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 “Dictionary meaning of egypt”
A COUNTRY IN NORTH AFRICA. OFFICIAL NAME: ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT.
KNOWN FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT OF HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING AND ITS
ACHIEVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURE, ART, AND ARCHITECTURE.

“Acording to the book of Deuteronomy”

The word Egypt means Bondage or Slavery.
 EGYPTIAN
CIVILIZATION
Egypt is a country North Africa, on the
Mediterranean Sea, is among the oldest
civilizations on earth. It is concentrated along the
Nile River. It is one of six civilizations globally to
arise independently. Its history is a long and
complex one with more than 3,000 years of
details. Throughout these 3,000 years ancient
Egyptians lived under about 30 dynasties, with
each dynasty being based on the lineage of the
kings/pharaohs.
 EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
 Geography  Trade
 History  Language
 Government & Economy  Culture
 Social Status  Architecture
 Legal System  Religion
 Agriculture  Military
 Animals  Medicine
 Natural Resources
 Egyptian Civilization
• Geography:-
The geography of Egypt played a role in the lifestyles of its earliest
settlers.
Egyptian civilization was created along the Nile River.
Surroundings: To its north side is the Mediterranean sea. To its west
there is a large Libyan desert. To its east is the red sea. Along its
coast there is a mountain range going from north to south.
In 3100 BC Egypt was broken up into Upper and Lower Egypt. They
each had their own ruler.
Lower Egypt was on the north part of the Nile. Upper Egypt was on
the southern part of the Nile.
History:-
Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and combined around
3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the
first pharaoh Narmer (commonly referred to as Menes). This version of the
early history comes from the Aegyptica (History of Egypt) by the ancient
historian Manetho who lived in the 3rd century B.C. under the Ptolemaic
Dynasty. The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its
ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture.
The Nile has been the lifeline of Egypt region for much of human history.
The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave humans the opportunity to develop
a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized
society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization.
(Period) (Time Frame)
Early Dynastic Period 3150-2613 B.C.
Old Kingdom 2613-2181 B.C.
1st Intermediate Period 2181-2040 B.C.
Middle Kingdom 2040-1782 B.C.
2nd Intermediate Period 1782-1570 B.C.
New Kingdom 1570-1069 B.C.
Decline of Egypt & coming of 1069-323 B.C.
Alexander The Great
• Government & Economy:
The Pharaoh was the absolute monarch of the country and
wielded complete control of the land and its resources.
The king was the supreme military commander and head
of the government, who relied on a bureaucracy of
officials to manage his affairs. In charge of the
administration was his second in command, the vizier.
The temples formed the backbone of the economy, they
were also used to store nation’s wealth. Although the
ancient Egyptians did not use coinage until the Late
period, they did use a type of money-barter system.
• Social Status:
Egyptian society was highly stratified.
Farmers made up the bulk of the population,
but agricultural produce was owned directly
by the one who owned the land. Artists and
craftsmen were of higher status than farmers,
but they were also under state control. The
upper class prominently displayed their
social status in art and literature. Below the
nobility were the priests, physicians, and
engineers. Slavery was known in ancient
Egypt.
• Legal System:
The head of the legal system was officially the pharaoh,
who was responsible for enacting laws, delivering justice,
and maintaining law and order, a concept the ancient
Egyptians referred to as Ma'at. Egyptian law was based on
a common-sense view of right and wrong that emphasized
reaching agreements and resolving conflicts. Local
councils of elders, known as Kenbet, were responsible for
ruling in court cases. In some cases, the state took on both
the role of prosecutor and judge. Whether the charges
were trivial or serious, court scribes documented the
complaint, testimony, and verdict of the case for future
reference.
• Agriculture:
A combination of favorable geographical features contributed to the
success of ancient Egyptian culture, the most important of which was
the rich fertile soil resulting from annual inundations of the Nile
River. The ancient Egyptians were thus able to produce an
abundance of food. Farming in Egypt was dependent on the cycle of
the Nile River. The Egyptians recognized three seasons: Akhet
(flooding), Peret (planting), and Shemu (harvesting).
