– Servant• With peasant on the social class• They did mainly household chores• Often beaten

– Priest• Women could be priestesses• Pharaohs choose priests/priestesses• Pharaohs were high priests.

Egyptian Culture

• Could own and manage property• Few were taught to read and write• Served in temples

– Part time priestesses

Egyptian Culture

• Royal women– Usually priestesses– Played roles of goddesses in royal rituals– Mother of king

• Important person– Act as regents– Wife of king

• Could also be in power over land

Egyptian Culture

• Family wives– Running a household or raising a family– Men allowed to have more than 1 wife at a

time (very few did)– Men did not order their wives around– Many woman died at childbirth

Egyptian Culture

• Signs and symbols– Writing

• Hieroglyphics– Inscriptions on monuments

• To celebrate famous people and events• Monuments on walls

Egyptian Culture

• Pyramids– Limestone cone – King chamber– Has steps– Small pyramids were for burials

Egyptian Culture• Architecture

– Furniture• Only wealthy Egyptians could furnish their houses• The pharaohs were the only ones who had furniture made out of ebony or

cedar wood– Carpenters used many tools

• Drill bit and bow to spin• Bradawl (marks and starts)• Chisel• ADZE (planning)

– Buildings• Egyptians made buildings out of

– Stone-so It would last

– Mud bricks-by using grit and straw-sun would harden it

Egyptian Culture

• Song and dance– Five stringed harp with head of king in front

Egyptian Culture

• Looking beautiful– Both men and women wore cosmetics– Both men and woman wore green eye

shadow made from malachite– Both men and women wore black eyeliner

made from galena– Lipstick and made from red ocher– tattoos