Ancient Egypt through Middle Kingdom (2700-1550) Flashcards
Geography
750 mile Nile w/ floods in Fall–12 mile fertile zone around it. Nile floods when they see Sothis.
Metal Trade
Increased
Afterlife
trying to recombine ka (spirit) and ba (personality) in underworld, then live normal life in afterlife, after being judged by Osiris
Pharoah is Horus among people while alive, Osiris when dead. Had a pharaoh name and a Horus name
ship stuff
Built and took apart ships on Red Sea
mentality
everything is cyclical, emphasis on sun. Temples on east, tombs and pyramids on west of Nile. Pharaohs live regimented life to keep ma’at. bad things blamed on him
Dating
1 day every four years is off. dating is inaccurate to 1460 years
ma’at
balance–weighed against a “feather” in judgement
cracking hieroglyphics
Rosetta Stone (huh). Greek, hieroglyphic, and demotic (hieroglyphic)–triliteral, bilingual. found 1790s Napoleon, translated by Jean Francois Champollion
Manetho
priest during Ptolemaic period, creating dynastic record.
Dynasties 1 and 2
Menes (Narmer) and the “White Wall” of Cairo/Memphis. unites halves of Egypt
Old Kingdom
2700-2200–pyramid builders. Dynasties 3 (Djoser) and 4 (builders Khufu Khafre Menkaure)
pharaoh
“guy who lives in the big house”
vizier
second in command, but ran the show since the pharaohs are always doing rituals and such (Joseph)
Nomes
Old Kingdom gov’t districts–22 upper, 20 lower, ruled by nomarchs
First Intermediate Period
2200-2000–civil conflict
