Chapter 4 Notes Ancient Egypt and Kush
Geography and Ancient Egypt
The Big
Idea
The
water, fertile soils, and protected setting of the Nile Valley allowed a great
civilization to arise in Egypt around 3200 BC.
Main
Ideas
Egypt was called the gift of the Nile
because the Nile River gave life to the desert.
Civilization developed along the Nile
after people began farming in this region.
Strong kings unified all of Egypt.
Main Idea 1: Egypt was called the gift of the Nile because the Nile River gave
life to the desert.
The Nile River brought life to Egypt and allowed it to thrive.
Biannual flooding of the Nile made farming possible.
Features of the Nile
The Nile is the longest river in the world, with a distance of over 4,000 miles.
Ancient Egypt included two regions, a southern (Upper Egypt) and a northern
region (Lower Egypt), that were given their names by their relation to the Nile.
At several points, the rough terrain caused
cataracts, or rapids, to form.
The Nile divided into several branches, forming a
delta, a triangular area of
land made from soil deposited by a river.
The Floods of the Nile
Little rain fell in the Egyptian desert, but the Nile flooded every year in the
summer and fall.
The Niles flooding coated the land around it with a rich silt that made the
soil ideal for farming.
Without the floods, people could never have farmed in Egypt.
Main Idea 2:
Civilization developed along the Nile after people
began farming in this region.
The Nile provided both water and fertile soil for farming.
Egypts location offered another advantage because it had natural barriers that
made it hard to invade.
Nile Valley
·
Canals were built to carry water to
fields of wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables.
The Nile allowed farmers to raise
animals such as cattle and sheep.
The river also provided many types of
fish to eat, and hunters trapped ducks and geese.
Natural barriers made Egypt hard to invade.
Desert in the west was too big and harsh to cross.
Mediterranean and Red Sea provided protection from invasion.
Cataracts in the Nile made it difficult to invade from the south.
Main Idea 3:
Strong
kings unified all of Egypt.
According to tradition, Menes
rose to power in Upper Egypt and unified the two kingdoms by taking control of
Lower Egypt and by marrying a Lower Egyptian princess.
Menes was probably Egypts first
pharaoh, the title used by the
rulers of Egypt. (Memphis)
He also founded Egypts first
dynasty, or series of rulers from the same family.
The First Dynasty lasted for about 200 years and extended Egyptian territory
southward along the Nile.
The Old Kingdom
The Big
Idea
Egyptian
government and religion were closely connected during the Old Kingdom.
Main
Ideas
In early Egyptian society, pharaohs
ruled as gods and were at the top of the social structure.
Religion shaped Egyptian life.
The pyramids of Egypt were built as
tombs for the pharaohs.
Main Idea 1:
In early Egyptian society, pharaohs ruled as gods
and were at the top of the social structure.
The Old Kingdom
was a period in which the Egyptians developed a system based on the belief that
the pharaoh was both a king and a god.
As
the population grew, social classes appeared.
Egypt began to trade goods with its neighbors.
Egyptian Society
Pharaohs, Egyptian kings,
ruled Egypt as gods.
Hatshepsut First female pharaoh
Kuhfu Great Pyramid
Tut Age 9, Howard Carter discovered his
tomb in 1922
Ramses Great warrior and fought Hittites for many years
Many nobles,
or people from rich and powerful families, were officials and priests who helped
run the government.
Scribes and craftspeople wrote and produced goods.
Farmers, servants, and slaves made up most of Egyptian society.
Main Idea 2:
Religion shaped Egyptian life.
·
The Egyptians had gods for nearly
everything, including the sun, the sky, and the earth.
These gods would often mix human and animal forms.
·
Egyptian religion focused on the
afterlife, or life
after death.
They believed that when a person died, his or her
ka left the body and became a
spirit.
·
They developed embalming to preserve bodies and keep the
link between the body and the spirit. The specially treated bodies wrapped in
cloth were called mummies.
Main Idea 3: The pyramids of Egypt were built as tombs for the pharaohs.
·
Pyramids
are huge stone tombs with four triangular sides that meet in a point on the top.
Historians are unsure how they were built.
Financed by taxes.
·
Pyramids displayed amazing
engineering, or the application of scientific
knowledge for practical purposes.
·
The size and shape of the pyramids showed the importance of pharaohs. They were
the peoples link to the gods, so the Egyptians wanted their spirits to be
happy.
The
Middle and New Kingdoms
The Big Idea
During
the Middle and New Kingdoms, order and greatness were restored in Egypt.
Main
Ideas
The Middle Kingdom was a period of
stable government between periods of disorder.
In the New Kingdom, Egyptian trade and
military power reached their peak, but Egypts greatness did not last.
·
Work and daily life were different for
each of Egypts social classes
Main Idea 1:
The
Middle Kingdom was a period of stable government between periods of disorder.
·
Following a period of competition for
power between the nobles and the pharaohs, the Middle Kingdom began.
·
Egypt fell into disorder around 1750 BC.
A group called the Hyksos invaded and ruled the
region for 200 years.
·
The Egyptians fought back, and Ahmose of Thebes declared himself king and drove
the Hyksos out of Egypt, beginning the New Kingdom.
Main Idea 2:
In the New Kingdom, Egyptian trade and military
power reached their peak, but Egypts greatness did not last.
Fearing future invasions, the Egyptians took control of all possible invasion
routes into the kingdom.
Egypt took over vast lands and was the leading military power in the area.
Egypt became rich because of the lands it conquered.
Growth and Effects of
Trade
Conquests brought traders into contact with distant lands,
and trade routes, or
paths followed by traders, developed.
Queen Hatshepsut
encouraged trade and used the profits to support the arts and architecture.
