The document provides an overview of ancient Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom period from 2700-2200 BC. It describes how Egypt was ruled by pharaohs who were believed to be both kings and gods. Egyptian social structure was hierarchical with the pharaoh at the top followed by priests, officials, and scribes. Egyptians developed an elaborate set of burial practices including mummification and construction of pyramids to serve as tombs for pharaohs and display their power and importance. Major gods worshipped included Re, Osiris, Isis, and Horus.

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S.Rinoshan
2013/AD/009

2. Ancient Egypt
The Old Kingdom
• Early Egyptian Society
• Ruled by Pharaohs
• Egyptian Social Structure
• Egypt and Its Neighbors
• Religion and Egyptian Life
• Gods of Ancient Egypt
• Burial Practices 1
• Burial Practices 2
• The Pyramids
• Comparing Mesopotamia to Egypt
• Video about the Egyptian Civilization
• Sources
• The end
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Contents

3. Early Egyptian Society
• Egypt is the Gift of the Nile .
• The Old Kingdom lasted for 500
years; 2700 - 2200 BC.
• During those 500 years,
Egyptians created a political
system based on the belief that
the pharaoh was both a king
and a god.
This is Khufu, and
he is the most
famous pharaoh to
rule in the 2500s
BC. It is most
known for the
monuments built for
Khufu.
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4. Ruled by Pharaohs
• Egyptians believed Egypt belonged to the gods and
that pharaohs had come to earth to manage Egypt.
• Since they were considered gods, he/she had ultimate
power.
• However, they were also blamed for wars, floods, and
disease.
• With so much responsibility and so many people to
please, pharaohs hired government officials to help.
• These officials usually came from the pharaohs’
families.FLOOD!
WAR! DISEASE!
RESPONSIBILITY!
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5. • The PHAROAH was at the top of the social
hierarchy.
Ancient Egypt achieved stability through the co-
operation of all levels of the population.
• Under them were the HIGH PRIESTS,
followed by ROYAL OVERSEERS
(administrators) who ensured that the
42 DISTRICT GOVERNORS carried out
the pharaoh's orders.
• Next to him, the most powerful officers
were the VIZIERS, the executive heads of
the bureaucracy.
• At the bottom of the hierarchy
were the SCRIBES, ARTISANS,
FARMERS, and LABORERS.
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Egyptian Social Structure

6. Egypt and Its Neighbors
• During the Old Kingdom, Egypt began to
trade with its neighbors.
• Traders returned from Nubia with gold, ivory,
slaves, and stone.
• Traders traveled to Punt for incense and
myrrh.
• They traveled to Syria for wood.
Incense is a product that creates
smoke when it is burned. It is
created from many things
including: woods, seeds, leaves,
flowers, and barks.
Ivory is a hard white
substance that is the bulk of the
teeth and tusks of animals such
as the elephant, hippopotamus,
and walrus.
Myrrh is resinous dried
sap from specific trees. It
was used during the
embalming process and
burned as incense.
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7. Religion and Egyptian Life
• Many religious customs focused on what happened
after people died, or the afterlife.
• Egyptians believed the afterlife was an ideal world
where everyone was young and healthy.
• Egyptians believed the idea of “ka,” which was a
person’s life force.
• When a person died, their “ka” left their bodies and
became a spirit but remained at the burial site and
couldn’t leave.
• The “ka” had all the same needs that the person had
when he or she was living.
Objects Left for the “Ka.”
Relatives would also bring
food and water for the “ka.”
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8. Gods of Ancient Egypt
• Egyptians practiced polytheism.
• Everyone was expected to worship the same
gods.
• Temples were built for gods all over the kingdom.
• Major gods include:
*Re, or Amon-Re, the sun god
*Osiris, the god of the underworld
*Isis, the goddess of magic
*Horus, a sky god, god of the pharaohs
* Anubis, weighed each dead person’s heart against
the feather of truth. If they weighed the same
amount, the person was allowed to pass to the
underground.
Amon-Re Osiris
Isis Horus
I judge the souls
of the dead.
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9. Burial Practices
• Egyptians believed bodies had to be
preserved so a spirit could recognize it when
it returned. So the “ka” did not suffer,
• Egyptians developed a process of embalming
their dead.
• Embalming allowed bodies to remain
preserved for many years as mummies, or
specially treated bodies wrapped in cloth.
Embalming took weeks!
It was a process that only
elite could afford.
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10. Burial Practices
• The body’s organs were
preserved in special containers,
canopy jars, and kept next to
the mummies.
• The body was kept in a case
called a sarcophagus.
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11. The Pyramids
• Egyptians built pyramids in which to bury
their rulers.
• The largest pyramid was built for King Khufu
and took more than 2 million limestone
blocks.
• Burial in a pyramid demonstrated a ruler’s
importance. The larger the pyramid, the
more important the ruler.
• Egyptians believed that the happier the
pharaoh in the afterlife, the happier the
afterlife for all Egyptians.
Egyptians’ understanding
of engineering
made it possible to build
such outstanding structures.
Engineering is the
application of
scientific knowledge
for practical
purposes.
Tens of thousands of
workers must have worked
for decades
to build the structures
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12. Comparing Mesopotamia to Egypt
Mesopotamia Egypt
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13. Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PVcEx33bXM
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=old+kingdom+of+egypth&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go
https://www.google.lk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=the+early+kingdom+of+egypt
http://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=header&q=egypth
http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/egcivile.html
http://showcase.netins.net/web/ankh/
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14. Thank you
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