Unit 2 Test Flashcards
Egyptians domesticated…
cats and honeybees
advantages of rivers
○ Fertile soil
○ Water and irrigation
○ Trade and transportation
Resources for the Egyptians
○ Papyrus (paper) ○ Cattle ○ Honey ○ Cats ○ Figs, dates, onions, melons ○ Wheat, barley, flax
Neolithic Period
○ 5000 BC
○ Nomads settle along the Nile
○ People began to bury dead (naturally mummified), helped with afterlife beliefs (beginnings of religion) and mummy ideas
○ Tools (intellectual development)
Nomarch Jobs
○ Supervise irrigation (shaduf, upkeep of ditches) ○ Store surplus ○ Collect taxes ○ Led military ○ Chief priest of tribal god
Nome
place (like a city-state)
Nomarch
ruler of a nome
Upper and Lower Egypt Crowns
○ Lower and Upper Egypt had different crowns, combined when they combine
The Archaic Period
○ 3100-2700 BC ○ 1st and 2nd Dynasties ○ 30 Egyptian Dynasties ○ King Narmer (Menes) ○ Unifies upper and lower Egypt ○ Memphis- capital 1st dynasty
The Old Kingdom
○ 2700-2200 BC ○ 3rd-6th Dynasties ○ Pyramid age ○ Pharaohs built tombs to last forever ○ Start building your tomb when you became king
Mastaba
raised tomb, inside doorway- statue of person
Zoser (Djoser)
○ Step pyramid- start of pyramids
○ Imhotep- vizier, architect
○ 6 mastabas stacked
Pyramids at Giza
○ 3 pharaohs- Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure
○ 4th dynasty (2500)
Hieroglyphics
○ Most likely influenced by Sumerian writing
○ Pictographic and alphabetic elements
Old Kingdom Government
○ Upper and Lower Egypt united
○ Pharaohs- strong central authority, absolute power
○ Vizier- chief minister, supervised day-to-day government
Decline of Old Kingdom
○ Power struggles between Nomarchs
○ Food shortages
○ High cost of pyramids
○ Leads to 1st Intermediate Period (2100 BC)
Nome/nomarch
regions in pre-dynastic Egypt (nomes) were ruled by nomarchs
Pharaoh
Egyptians called their king the pharaoh (literally = “he who lives in the great house” – the word applies to Egyptian kings only
Vizier
The pharaoh’s assistant; he had much responsibility such as organizing the collection of taxes, overseeing irrigation, supervising construction projects etc.
Regent
an adult who serves as temporary monarch when the successor is a child. This word is not specific to Egypt.
Bureaucracy
the name given to the group of people who worked for the government administration. This would have included tax collectors, scribes, engineers and priests.
Delta
the new land formed by a river discharging sediment into the sea; its flow is reduced causing the river to deposit silt at the river mouth. Eventually this silt forms new land.
Inundation
The Egyptian term for the season of flood
Necropolis
Literally this means “city of the dead”. In Egypt it describes the Valley of the Kings and Queens, areas devoted to burial.
Mastaba/pyramid
Mastabas were the precursors of pyramids and were box-shaped tombs built above the ground. Eventually Old Kingdom pharaohs built layers on top and the idea of a pyramid was born.
Papyrus
the plant from which the Egyptians made paper, among other things
Hieroglyphics
literally “sacred writings”, the word given to Egyptian writing. Before it was translated, scholars found this writing on tombs and temples and falsely assumed that it must relate only to religious matters.
Cartouche
An oval shape inside which a pharaoh’s name was inscribed in hieroglyphics. These are often seen on tomb walls. Now people can buy cartouche jewelry with their names in hieroglyphics.
Geometry
the mathematics of measurement learned by the ancient Egyptians as they re-surveyed their property lines each year after the flood. Their mastery of this is seen in its application to pyramid construction.
Rosetta Stone
the stone that inspired the translation of hieroglyphics by Jean Francois Champollion. Sometimes the term is used metaphorically for the key to breaking any code. The original is in the British Museum.
Ma’at
This term represents both a goddess and a concept. It defies literal translation but it roughly means justice/order/ truthfulness. It was an ethical concept.
Ka/Ba
Egyptian names for after-death concepts. Ba was the physical embodiment of the dead person and was depicted on tombs as a bird with a human head. Ka was roughly equivalent to “soul” and was depicted as two bent arms pointing upward.
Shabti
Small tomb figures; supposed to be servants to the deceased in the afterlife.
Canopic jars
small ornamental jars each on with a god’s head on the lid. These were used to enclose the organs taken from the dead body. They were placed in the tomb with the body and everything else.
Sarcophagus
an elaborate coffin constructed out of stone or wood and decorated with symbols and hieroglyphics.
Mortuary temple
a temple dedicated to a dead person and not to a god. Usually only pharaohs had these. Many started their construction during their lifetime.
Mummification
the process of preserving the body. The technique used is described by the Greek historian Herodotus who lived in the fifth century BCE.
Book of the Dead
a compilation of prayers, chants etc. from which the Egyptian would choose sections to be inscribed on the tomb wall of the deceased.
Ankh
a cross-like symbol carried by many of the gods. It symbolized eternity.
Scarab
a beetle shaped ornament. The beetle was sacred to the Egyptians. It represented rebirth.