• The flooding season lasted from June to September.
• The growing season lasted from October to February.
• From March to May, farmers used sickles to harvest their crops,
which were then threshed with a flail to separate the straw from
the grain.
• Egyptian Women:
Compared with their counterparts in ancient Greece,
Rome, and even more modern places around the world,
ancient Egyptian women had a greater range of personal
choices and opportunities for achievement. They could buy
and sell property. Could seek divorce (although rare).
Property inherited through female line. Role of wife &
mother important. Girls did not attend school. A woman’s
status increased when she had children. Sometimes women
considered property, but were treated kindly. Queen might
rule with pharaoh. If pharaoh had more than one wife, the
first wife was most important, her son would be the next
pharaoh.
• Animals:
The Egyptians believed that a balanced relationship
between people and animals was an essential element
of the cosmic order. Animals, both domesticated and
wild, were therefore a critical source of spirituality,
companionship, and sustenance. Cattle were the most
important livestock; the administration collected taxes
on livestock. Egyptians also kept sheep, goats, and pigs.
Poultry such as ducks, geese, and pigeons were
captured in nets and bred on farms. The Nile provided a
plentiful source of fish. Bees were also domesticated and
they provided both honey and wax.
• Natural resources
Egypt is rich in building and decorative stone,
copper and lead ores, gold, and semiprecious
stones. These natural resources allowed the
ancient Egyptians to build monuments, sculpt
statues, make tools, and fashion jewelry. There
were extensive gold mines in Nubia. Flint was the
first mineral collected and used to make tools.
Nodules of the mineral were carefully flaked to
make blades and arrowheads even after copper
was adopted for this purpose. Ancient Egyptians
were among the first to use minerals such as
sulfur as cosmetic substances.
• Trade:
The ancient Egyptians engaged in trade with their foreign neighbors to
obtain rare, exotic goods not found in Egypt. In the Predynastic Period, they
established trade with Nubia to obtain gold and incense. They also
established trade with Palestine. An Egyptian colony stationed in southern
Canaan dates to slightly before the First Dynasty. By the Second Dynasty at
latest, ancient Egyptian trade with Byblos yielded a critical source of quality
timber not found in Egypt. By the Fifth Dynasty, trade with Punt provided
gold, aromatic resins, ebony, ivory, and wild animals such as monkeys and
baboons. Egypt relied on trade with Anatolia for essential quantities of tin as
well as supplementary supplies of copper, both metals being necessary for
the manufacture of bronze.
• Language
• Historical development
The Egyptian language is a northern Afro-Asiatic language
closely related to the Berber and Semitic languages. It has the
second longest history of any language (after Sumerian), having
been written from c. 3200 BC to the Middle Ages. The phases of
ancient Egyptian are Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Late
Egyptian, Demotic and Coptic.
Writing
Hieroglyphic writing dates from c. 3000 BC, and
is composed of hundreds of symbols. A
hieroglyph can represent a word, a sound, or a
silent determinative; and the same symbol can
serve different purposes in different contexts.
Hieroglyphs were a formal script, used on stone
monuments and in tombs, that could be as
detailed as individual works of art. Hieratic was
always written from right to left, usually in
horizontal rows.
HIEROGLYPHS
• Culture
• Daily life
Most ancient Egyptians were farmers tied to the land. Each home had a kitchen
with an open roof, which contained a grindstone for milling grain and a small
oven for baking the bread. Walls were painted white and could be covered with
dyed linen wall hangings. Floors were covered with reed mats, while wooden
stools, beds raised from the floor and individual tables comprised the furniture.
Music and dance were popular entertainments for those who could afford them.
Early instruments included flutes and harps. The ancient Egyptians enjoyed a
variety of leisure activities, including games and music. Juggling and ball
games were popular with children. The wealthy members of ancient Egyptian
society enjoyed hunting and boating as well.
