Egyptian Civilization

Kavya Vasarla
Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Egypt developed on the banks of the river Nile in
Northern Africa thousand years ago. This mighty river
nourished the growth and influenced its development. This
led to the Greek historian Herodotus to refer this civilization as
the "gift of Nile"

( PICTURE OF THE PHARAOH CLEOPATRA)

 • The Nile valley in present day Sudan and Egypt where the Egyptian civilization flourished, was a very long narrow plain. During the
Location rains every year the, the river would its banks causing floods to the valley. After the flood receded, it deposited rich black soil
making the land very fertile and making agriculture the main occupation
Time period
• c. 4000 BCE
• Divided into 2 parts upper Egypt and lower Egypt. In c.
3200 BCE the 2 parts united and were ruled by Pharaohs
for more than 2000 years

(PICTURE OF TUTANKHAMEN'S MASK)

Features of the Egyptian
civilization
• The Egyptian civilization was under the rule of pharaohs was characterized by a
well-developed political system, a rank based social structure and numerous
economic activities
Political structure
• The pharaohs were strong rulers and excellent administrators. They brought about order of the
society through the creation of laws, organization of labor and trade. They built magnificent
pyramids and temples adding to their glory. The concept of kingship is key to understanding the
development of the civilization. At first, pharaohs were considered as the incarnation of god.
Gradually, the concept of kings was modified- now considered as representatives of god. This
was an earlier version of " the divine right theory of kingship" which had been followed by
several other rulers of the world. According to the theory, the king derived the right to rule
directly from the will of god, and not from the consent of people.
 Social structure
the Egyptian society was divided into 3 parts
• The upper class consisted members of the royal family, rich
landowners, high priests and government officials
• Middle class was made up of merchants, manufacturers, artisans,
crafts persons, priests
• Lower class consisted of farmers and unskilled workers
• Slaves who were mostly prisons of war were at the lowest level of
society and had no rights
 People lived in close-knit families , where the father was the head of the family. Families from the
upper class lived lives of luxury and pleasure. They participated in fishing, hunting and fowling
Family life expeditions. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs tells us about the power
kings and nobles. Animals such as rabbit, deer, gazelle, hippopotamus, lion & elephant were hunted
for their meat and skin
agriculture
• A vast irrigation network helped farmers to grow crops throughout the year. Crops
were mainly barley, heat and millets. They also grew dates, apple, figs and peaches.
Grains were harvested and stored in granaries. Excess quantities were exported to
neighboring civilizations
• Along with agriculture, pottery-making, weaving, spinning, carpentry and fishing was
some of the occupations practiced by the ancient Egyptians
 Food & crops
• In the plains of the Nile valley, there was a rich variety of plants & animals that provided food
to the ancient Egyptians, when the flood waters began to recede, the farmers block canals to
retain water for irrigation. They employed SHADUF, which was a mechanical device for
irrigation used to transfer water from the canals to the fields.
• The principal food crops were barley, emmer wheat (these were used to make bread and wine,
the main staples of the Egyptian diet)
• The Egyptians diet was also supplemented by fish, fowl and wheat

(PICTURE OF SHADUF)
shelter
• Egyptian peasants and craftspeople lived in simple mudbrick
houses with a few pieces of furniture. There were small windows
high in the walls that kept out the heat but allowed light to enter.
Walls were covered with plaster and painted. Houses of the
wealthy were large and luxurious with elaborately decorated
furniture. Royal palaces were like small cities, built magnificently
with separated residences for royals, a temple and a workers'
village.
Clothing and jewelry
• Egyptians were particular about cleanliness and personal appearance. Both men and
women used cosmetics, wore jewelry and amulets for protection. Flax was woven into
fine linen for clothing. Both men and women wore sandals made of papyrus weeds.
Jewelry consisted of bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings. Belt buckle were made of
gold and silver inlaid with precious stones. The design of Egyptian jewelry often
reflected religious themes
 • The Nile was like a highway that joined the country together. Ships and boats were the chief means of transporting people and goods

Transport & trade

throughout the civilization.
• The smallest and simplest type of boat was a SKIFF, made from papyrus reeds tied together.
• Big, flat-bottomed boats were called BARGES also served as a ceremonial purpose. They were used to move images of gods and
(Barter System) transported mummified bodies and the families across Nile.
• Roads were very narrow, so people usually walked, rode donkeys or travelled by wagons
script
• The Egyptian script is called hieroglyphic. Hieroglyphs
means 'sacred carvings' The Egyptians first used
Hieroglyphics only for the inscriptions carved or painted
on temple walls> this form of pictorial writing was also
used on tombs and sheets of papyrus
religion
• One of the interesting aspects of ancient Egypt is its religion. The
Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses, who were symbols of
nature. Some of the important gods were Re the sun god; Isis the wife
of Osiris, the god of the underworld and resurrection. The pharaohs,
who they believed were god's representatives on Earth, were also
worshipped. Each god had his own temple and priest. Some animals
and birds like crocodile, jackal, hawk and cats were also worshipped.
They also believe in life after death and thought death was just a
journey to another world. They wore amulets to ward off evil.
 • Egyptians believed in life after death. As a result of this belief, when a person died, the body organs were removed, and the body