Obelisk
a tall monument (like the Washington Monument) favored by New Kingdom rulers. These were often decorated with hieroglyphics (eg. Cleopatra’s Needle in London)
Mercenary
a soldier who hires himself to any state or government for a fee (as opposed to one who fights for his own country)
Shaduf
a mechanical device that consists of a long pole balanced on a crossbeam. It has a rope and bucket on one end and a weighted balance on the other. It is used for transferring water from the river to the fields.
Wedjat/Udjat eye
the eye of Horus. It symbolizes healing and protection.
Monotheism
a belief in one god. In Egypt’s case, the New Kingdom Pharaoh introduced belief in the sun god Aton to the exclusion of all other gods. This was not popular with the populace.
Hyksos
the people who invaded Egypt thus beginning the second Intermediate period during which the Hyksos ( a word meaning “foreigner) ruled as pharaohs in Lower Egypt and exacted tribute from the royal families in Thebes.
Egyptian gods
Anubis, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Thoth, Hathor
Anubis
Jackal god of mummification
Osiris
vegetation god who is the god of rebirth
Isis
wife to Osiris – the mother goddess of Egypt
Horus
son of Osiris and Isis, this falcon-headed god represented the seasons of drought and rebirth. All pharaohs identified with Horus, and took his name as part of theirs.
Thoth
depicted as an ibis or baboon was the god of wisdom and the patron god of scribes
Hathor
cow’s head; goddess of love and childbirth
First Intermediate Period
○ Lasted about 8 years (2100) ○ 7th-10th Dynasties ○ Called "The Dark Ages" ○ Reverts to nomes ○ Several short-lived leaders ○ Famine/drought
Middle Kingdom
○ 2000-1700 BC ○ 11th-13th Dynasties ○ Pharaohs restore order ○ Trade with Nubia and south increases ○ Cultures began to mix ○ Eventually occupied Nubia ○ Started doing more art
Trade
→ Nubia (gold, ebony, slaves, panther skins, ostrich feathers)
→ Punt (exotic animals, spices, frankincense, myrrh)
→ Crete (olive oil, pottery, wine)
→ Syria (silver, pottery, lapos lazuli)
→ Byblos/Lebanon (cedar)
Afterlife
○ Cult of Osiris grows, more people can enter afterlife
Drainage Projects
Create new drainage projects (Fayum: reservoir)
Decline of Middle Kingdom
○ Invaded by Hyksos (nomads) from Western Asia
○ Hyksos adopt Egyptian customs and beliefs
○ Starts Second Intermediate Period
Second Intermediate Period
○ 1600 BC
○ 14th-17th Dynasties
○ 100-150 years
○ Kicked out nomads and started New Kingdom
The New Kingdom
○ 1500-1000 BC
○ 18th-20th Dynasties
New Kingdom Government
○ New leaders drive out Hyksos
○ Stronger pharaohs
○ Military Strength
Traits of Kingdoms
○ Old Kingdom- Pyramids
○ Middle Kingdom- Trade and wealth
○ New Kingdom- Military strength
Pharaohs of the New Kingdom
○ Thutmose I ○ Hatshepsut ○ Amenhotep IV/Akenhaten ○ Tutankhaten/Tutankhamun ○ Ramses II
Thutmose I
→ 18th Dynasty → Conquered Syria → Put up obelisk in Egypt → Offensive-empire building → Reconquered Nubia
Hatshepsut
→ 18th Dynasty → Regent for Thutmose III → Female pharaoh → Encouraged trade (Punt) → Rebuilt temples
Amenhotep IV/Akenhaten
→ 18th Dynasty → 1st monotheist ruler → Husband of Nefertiti → Aten-Sun god- made it illegal to worship other gods → Amarna Period Art
Tutankhaten/Tutankhamun
→ 18th Dynasty
→ Restored polytheism
→ Sickly youth
→ Intact rich tomb (only tomb not robbed)
Ramses II
→ 19th Dynasty
→ Very powerful
→ Ruled for 67 years (lived till his 90s)
→ Defeated Hittites
New Kingdom Accomplishments
○ Large empire reaches Euphrates River
○ Contact with other civilizations
○ 1st known peace treaty signed w/ Hittites
Decline of New Kingdom
○ Power declines after Ramses II ○ Invaded → Sea People → Hyksos → Persians → Greeks → Romans ○ Last ruler, Cleopatra VII, commits suicide when Rome began to conquer Egypt- ended 3000 years of Egyptian civilization
Writing
○ Idea came to Egypt from Asia
Early Experiment with writing
○ Mesopotamians- First to experiment with writing
○ Egyptian writing- drew on mud bricks, writing came around time of Menes
○ Pictographs
scribes
○ Great job, were very high in social ladder
Paper and Pen
○ Papyrus- made of papyrus plant
○ Used rush pen- made of papyrus plant
Papyrus
○ Reed
○ Grew along Nile
○ Like bamboo
Wove strips into paper
How the Pyramids Were Built (Theories)
○ Aliens ○ Machines (levers, cranes, ramps) ○ Time travel ○ Lost technologies ○ Slaves ○ Skilled workers ○ Ramps
The Great Pyramids
Funerary complex
Pyramid Evolution
○ Mastaba
○ Step pyramid
○ Bent pyramid
○”Great” pyramid
Temple at Karnak
○ One of the holiest
○ Columns
