Western Civilization - Blog Post #6 - Ancient Egypt

January 30th, 2020

Ancient Egypt

Terms

First Cataract - water turns to rapids and is impossible to pass through
Upper Egypt - higher elevation in river area
Lower Egypt - north, near the sea; includes the Nile delta region
Ka - an eternal life force

Book Notes

  • the Nile is the longest river in the world
  • In July, rain and melting snow the from mountains in Africa caused the Nile to spill over its banks, the river receded in October, leaving behind silt
  • Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a god
  • the Nile was predictable unlike the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
  • when the Nile's floodwaters were just a few feet less than normal, the amount of silt and water was greatly reduced making 1000's starve
  • when the Nile's floodwaters were greater than normal, the excess water destroyed houses, grainaries, and seeds
  • the deserts on both sides of the Nile were natural barriers between Egypt and other lands, keeping Egyptians refined to a small area and limiting their interaction with other peoples
  • the deserts also shut out invanders and Egypt was spared from the plague that hit the Fertile Cresent
  • river travel was common, but ended at the First Cataract
  • the Nile provided a reliable system of transportation throughout Upper and Lower Egypt
  • 5000 B.C. - Egyptians lived in farming villages 
  • 3200 B.C. - villages under rule of two seperate kingdoms
  • 3000 B.C. - Upper and Lower Egypt unite
  • conflict over who united them - more evidence points towards king Narmer
  • Lower Egypt = red crown
  • Upper Egypt = tall, white crown
  • Narmer established the first Egyptian dynasty
  • 3200-2700 B.C. - Great Civilization
  • 2660-2180 B.C. - Old Kingdom - patterns became widespread
  • the Old Kingdom was the great age of pyramid building
  • the kings of Egypt were seen as gods
  • Pharoah's duty was to promote truth and justice
  • the Egyptians worshipped 2000+ gods and goddesses
  • they believed in the afterlife
  • all social classes were planned for burial
  • kings and queens built tombs
  • royals and those of the elite status were mummified

Important Gods and Goddesses


  • Re - the sun god
  • Osiris - the god of the dead
  • Isis - the ideal mother and wife

Social Status Triangle

king, queen, royal family
upper class; government officials, priests, army commanders
middle class; merchants, artisans
lower class; peasants, farmers, laborers
slaves

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Western Civilization Blog Post #32

March 23rd, 2020 Alexander and Bucephalus Bucephalus was the legendary horse of Alexander the Great, a well-known king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. In 344 B.C., Alexander won the horse by making a bet with his father. At the time, he was thirteen years old. Bucephalus was a large horse with a black coat. He had blue eyes and a white star on his eyebrow. Not only was he a stunning animal, but he was also stubborn. No one in the land could tame the horse. Alexander was the only one who could tame him. Bucephalus was always by Alexander's side during battle. Bucephalus died by fatal injuries at the Battle of the Hydaspes in June of 326 B.C. After the battle, Alexander founded a city called Bucephala in honor of Bucephalus. Alexander the Great and Bucephalus were an inseparable team of two and are known as great heroes of Greece. 
Read more

Wester Civilization Blog Post #33

March 24th, 2020 Biographies Philip II Philip II, son of King Amyntas III, was the king of Macedon from 359 B.C. to 336 B.C. Philip III was the father of Alexander III and Philip III. During his reign, he reformed the Ancient Macedonian army. By doing this, Macedon rose and conquered much of Classical Greece by its battle victories. In 338 B.C., king Philip II defeated Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea. He was later assassinated in 336 B.C. by Pausanias of Orestis, a royal bodyguard. Alexander the Great Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III, was the king of Macedon for 12 years and 8 months. Up until he was 16, he was tutored by Aristotle. He succeeded the throne through his father Philip II in 336 B.C. at the young age of 20. During most of the years that he ruled, he dominated kingdoms throughout Asia and Northeast Africa. He had built one of ancient history's largest empire by 30 years old. The kingdom had stretched from Greece to northwestern In...
Read more

Blog Post #12 - Mapping Europe

Image
October 17th, 2019 Mapping Europe 1. Russia       11. Denmark                     21. Hungary                 31. Iceland                41. Luxembourg 2. Finland     12. Poland                         22. Serbia                     32. Netherlands        42. Liechtenstein 3. Estonia     13. The  Czech Republic  23. Kosovo                   33. Belgium              43. France  4. Belarus     14. Slovakia                      24. Macedonia             34. Switzerland       ...
Read more