Brief History
- Started in 4500 BC and ended around 500 BC
- There were two kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt
- In 3100 BC, King Menes unified Egypt and became Egypt's first pharaoh
Geography
- There are deserts on the East and West
- The Mediterranean sea to the North
- Red Sea to the East
- These helped to prevent invasion
- The Nile floods every year and helps the civilization survive
Economy
- Egypt's traders went along the Nile and traded with their neighbors
- Many items that they got included gold, copper, ivory, slaves, and stones were from Nubia
- They also traded for wood for building and for fire with Syria
Social Structure
- Pharaoh at the top of the social order
- The upper class included priests and high government officials
- The middle class included low government officials, scribes, and rich craftspeople
- The lower class included farmers, servants, and slaves
- Farmers, servants, and slaves made up 80% of the population
Government
- Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was both a king and a God
- Their political system was based on that
- Believed that the pharaoh had come to Earth to maintain Egypt so he had absolute power over all the land and people
- Egyptians blamed the pharaoh if misfortune had struck them
Beliefs/Religion
- Egyptians believed in many gods
- Believed that the afterlife was a happy place
- They had burial practices that they followed, going through many steps to preserve the body
Advancements/Achievements
- The most known achievement is the pyramids
- Egyptians built many pyramids that took many years and people
- For their writing system, they had hieroglyphics
- Egyptians created papyrus to write their hieroglyphics on
Architecture
- Egypt is best known for their architecture
- Sphinxes were built and sometimes lined the path to the entrance of temples
- The greatest and largest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Khufu near the town of Giza and covers more than 13 acres at the base and is 481 feet tall