Led by Ramses the Great,
Egypt fought invaders for many years, leaving their empire diminished.
Main Idea 3:
Work and daily life were different for each of
Egypts social classes.
The complex society required people to take on many different kinds of jobs.
Family life was very important in Egyptian society, and most Egyptians lived in
their own homes.
Women had many legal rights, including owning property,
making contracts, and
divorcing their husbands.
Egyptian Jobs
Scribes:
Few
people were more respected than scribes. They did not have to pay taxes, and
many became wealthy.
Artisans, Artists, and Architects:
These
jobs required advanced skills and were also very admired in Egypt.
Merchants and Traders:
Although trade was important, few held these positions. Some had to travel very
long distances to buy and sell goods.
Additional Egyptian Jobs
Soldiers:
Egypt created a permanent army that
offered soldiers a chance to rise in social status and receive land as payment.
Farmers and Other Peasants:
This group made up the vast majority of the population.
They grew crops to support their families and to
pay taxes.
Slaves:
Slaves were usually criminals or
prisoners.
They had some legal rights, however.
Egyptian Achievements
The Big Idea
·
The
Egyptians made lasting achievements in writing, architecture, and art.
Main
Ideas
The
Egyptians developed a writing system using hieroglyphics.
The Egyptians created magnificent temples, tombs, and
works of art.
Main Idea 1:
The Egyptians developed a writing system using
hieroglyphics.
Hieroglyphics was the Egyptian writing system.
Egyptians learned to write hieroglyphics on
papyrus, a long-lasting,
paperlike material made from reeds.
Scribes wrote on papyrus using brushes and ink.
Historians learned how to read hieroglyphics after
discovering the Rosetta Stone,
which was written in three languages.
Hieroglyphics
A
later form of Egyptian
Greek
Main Idea 2: The Egyptians created magnificent temples, tombs, and works of art.
·
Egyptians believed the massive
temples were homes of the gods.
·
People visited to worship, offer gifts to the gods, and ask for favors.
·
Temples had:
Stone sphinxes and other statues
An obelisk: a
tall, four-sided pillar that is pointed at the top
Painted walls and columns that also had hieroglyphics
Egyptian art filled tombs.
Egyptian art was filled with lively, colorful scenes.
Art showed historical events, everyday life, and religious events.
Painting had a distinctive style in which peoples heads and legs are always
seen from the side, but upper bodies are shown straight on.
Tombs contained work such as:
Art and hieroglyphics on walls and columns
Stone statues and carvings
Egyptians were skilled stoneworkers.
Jewelry
Ancient Kush
The Big
Idea
The
kingdom of Kush, which arose south of Egypt in a land called Nubia, developed an
advanced civilization with a large trading network.
Main
Ideas
The geography of early Nubia helped
civilization develop there.
Kush and Egypt traded, but they also
fought.
Later Kush became a trading power with
a unique culture.
Both internal and external factors led
to the decline of Kush.
Main Idea 1:
The geography of early Nubia helped civilization
develop there.
A group of people called the Kushites settled in a region now called Nubia and
established the first large kingdom in the interior of Africa.
The development of the Kushite civilization was greatly influenced by the
geography of Nubia, especially the role played by the Nile River.
Nubia
Ancient Nubia was fertile due to annual flooding.
It
was rich in valuable minerals that contributed to its wealth.
Gold
Copper
Stone
Farmers thrived there,
and one became the king of a region he called Kush.
The capital city of Kerma was
protected from invaders by the cataracts of the Nile River.
Main Idea 2:
Kush and Egypt traded, but they also fought.
·
Egypt and Kush traded with each
other.
However, relations between Kush and Egypt became hostile.
Egypt feared that Kush would become too powerful, so it invaded and conquered
Kush.
·
Kush was an Egyptian territory for about 450 years. Many Kushites adopted
Egyptian religious practices, names, and language.
·
During a time of decline in Egypt, Kushite leaders regained control of Kush,
becoming independent again.
Kush
Regains Power
Kush regained its strength and
conquered
Egypt under the direction of Kashta and his son
Piankhi.
By 751 BC the Kushite king Kashta had
conquered Upper Egypt. Piankhi ruled all of Egypt by the time of his death
around 716 BC.
Shabaka, brother of Piankhi, declared himself pharaoh and started Kushite
Dynasty.
This dynasty tried to
restore the old Egyptian cultural practices.
The Kushite Dynasty remained strong until the Assyrians drove them out of Egypt
in the 670s BC.
Main Idea 3:
Later Kush became a trading power with a unique
culture.
·
Kush devoted itself to increasing
agriculture and trade. Within a few centuries, it became a rich and powerful
kingdom again.
Meroe
the
kingdoms new capital, developed an iron industry.
Resources such as iron ore and
wood for furnaces helped the industry grow quickly.
Meroe became the center of a large
trade network, a system of
people in different lands who trade goods.
Kushite Culture
·
Kushite culture was influenced by
Egypt. They worshipped Egyptian gods, built pyramids, wore Egyptian clothing,
and had rulers called pharaohs.
·
The
Kushites also had their own gods.
·
They developed their own written language, called
Meroitic.
·
The women of Kush were expected to be as active in society as the men. Some rose
to positions of authority and power, especially religious authority.
Main Idea 4:
Both internal and external factors led to the
decline of Kush.
Loss of Resources
Cattle overgrazed the land, leaving nothing to hold the soil down and allowing
it to blow away.
Ironmakers used up the forests near
Meroλ. Military power declined when
weapons were not produced.
Trade Rivals
Merchants set up new trade routes that went around Kush, weakening its trade.
Rise of Aksum
The
Aksumite army of
King Ezana
took over when Kushs power started to decline.