mummification
was dried. The body was then embalmed with spices and oils to preserve it. After that, wrapped in straps of linen. This preserved
body was called a mummy, the mummy was put in a wooden coffin and then buried in the tomb.
• Food, wine, clothes, jewelry, furniture and weapons were kept in the tomb to make the journey comfortable.
 Architecture &
Engineering
• The ancient Egyptians built their pyramids, tombs, temples and palaces out
of stone. One such structure is the Sphinx, a mythical figure with the head of
a man and the body of a lion. This was carved out of a single rock. Another
famous monument is the Great pyramid of Giza. It is one of the seven
wonders of the world
 temples
• The Egyptians built numerous temples along
the Nile. The remains of the two of the most
famous temples are at Karnak and Luxor.
These impressive structures with their huge
columns, halls and gateways were built to
honor the dead and worship gods

ThePhoto by PhotoAuthor is licensed under CCYYSA.

Royal tombs
• The Valley of the Tombs of the Kings was a part f the ancient city of Thebes. Today, it is famous for
its royal tombs. These beautifully painted tombs have been designated a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. The walls of the tombs were painted and sculpted. They contained magnificent murals
depicting scenes of daily life and the world of the gods. The chambers were filled with everything
that Egyptians believed a person needed to sustain life in eternity.
Of all these, the most famous is he tomb of King Tutankhamun, the boy-king who died when
he was only 19 years old
Arts & crafts
• Apart from pyramids, Egyptians buildings
were decorated with paintings, carved stone
images and 3D statues. Artisans such as
sculptors and painters, goldsmiths, potters,
weavers and carpenters worked hard to fulfil
the requests and requirements of rich
aristocrats and priests
 Contributions of the Egyptian civilizations

Video on the contributions of the Egyptian civilization

The pyramids
• The pyramids are stone tombs of the pharaohs that have a rectangular
base and four sloping triangular sides. The step pyramid at Saqqara was
the first one to be built.
• The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for pharaoh Khufu. The Great Sphinx
of Giza, near Cairo, has a lion's body and a human head. It is the oldest
monumental sculpture in the world. Today, the pyramids are a big tourist
attraction. The pyramid form inspires artists, writers and poets since
ancient times. The pyramids have also inspired modern architecture, with
the construction of many iconic buildings that resemble them.
 • The Egyptians first wrote on stone, walls and clay tablets. Later they used paper, which was made
Paper & ink from papyrus, a water reed. The word paper comes from the word 'papyrus'. The Egyptians used ink
made from soot, gum and water.
 • Mummies were prepared thousands of years ago, and yet they are still preserved today. The process of
mummification tells us that the ancient Egyptians had an advanced knowledge of medicine and the
medicine human body.
• The doctor of ancient Egypt combined magic spells and remedies. Both priests and doctors were called
to heal the sick
mathematics
• Although the Egyptians were not familiar with
the symbol for 0, they calculated numbers
based on the decimal. They had separate
symbols for them. The Egyptians knew about
addition and subtraction. They also had some
basic knowledge of geometry. They used this
knowledge for the construction of gigantic
pyramids
calendar
• The ancient Egyptian calendar had a year that was 365 days
long. The Egyptian civil calendar was divided into 12 months
of 30 days each, plus 5 extra days at the end of the year for
the celebration of religious festivals.
astronomy
• The Egyptians studied the night sky, taking measurements from stars
to accurately build pyramids. To observe the movements of the stars
they invented an instrument called Merkhet, which they used to mark
the foundation of buildings with astonishing accuracy.
 • By c. 1000 BCE, the magnificent Egyptian civilization was on a steady decline. Foreign invasion
and internal revolts weakened the civilization and sealed its fate. Egypt was effectively divided
Decline into 2 parts- the north was ruled by pharaohs and the south that nominally owed allegiance to
the king. The south in actual practice was ruled by separate hereditary rulers.
definitions
1. Barter: to exchange goods or services for other goods or services instead of using money
2. Herodotus: an ancient Greek historian
3. Hieroglyphic script: writing developed by Egyptians
4. Incarnation: a person who embodies a deity, spirit or quality in the human form
5. Kingship: the position of king, or the fact that someone is king
6. Mummification: ancient Egyptian way of preserving dead bodies in the belief that this would ensure a good afterlife, a preserved
body is called a mummy
7. Mural: a painting made directly on the wall
8. Mythical: occurring in myths, which are stories explaining a natural phenomenon and involving supernatural things or events
9. Pyramid: a tomb and monument built for Egyptian kings and their closest relatives
10. Shendyt: a kilt-like garment made of cloth and worn around the waist by ancient Egyptian men
Thankyou