Egyptian civilization flourished along the Nile River from around 3000 BC to 30 BC. Key aspects included a centralized government led by a divine pharaoh; a society stratified into classes like nobles, peasants, and slaves; and a polytheistic religion centered around major gods like Ra, Osiris, and Horus. The Egyptians developed a hieroglyphic writing system, made advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering through structures like the pyramids, and had technologies including brick-making and glass-working.

1. EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
3000 B.C. – 30 B.C.

2.  Origin
 Government
 Society
 Religion
 Language and Writing
 Mathematics
 Astronomy
 Medicine
 Technology

3. Origin
 One of the world’s longest civilizations in
history.
 A “river civilization” like Mesopotamian.
 Concentrated along the middle and lower
reaches of the Nile River.
 At different times, extended to the southern
Levant, the Eastern desert, the Red Sea
coastline, the Sinai Peninsula and the Western
desert.

4. Origin
 The importance of the Nile - Egypt is known as
the “gift of the Nile”.
 The annual flooding of the Nile – fertile Nile
valley.
 The Nile also a unifying factor in Egyptian
history.
 As a major means for transportation and
communication.

5. Origin
 Ancient Egyptians – a merging of north and
East African as well as Southwest Asian
peoples.
 “Punt” or “Ta Neteru” (Land of the Gods) –
Eritrea and Ethiopian Highlands.
 Originally populated by tribes led by tribal
chieftains.

6. Government
Egypt was divided into two:
 Upper Egypt (Ta Shemau)
 Lower Egypt (Ta Mehu)
 The history of ancient Egypt proper started
around 3000 BC – Egypt as a unified state.
 Centralized system of government.
 Menes, unified Upper and Lower Egypt, was
the first king.

8. Government
3 major periods in Egyptian history:
 Old Kingdom (2700 – 2200 BC)
 Middle Kingdom (2050 – 1652 BC)
 New Kingdom (1567 – 1085 BC)
 These were periods of long term stability,
strong monarchical authority, competent
bureaucracy, freedom of invasion, much
construction of temples and pyramids and
intellectual and cultural activity.

9. Government
 In between these periods, intermediate
periods.
 Political chaos, foreign invasions, and a decline
in building activity.
 The Old Kingdom – the age of prosperity and
splendor.
 The construction of greatest and largest
pyramids in Egyptian history.

10. Government
 The New Kingdom – the “golden age” of
ancient Egypt. Egypt was the most powerful
state in the ancient Near East.
 Kingship – divine institution.
 The title of Egyptian king – “pharaoh” (“great
house” or “great palace”) was the most
common.
 All Egyptian kings, considered themselves as
“King of Upper and Lower Egypt”.

11. Government
 King had absolute power, yet to rule according
to a set of principles “Ma’at”.
 Ma’at – a spiritual concept; the idea of truth
and justice, right order and harmony, Egypt’s
status vis-a vis foreigners.
 The pharaoh – to maintain the order and
harmony.
 Pharaoh Ahmose I, Thutmosis III, Amenhotep,
Amenhotep III, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton),
Tutankhamon, Rameses II.

12. Government
 Centralized administration – the pharaoh ruled
with massive bureaucracy (e.g. vizier).
 Egypt was divided into nomes (provinces),
ruled by nomarch (governors).
 Collection of taxes.
 Scribes – to keep records. Craftsmen – royal
palaces / royal ceremonies.
 State-controlled workers – daily rations of food
and work.

13. Government
Factors that helped the unification of ancient
Egypt:
 1. Divine kingship.
 2. Writing system.
 3. The building of pyramids.
 4. River Nile.

14. Society
KING
NOBLES & PRIESTS
MERCHANTS & ARTISANS
PEASANTS
SERFS

15. Society
 Women – equal legal rights with men.
 Their property and inheritance remained in
their hands after marriage.
 Upper class women - as priestesses and a few
queen as pharaoh.
 E.g. Hatshepsut was addressed as ‘His
Majesty’.

