THE OLD KINGDOM

Do Now Take out your Lesson 4.2 Packet and

your vocabulary sheet. Explain at least 1 thing that you learned

doing your homework.

Question 1 1. Before Egypt was unified under King

Narmer, the region was made up of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt.

Question 2 When King Narmer unified Egypt, he

formed the world’s first nation-state, which is a united people and a single government.

Question 3 King Narmer established the world’s first

dynasty, which is a series of rulers from the same family.

Egypt Unites As Upper Egypt grew in wealth and

power, they conducted diplomacy with Lower Egypt.

3100 B.C. King Narmer united the 2 regions, and formed the first dynasty and first nation-state.

Memphis was the new capital.

Egypt Then and Now

Memphis and Thebes (Ancient Egypt)

Egypt Today

King Narmer

Egyptian Crowns

Question 4 Kings of the Old Kingdom were seen as

living gods, which meant…

Answer A. The kings acted as the connection

between the gods and the people of Egypt.

B. The people believed that the kings could never be wrong and were able to control the Nile’s flooding and the flood supply.

C. These beliefs not only helped unify the

Egyptian people but also allowed the kings to maintain their authority.

Egypt’s Dynasties 31 dynasties ruled for more than 3,000

years 3 periods: Old Kingdom, Middle

Kingdom, New Kingdom Old kingdom is when kings were seen as

gods The vizier, or chief advisor, carried out

the king’s orders Eventually, nomarchs, or governors ruled

42 separate nomes

Nomes of Ancient Egypt

Question 5 What was Egyptian writing called? How

many symbols were there? What did each symbol represent?

Answer Egyptian writing was called

hieroglyphics. Early Egyptian hieroglyphic writing had more than 700 symbols. Each glyph represented a sound, and object, or an idea.

Written Forms of Language Hieroglyphic means “holy writing” More than 700 symbols Originally used for religion, then to

record things such as royal ceremonies, tax collecting, and even the depth of the Nile

To record more and more records, Egyptians invented a paperlike material called papyrus

Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphics

Papyrus

Rosetta Stone

Activity/Homework Assignment

Use the hieroglyphic chart to write your name and at least 1 thing you have learned about the ancient Egyptians.

Question 6 The great pyramids were an important

part of Egyptian culture because they served as tombs for Egyptian rulers.

Building the Pyramids The Old Kingdom is known as the “Age of

the pyramids”

King Zoser was the first king to be buried in a pyramid

He was buried in the famous Step Pyramid at Saqqara

Building the Pyramids

King Zoser Step Pyramid

Building the Pyramids The best known of Egypt’s pyramids is

the Great Pyramid at Giza, built for King Khufu

Building the Pyramids

King Khufu Great Pyramid at Giza

Building the Pyramids King Khufu’s son, King Khafre, ordered

the building of one of the other two pyramids at Giza as well as the Sphinx.

Building the Pyramids

King Khafre

Building the Pyramids

Pyramids at Giza Sphinx

Question 7 Why did Egyptians preserve the bodies

of the dead?

Answer They believed that the dead would need

their bodies in the afterlife.

Question 8 What items were placed in the tomb with

a royal mummy?

Answer Everything a royal person might need in

the afterlife, such as clothing, jewelry, furniture, and even games, was placed in the tomb.

Preparing for the Afterlife Egyptians believed that the dead would need

their bodies in the afterlife.

Priests invented new techniques for making a mummy, or preserved body.

They removed all the organs except the heart because they believed this was the home of the soul.

The other organs were placed in special canopic jars.

Canopic Jars

Preparing for the Afterlife The body was dried using a salt called

natron, and then wrapped in linen bandages.

Preparing for the Afterlife Everything a person might need in the

afterlife was placed in the tomb.

A collection of writings called the Book of the Dead were placed in the royal tombs. They helped to explain the guidelines of the afterlife.

Question 9 What was the importance of the

ceremony in the afterlife that is called the “weighing of the heart”?

Answer Egyptians believed that the soul of a dead

person appeared before the god Osiris and a group of judges. The person’s heart was placed on a scale, with a feather o n the other side. If the two balanced, the judges would say, “I have judged the heart of [the dead person], and his soul stands as a witness for him. His deeds are righteous in the great balance, and no sin has been found in him.” Heavy souls, the Egyptians believed, would be eaten by a monster that was part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus.

Fill in the Blank About 3100BC, the Egyptians developed

a form of writing using Hieroglyphs. At first, they carved on stone for religious purposes. Later, to record other kinds of information, the Egyptians created a paperlike material called papyrus by pressing together layers of plant stalks. Scribes wrote using sharpened reeds and forming long scrolls on which they recorded the history of their nation.

Wrap Up Write down 3 things that you learned

about Egypt in this lesson.