• Cuisine
Egyptian cuisine remained remarkably stable over time. The staple
diet consisted of bread and beer, supplemented with vegetables such
as onions and garlic, and fruit such as dates and figs. Wine and meat
were enjoyed by all on feast day. Fish, meat, and fowl could be salted
or dried, and could be cooked in stews or roasted on a grill.
Art
The ancient Egyptians produced art to serve functional purposes. For
over 3500 years, artists adhered to artistic forms and iconography
that were developed during the Old Kingdom. Images and text were
intimately interwoven on tomb and temple walls, coffins, stelae, and
even statues. Ancient Egyptian artisans used stone to carve statues
and fine reliefs, but used wood as a cheap and easily carved
substitute. Paints were obtained from minerals such as iron ores.
• Architecture
• The architecture of ancient Egypt includes some of the most
famous structures in the world: the Great Pyramids of Giza and the
temples at Thebes. Building projects were organized and funded
by the state for religious and commemorative purposes, but also to
reinforce the power of the pharaoh. The ancient Egyptians were
skilled builders; using simple but effective tools and sighting
instruments. Pyramids were built during the Old and Middle
Kingdoms. The Twenty-fifth dynasty was a notable exception, as all
Twenty-fifth dynasty pharaohs constructed pyramids.
• Religious beliefs
• Beliefs in the divine and in the afterlife were ingrained in ancient Egyptian
civilization from its inception; pharaonic rule was based on the divine right
of kings. Gods were worshiped in cult temples administered by priests
acting on the king's behalf. Temples were not places of public worship or
congregation, and only on select feast days and celebrations was a shrine
carrying the statue of the god brought out for public worship. Common
citizens could worship private statues in their homes, and amulets offered
protection against the forces of chaos. After the New Kingdom, the
pharaoh's role as a spiritual intermediary was de-emphasized as religious
customs shifted to direct worship of the gods. As a result, priests
developed a system of oracles to communicate the will of the gods directly
to the people.
 Egyptian Gods

OSIRIS ISIS HORUS RA ANUBIS

Egyptians Gods:-
Isis: (Protective Goddess) Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of
Horus.
Osiris: (Lord of the Dead) Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the
underworld.
Horus: (Hawk man) Horus was a god of the sky. He is probably most well-
known as the protector of the ruler of Egypt.
Ra: (The Sun God) He was the most important god of the ancient
Egyptians.
Anubis: (God of Embalming) Anubis was the god of embalming and the
dead.
• Burial customs
The ancient Egyptians maintained an elaborate
set of burial customs that they believed were
necessary to ensure immortality after death.
These customs involved preserving the body
by mummification, performing burial
ceremonies, and interring with the body goods
the deceased would use in the afterlife. By the
New Kingdom, the ancient Egyptians had
perfected the art of mummification. Wealthy
Egyptians were buried with larger quantities of
luxury items, but all burials, regardless of
social status, included goods for the deceased.
• Military:
The ancient Egyptian military was responsible for defending Egypt
against foreign invasion, and for maintaining Egypt's domination in
the ancient Near East. The military was responsible for maintaining
fortifications along important trade routes. Forts also were
constructed to serve as military bases.
Typical military equipment included bows and arrows, spears, and
round-topped shields made by stretching animal skin over a wooden
frame. Weapons and armor continued to improve after the adoption
of bronze: shields were now made from solid wood with a bronze
buckle, spears were tipped with a bronze point.
• Medicine:
Ancient Egyptian physicians were renowned in the ancient Near East
for their healing skills, and some, such as Imhotep, remained famous
long after their deaths. Herodotus remarked that there was a high
degree of specialization among Egyptian physicians, with some
treating only the head or the stomach, while others were eye-doctors
and dentists. Training of physicians took place at the Per Ankh or
"House of Life" institution, most notably those headquartered in Per-
Bastet during the New Kingdom and at Abydos and Saïs in the Late
period. Medical papyri show empirical knowledge of anatomy,
injuries, and practical treatments.