16. Religion
 Polytheism – the worship of gods and
goddesses.
 Respected and revered animals. E.g. cats
(miw).
 The temple – the center of Egyptian
settlements; as town hall, college, library, for
religious functions.

17. Religion
Primary gods:
 Aton / Atum (Re) – the sun god, creator of
universe.
(the pharaoh was the ‘son of Re’)
 Anubis (Anpu), Bastet (Bast), Sekhmet, Horus,
Isis, Osiris, Hathor, Nephythes, Khepri, Selkis,
Edjo, etc.

18. Religion
 Influential priesthood – Re (Heliapolis), Ptah
(Memphis), and Amon Re (Thebes).
 Religious reform by Amenhotep IV – the
worship of Aton, god of the sun – as the chief
god.
 Changed name to Akhenaton, closed temples of
other gods, moved the capital from Thebes to
El-Amarna.
 The reform failed – abandoned after his death.

19. Language and Writing
 An-independent branch of the Afro-Asiatic language –
closely related to Berber and Semitic languages.
Six stages:
 1. Archaic Egyptian (before 3000 BC)
 2. Old Egyptian (3000 – 2000 BC)
 3. Middle Egyptian (2000 – 1300 BC)
 4. Late Egyptian (1300 - 700 BC)
 5. Demotic Egyptian (700 BC – 400 AD)
 6. Coptic (300 – 1800 AD)

20. Language and Writing

21. Language and Writing
 Hieroglyphs – the world’s earliest known writing
system - partly syllabic and partly ideographic.
 Hieratic – a cursive form of hieroglyphs.
 Demotic – of the late Egyptian stage.
 “Hieroglyphs” – coined by Greeks to mean “priest-
carvings” or “sacred writing”.
 Usually found in temples and tombs – part of the
religious functions and rituals.
 Carved on stone, wooden tablets, written on papyrus.

22. Language and Writing
 2700 BC, Egyptians used pictograms to
represent vocal sounds (vowel & consonant).
 By 2000 BC, used 26 pictograms to represent
24 main vocal sounds – the world’s oldest
known alphabet.
 Ancient Egyptian literature, ‘Wisdom Text’ –
sound advice based on traditions and worldly
experience.

23. Mathematics
 Calculated numbers based on the power of 10.
 Used simple arithmetic of addition and
subtraction, multiplication and division.
 Used fractions and special signs for two-thirds,
three-quarters, four-fifths and five-sixths.
 Geometry.
 Used the skills to outline pyramid bases.

24. Astronomy
 Own calendar (lunar months) – based on a
year of 365 days, 12 months, 30 days each
month, and three seasons.
 The three seasons corresponded to the cycle of
the Nile river and crop harvest.

25. Medicine
 Had a highly advanced medical practice for
their time.
 Knowledge of anatomy and human body –
surgery, mummification and setting of bones.
 The first to use splints, bandages, compresses
and other surgical appliances.
 Had knowledge of pharmacopoeia; herbs e.g.
aloe vera, garlic, and honey.
 Also used animal dung, lizard blood, swine
teeth.

26. Engineering
 Pyramids, mastabas, sphinx, temples, palaces
and obelisk.
 Pyramids began during the Old Kingdom – ‘the
Great Pyramid of Cheops’ – the largest of the
three at Giza.
 As tombs for deceased kings – to aid the spirit
(ka) to ascend to heaven.

27. Engineering
 Mastabas – tombs surround the pyramids for
deceased courtiers and families of the kings.
 Temples e.g. Karnak and Luxor Temples.

28. Technology
 Invented hydraulic cement.
 Brick-making – mixture of mud, sand, straw
and water.
 Papyrus – writing material.
 AL-Fayyum Irrigation – the use of the natural
lake of the Fayyum as a reservoir to store
surpluses of water.
 Glass-making – glass beads, jars, ornaments,
etc.