The Ancient Near East: Egypt Flashcards
What did agriculture in Egypt depend on?
The flood of the Nile river each year - not the climate or weather
When did the floods of the Nile occur?
Floods peaked in September, and receded in October
What did the flooding of the Nile bring?
Brought silt from the riverbed, which made the soil very fertile - all you needed to do was drop seeds and stamp them into the ground
What is a nome?
A group of villages
How many dynasties occurred in Ancient Egypt?
History shows 20 occurred, although they were “implemented” later by an outsider Greek priest
How is the Egyptian history normally divided?
Three kingdoms: Old, Middle, and New
How is the area of Egypt normally divided?
Upper Egypt ( Southern) and Lower Egypt (Northern/Delta area)
Who was Narmer?
A Pharaoh in the Archaic period, who worked to unite Upper and Lower Egypt (may also be known as Menes) and finally succeeded in unifying the civilization
What is Cartush?
Means the name of the current king/pharaoh
When was there a period of confusion?
Between Old and Middle Kingdom, but it was important that the Pharaoh show divine power
What was considered the Classical Period of Egypt?
The Middle Kingdom, due to a stand-up army, as well as building innovations
Who were the Hyksos?
Semitic speaking people not from Egypt; they rose up and took Upper Egypt
What did the Hyksos bring to Egypt?
New ideas (bronze age), use of horse-drawn chariots, development of scales (armour), the composite bow, new daggers and weapons, and peaceful ideas
When did the New Kingdom begin?
When a Prince rose up in 1570 and drove out the Hyksos
Who was Hatshepsut?
Daughter of Thotmes I, married to Thotmes II; became a Pharaoh, and was depicted as a man, as there was no word for ‘Queen’ so she was addressed as “His majesty”
Who was the Napoleon of Egypt?
Thotmes III; he was a warrior king who brought the Egyptian empire to the zenith of its power, by conquering all of Syria, crossing the Euphrates river, and going down to Sudan and Nubia
Who was Amunhotep IV (Akhenaten)?
He was a Pharaoh that ascended to the throne after being appointed as heir after his father Thotmes III died. Nefertiti was his wife.
What did Amunhotep IV/Akhenaten do?
He abolished priests/worship of Amun, and instead placed worship on the sun as a disk, and was very unaware of what was going on outside his city
Who was Tutankhamun?
Younger brother of Amunhotep IV, he rose to the throne after him, and died young
Who had to fight off many attacks from the North East?
Ramses III
When did the kingdom fall?
After Ramses III
Which crown is the crown of Upper Egypt?
The white rounded crown (Hedjet)
Which crown is the crown of Lower Egypt?
The red crown with the swirl (Deshret)
What did the presence of weapons show?
That Egypt was fashioned for war
What is the Narmer Pallet?
25” high artifact from the Dynastic period that has scenes depicting King Narmer (Menes) as a triumphant ruler
What is on the left side of the Narmer Pallet?
King’s name is on the top, flanked by the heads of Hathor/Isis (mother of Horus); large depiction of the King wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, and he is holding a mace and has a Libian captive at his feet; above the captive is the falcon god Horus who is poised on a 6 stylized Lotus blossoms; court official on the left side of the King; two captives trying to escape below
What do the 6 Lotus blossoms possibly represent? (Narmer’s Pallet?)
6000 captives
What is on the right side of the Narmer Pallet?
Narmer wearing red crown of Lower Egypt and holding a mace; four standard bearers in front, 10 decapitated captives on the top right, in the middle two men holding ropes attached to mythical creatures with long necks; bottom bull is breaking into a city
What does the Narmer Pallet represent?
It represents and glorifies the Pharaoh, as Narmer is the one who unified Egypt
What was the mace commonly used for?
It was used for close-range combat, and was the weapon of the period
What were maces made out of?
Some were made of copper, but most were stone, with the handle stuck in a hole and held together with leather wrappings
What were axes made out of?
Stone or copper blades were very common; bronze blades were effective but there was still a problem of fitting the blade to the handle
Who introduced the socket axe and sickle sword?
The Hyksos
When did military success become part of political propaganda?
In the Middle Kingdom
What is the Fort of Buhen?
Was regarded as virtually impregnable; it had moats, watchtowers, gates, etc. and 400-500 soldiers stationed there at one time
What was Egypt’s biggest concern?
Protecting its borders rather than pushing past it
When was the birth of imperialism?
The Middle Kingdom
What types of weapons emerged in the Middle Kingdom?
Bronze swords, arrowheads, javelins
What did Egypt swear to do in the New Kingdom?
Swear to never allow foreigners to dominate them again
When did warlike Pharaohs emerge?
New Kingdom
Why did warlike Pharaohs emerge?
New classes of beaureaucrats were needed, militaristic culture, ideology of royalty was altered: Pharaoh was humanized into the commander-in-chief, so the king would ride into battle with his troops
What is the composite bow?
Different from the simple bow due to the double curve shape; it is also much shorter, was easier to use, provided greater strength and recoil power; originated in Sumer
What were composite bows made out of?
Various materials: wood, horn, and gut of an oxe
How long did it take to make a composite bow?
5-10 years as they were difficult to make and moisture made it useless
When was Nubia lost?
End of Middle Kingdom; New Kingdom Pharaohs wanted it back
What was the composite bow good for?
Chariot warfare (mobile firing platform)
What was the Battle of Meggido?
Thotmes III captured Meggido in 1485
How did Thotmes III capture Meggido?
Chariots used in battle with a two man crew; he could deploy about 1000 chariots, which was very expensive
When did the Egyptians become a military people?
Under the 18th Dynasty
What did the Egyptians imploy in the 18th Dynasty?
Conscription (infantry), chariots (King’s + aristocratic in the front), archers, spearmen, etc. (no cavalry), a complete hierarchy of military rank, a new military class emerged
What is the Battle of Kadesh (Qadesh)
13th century, it was between the Egyptians (under Ramses II) and the Hittites; Egyptians had to withdraw to safety in the battle but Ramses succeeded victory
Who were the Hittites?
Indo-European people who lived in the Middle East and dominated in that area for a time
