MT1 Week3 Egypt Flashcards
1
Q
Gift of the Nile
A
Ancient Egypt developed in the Nile river floodplain
- The Nile is the longest river in the world (6600 km)
- The Nile has two major tributaries: the Blue Nile (Lake Tana, Ethiopian highlands) and the White Nile (Lake Victoria) and river flows north to its Delta on the Mediterranean Sea)
- Annual floods provide rich alluvium each year
- Floods were more predictable than in Mesopotamia
2
Q
Geography
A
- Ancient Egypt is the first state of its size in history – a territorial state
- Long and narrow oasis surrounded by desert
- Isolated Egypt from tropical Africa and Near East although it traded for gold, ivory, semi-precious stone, timber from Levant and tropical Africa
- Travel along the Nile by boat is ancient (earliest image of boat that resembles pre-dynastic boats is carved onto a pebble in a securely dated site ~7000 BC (near Khartoum)
3
Q
The Red Land and the Black Land
A
Ancient Egyptians called their land “Kemet” (black land) -- the black fertile soils of the floodplain
•“Deshret” (red land) is the dry desert sands
4
Q
2 geopolitical areas
A
- Egypt is divided into 2 geopolitical areas:
- Lower Egypt is the Nile river delta (ta-mehu – land of the papyrus)
- Upper Egypt is the area south of the delta to Nubia (ta-shema –land of the shema reed)
- Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt is represented in the combined crowns
5
Q
2 geopolities represented by crowns
A
White domed crown of Upper Egypt
- Red curled crown of Lower Egypt
- Combined crown of Upper and Lower Egypt
6
Q
Ancient Egypt: Outline
A
- Neolithic/Chalcolithic or Pre-dynastic Period 5000-3100 BC
- Archaic or Early Dynastic Period 3100-2700 BC
- Dynastic Period: 2700-1070 BC
- Old Kingdom 2700-2140 BC
- First Intermediate 2140-2040 BC
- Middle Kingdom 2040-1640 BC
- Second Intermediate 1640-1550 BC
- New Kingdom 1550-1070 BC
- Third Intermediate /decline after 1100 BC
- Kingdoms – the state is under a centralized authority (the king or pharaoh) ruling from a capital city
- Intermediates – periods when power became decentralized and held by local authorities (nomarchs, local authorities)
7
Q
Pre-Dynastic: 5000-3100 BC
A
- About 5000 BC simple farming based in cattle and cereal farming develops (Near Eastern crops)
- Villages were located on the edge of the floodplain
- Planted crops as the flood receded or grazed their animals on the floodplain
- Harvested crops before the next flood
- These were copper using groups (possibly copper ore to make paint)
8
Q
Lower Egypt
A
- By 4000 BC there is evidence of social differences in burials with chiefs buried with a staff that is pointed at one end & flat at the other end
- Most people are buried in simple pit burials within settlements
- By 3500 BC large towns had their own gods and local rulers
- One of these communities is Buto (in suburb of Cairo)
- Maadian culture: traded with Upper Egypt, Levant, Mesopotamia and to some extent with Upper Egypt
9
Q
Upper Egypt (UE): 5000-3600 BC
A
- Earliest farming society in UE (Badarian culture) wheat, barley, lentils, cattle, goats, sheep, fish
- Developed in the Eastern & Western Desert
- Mainly known from burials – individuals buried in pits facing west in desert cemeteries with pots, beads, palettes
- Traded with Sinai and Eastern Desert
- Produced fine pottery called black topped red ware and faience (craft specialists)
- Earliest evidence of intentional mummification ~4300 BC from resins on linens
10
Q
Earliest evidence of embalming
A
- It has been assumed that most pre-dynastic mummification is natural
- New study of Naqada mummy c. 3700-3500 BC is the first direct evidence from an embalmed individual
- Recipe of plant oil, heated conifer resin, and both aromatic plant extract and plant gum/sugar that are antibacterial agents
- These recipes are similar to those used 2500 years later by Egyptian embalmers of the New Kingdom
- First direct evidence of pre-dynastic mummification (most of the mummies are not dated or chemically analyzed) but chemistry is similar to the Badarian period mummy wrappings!
11
Q
Developing complex technology: Egyptian Faience
A
- Faience is made of crushed quartz or sand crystals mixed with sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper oxides that produce blue, green, turquoise colour
- Faience paste was shaped in molds & fired in a kiln – calcium silicates in the paste produced a glassy surface
- Objects were also dipped into faience power or painted with a slurry of the paste, fired, & produced the glassy surface
- Possibly intended to imitate turquoise & other gems
- Earliest workshop Abydos 5500 BC
- Ancient Egyptians believed that the reflection of light off these pieces was the light of immortality
12
Q
Upper Egypt: urbanism
A
- 3 important cities form ~3600 BC
- Naqada
- Nekhen (Hierakonpolis)*
- This (Abydos)
- 5000-10,000 people living in mud-brick houses, elite houses, and there are specialized crafts
- Developed irrigation to increase food production
- Poor and rich burials indicate social inequality
- Some burials with symbols of power (mace heads)
- At this timethe material culture of Upper Egypt spreads into Lower Egypt and Maadi culture disappears
13
Q
Bearded Men
A
- new form of sculpture
- beard may be a symbol of power: precursor for false beards of Pharaohs
- e.g. males not identified with primary sexual characteristics but ones related to power
14
Q
Nekhen – city of the falcon deity
A
Nekhen was a prosperous center
- Main businesses were brewing beer and pottery-making
- Large beer brewing installations are estimated to have produced 1000 gallons or more of beer/day
- Pottery-making was also important: produced funerary ware and vessels for beer brewing and daily use
15
Q
Ceremonial complex
A
- Nekhen is the cradle of Egyptian kingship
- Cult of falcon deity - (early form of Horus), patron god of the city’s ruler
- Temple has mud-plastered oval that was surrounded by a mud-plastered reed fence
- There was a large sand mound (representing earth emerging from chaos) with a later mud-brick platform
- Rectangular buildings (shrines, workshops) were located on one side of the oval
- Post for the image of the falcon god (Nekhen)
- Earliest known temple in Egypt
- Separate cemeteries fo different classes and elite individuals
16
Q
Cemeteries: Working class burials
A
- Over 150 graves including women with resin soaked linens wrapped around their arms (early mummification)
- Fetal position facing east or west
- Body wrapped in reed mats and simple grave goods of pottery, palette, beads
17
Q
Elite burials
A
- Clay masks on a few elite burials
- Rich grave goods
- Recent burial (2014) with ivory figurine that has similar face to the masks
- Researchers believe this is the ruler associated with the zoo!
