EGYPT: NEW KINGDOM DURING THE RAMESSIDE PERIOD - XIX & XX Flashcards
The geographical environment:
Upper Egypt
- South area from the first cataract (south of Memphis)
- Upper = inland of the Nile
The geographical environment:
Lower Egypt
- Lower Egypt area from Memphis to the sea + delta region
- Lower = where the Nile meets the sea
The geographical environment:
Red Land
- Located on the edge pf the Sahara desert. An arid and dangerous region
- Hostile environment but contains many resources that provide work
The geographical environment:
The Black Land
- Stripe of fertile land running along the Nile river
- Annual flooding provided crops with millions of tons of rich and fertile soil
- Nile provides drinking water, irrigation, food, mud, transport and papyrus
The geographical environment:
Nile Delta
- Splits into many rivulets in the lower Egypt
- Largely agricultural region
- Climate is more pleasant
Significant sites:
Pi-Ramesses
- Per-Ramesses (House of Ramesses)
- Built new capital by Ramesses 2
- Location to deal with the ongoing tension with vassal kingdom and empire in the north
Significant sites:
Memphis
- Old/middle Kingdom Capitol
- Located at apex of delta, made it central for trade, admin etc
- Tombs of many noble officers built nearby
Significant sites:
Thebes
- Religious capital for NK (besides Amarna period)
- Amus worship in temple of Karnak and Luxor
- Import festivals held here
- Dominated by temples
Significant sites:
Ramesseum
- Mortuary temple of Ramesses 2
- Used as a palace during his life
- Contains images and sources of his life
Significant sites:
Medinet Habu
- Temples of Ramesses 3
- Inspired by the Ramesseum
- Artwork reveals evidence of the trouble that may have lead to assassination.
Significant sites:
Valley of the Kings
- Most royal burials in NK period including pharaohs of Remesside period.
- Est. along with the abandonment of pyramid tombs
- Provides insight into burial customs and traditions.
Significant sites:
Valley of the Queens
- South of Valley of the Kings
- burial of important royal wives
Significant sites:
Dier el Medina
- Village of tomb builders and their families
- Between VK and Vq
- Many villages were literate
- written evidence of everyday life for Egyptians and information on burial customs and beliefs
Significant sites:
Abu Simbel
- two rock-cut temples in Nubia
- Built by Ramesses 2 to glorify self
- serves as propaganda to Nubians
Egyptian society.
1) Royal family
2) Nobility
3) Middle class
4) Artisans
5) Peasants
The role and image of the pharaoh
- The warrior
- Maintainer of Me’at
- Administrator
- Regalia
Role of the army
- source of national pride and propaganda
- maintains order through fear
- defence
- build empire and protects
Nature of army
- 20,000 soldiers
- organized and modern
- standing army
- adopted foreigner technology
- usually 4 divisions
Different royal women
- The harem
- The great royal wife
- Mother of the god
- Diplomatic wives
- Sister/daughters
Non-royal women status
- A women’s social status reflected that of their father or husband
- social mobility was available for women
- Generally regarded highly of by men
- could inherit their own wealth, divorce husbands and own slaves.
The Economy:
Importance of the Nile
- its predictable cycle has been essential to the success of the Egyptians since the earliest farmers
- Allowed them to develop agricultural practice, support domestic animals and for transportation.
The Economy:
Nilometer
- flood water levels are monitored by priests and scribes
- depth of water impacted the amount of tax placed on the people
The Economy:
Irrigation
- Farmers used various devices to water crops
- Irrigation canals dispersed the water through fields.
The Economy:
3T’s?
Tax
Tribute
Trade
Afterlife and Burial:
Features of the soul
- Khet: the physical body
- Ka: the persons life force which needed the body
- Ba: the personality was free to roam
- Name
- Shadow
Afterlife and Burial:
4 different goals
1) Go to the field of Reeds (Aaru)
2) Travel with Ra on his solar boat
3) Rome the land of the living
4) Become Osiris (only if you were the pharaoh)
Afterlife and Burial:
Conditions of eternal life
- must have preserved the mortal body
- need to pass the weighing of the heart ceremony
- Needs to know the magic spells
- be buried with the things that will be needed for the afterlife
Afterlife and Burial:
Duat
- the underworld
- inhabited by various Gods, such as Osiris, Anubis, Thoth, Ammit, Isis and many deities and monsters.
Afterlife and Burial:
WOTH (Weighing of the heart)
- achieving eternal life
- ultimate judgment of the deceased
- must plead not guilty to numerous charges that were presented.
Afterlife and Burial:
Burial goods
- food and drink
- furniture
- tools and weapons
- shabti and weapons
- magic bricks
- leisure activities
- jewellery
- statues
- amulets
- oils/perfumes/cosmetics
Afterlife and Burial:
Purpose of the tomb
- a home for the Khet and Ka
- a store room for burial goods
- a surface for religious texts
Afterlife and Burial:
Royal tombs
- strictly religious sense where painted on the walls
Afterlife and Burial:
Common tombs
- while religious sense, they also painted everyday life and their life.
Temple features and functions:
Uses
- religious worship
- propaganda
- political announcements
- business enterprise
Temple features and functions:
Cult of the Pharaoh
- most pharaohs would construct a mortuary temple so that they could be worshiped during the afterlife.
- temples were constructed on the west of the Nile in the Theban necropolis near the VK
