4) Egypt Flashcards
When was Ancient Egypt?
Largely unchanged culture from 3100 BCE - 332 BCE
What was the Nile like?
Regular
Benign
Navigable
How did Egyptians plant crops?
Farmer threw seeds into the soil and had livestock walk on them
How did Egyptians water their crops?
Basin irrigation:
floodwater fills empty basins and canals
Not labor intensive like other irrigation systems
What did Egyptians move up-river?
Holy metals and wood
How did the Nile shape the Egyptian worldview and culture?
Egyptians had a relatively easy food surplus
Optimistic worldview - consistent gods, afterlife just like this life (which is pretty good)
Time for large projects, like the Pyramids
When was the Egyptian Old Kingdom?
2649 - 2152 BCE
Who was the primary deity of the Old Kingdom?
Ra, god of the sun (and creation)
Began as the regional God of Heliopolis
What was the Pharaoh understood to be?
Divine incarnation of the gods
How must the Pharaoh act?
Like a god - calm, cool, benevolent
When were the Great Pyramids built?
2575 - 2465 BCE
Who were the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid built for?
Sphinx: Khefren
Great Pyramid: Khufu
What do works like the Pyramids suggest about Egyptian culture?
Government/Pharaoh had a huge amount of political and social control
Who built the pyramids?
Farmers - likely voluntarily
What is the commonly held belief about who built the Pyramids?
Slaves or peasants required to work a number of months per year