18
Q
Animal burials: the earliest zoo ~3600 BC
A
- Located on the edge of the elite cemetery
- Tombs of exotic animals buried whole (baboons, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, hippos, dogs, cats, auroch)
- Sacrifice wild animals to symbolize control of ruler over the chaos of nature
- Animals were powerful – often animal form taken by gods and early rulers
- Zoos demonstrate ruler’s wealth and power
- Zoos legitimize pharaohs up to the New Kingdom period
19
Q
Nekhen: tomb 100
A
- New cemetery at Nekhen
- first mud-brick sepulcher with painted walls ~3500-3200 BC
- Procession of ruler on boat (barque) carrying him to the afterlife
- Ruler surrounded by dangerous forces, images of him killing lions with royal mace
- Similar scenes and concepts in the Egyptian state: kings upheld order, justice, piety and defeated the forces of chaos
20
Q
King(s) Scorpion Dynasty 0
A
Mace head from cemetery at Nekhen with king wearing white domed crown of Upper Egypt and other regalia of later dynastic kingship
- Bull’s tail hangs from belt (symbol of king’s authority)
- Shepherd’s shemset (apron)
- Goat beard (possibly false)
- Carries tool to open irrigation canal
- Rosette (symbol of divinity)
- Scorpion (his name)
21
Q
This (Abydos) King Scorpion?
A
- Tomb U-J dated to 3250 BC
- brick lined tomb set up as a house for the King
- Name Scorpion inked on several jars
- Ivory tags attached to jars that came from far away places including 700 wine jars (NAA analysis shows pots from the Levant) (elaborate long-distance exchange networks)
- Earliest hieroglyphic writing 3200 BC but already a well-developed system
- Stamps in other tombs 3400 BC
22
Q
Unification: King Narmer (Menes) 3100 BC
A
- Many competing kings in Upper Egypt in period leading up to unification
- Hieroglyphic writing and irrigation were widespread practices
- Narmer Palette found at Nekhen (Hierakonpolis)
- commemorates unification of Egypt by King Narmer of This
- Narmer is shown wearing combined crown of Upper and Lower Egypt
23
Q
Role of the king
A
Early rulers come from Upper Egypt (Thinite dynasty)
- Kings were responsible for mediating between forces of order and chaos
- Concept of ma’at (order, justice, moral righteousness) vs Isfet(disorder)
- Creator god (Ra) instituted ma’at at the beginning of time and passed it down to each king
- King was earthly manifestation of the Creator god and returned to the Creator god after death
24
Q
Burial practices of Early Dynastic Kings
A
- Abydos remained sacred burial place of early dynastic kings
- Kings were buried in mastabas (low mud-brick structures)
- The burial chamber was cut beneath mud-brick structure that was entered by staircase
- Chapel in upper structure for offerings
- Queens and retainers were buried around the king in simple pit graves
- Earliest evidence of boat burials is at Abydos – moored with a stone
25
Q
Human sacrifice
A
Human sacrifice ended about 2700 BC before the Early Dynastic period
- Human sacrifices likely were intended to serve king in afterlife
- Replaced by shabtis – figures who magically came to life in afterworld and served the dead ruler
- Made from different materials including stone , clay, faience & wood
26
Q
Religious ideology
A
- Kings created cult centers to the gods to link themselves to all local deities (hundreds of gods)
- Forged a national religion represented in a standardized art style that lasts for 3000 years
- King identified with Horus and with sun god Ra (top deity)
- Ra sailed across the sky during the day in the day-barque
- Stepped onto night-barque at sunset to fight the forces of chaos
- Metaphor of the cyclical process of death and rebirth, and the flooding of the Nile
27
Q
Afterlife: ba and ka
A
- Ba is person’s spirit that can leave the body, roam around, but still needs the body to return to
- Ka is the life force that needs to be nourished (e.g. at feasting tables painted in tombs)
- It was essential to preserve the body
- Initially afterlife only available to rulers and their entourage
28
Q
Mummification increasingly refined
A
Increasing development of mummification over time
- Removed organs, dried body with salt (natron), perfumed body with resin/milk/incense and then wrapped in linen with protective amulets
- Specialist practice, process took up to 70 days
29
Q
Pyramid Texts and the Book of the Dead
A
Based in early texts like the Pyramid Texts (some of the same spells)
- Collection of texts with magic spells that aid the deceased in traveling through the underworld
- Dangerous place with supernatural beasts
- Call out spell to make beasts disappear or book provided answers to riddles/questions that posed barriers along the route
30
Q
Political organization
A
- Ancient Egypt was different from Mesopotamia
- Territorial state with many cities under a centralized authority
- State was divided into nomes (provinces), governed by nomarchs
- Nomarchs were local rulers
- In centralized state, nomarchs were appointed by the king (loyal local leaders or royal family members)
- Nomarchs received titles and estates and were wealthy
- Often hereditary position
