The document discusses various cultural achievements of ancient Egypt, including their development of hieroglyphic writing around 3300 BC, their skilled artwork found on temples, tombs, and artifacts, and their construction of massive temples and pyramids to honor their gods and pharaohs. Egyptians made advancements in writing, architecture, art, science, and more, with many of their texts and artworks still surviving today due to Egypt's dry climate.

1. Social Studies for 8th E.G.B. |Section 4
Egyptian Achievements – pages: 102-106|
Teacher: Mauricio Torres

2. Achievements

 People remember
Egyptians for their
cultural achievements:
 Art
 Writing
 Architecture

3. Writing

 3300 BC.- One of the first writing
systems in the world, the Egyptians
developed Hieroglyphics.
 They were first carved in stone or
other hard materials.
 Later Egyptians learned how to
make papyrus, a long lasting,
paper-like material. Scribes used
them to write using brushes and
ink.
 This writing system used 600
symbols!
 You could write it in a very flexible
way: from left to right; right to left;
up and down… making it a
nightmare to the reader.

4. Egyptian Texts

 Papyrus did not decay in
Egypt’s dry climate, that is why
many texts still survive.
 These texts talked about:
 Historical and government
records, science texts, medical
manuals.
 Literary texts also survive, such
as the Book of the Dead, which
tells about the afterlife.

5. Temples, Tombs & Art

 The walls of their tombs and temples were covered with
impressive paintings and carvings.

6. Great Temples

 Other than the pyramids, Egyptians
also built massive temples, which the
believed to be the home of the gods.
 Some of them shared similar features
like:
 Rows of sphinxes (imaginary creatures
with the bodies of lions and heads of
other animals or humans).
 Huge gates.
 Obelisks (a tall four-sided pillar that is
pointed on top).

7. Temples: Inside

 Huge columns rose to support the roofs on the temples, and walls
were beautifully decorated.
 Statues of gods and pharaohs often stood along the walls as well.

8. Art

 Ancient Egyptians were
masterful artists.
 They painted on papyrus,
canvas, pottery, plaster and
wood.
 The temple art was dedicated
to the gods, while tombs’
artwork were meant to be
enjoyed during the afterlife.
 Subjects were:
 Historical events such as
crowning of kings and
founding of temples.
 Every day life!

9. Art

 Paintings had a distinctive style:
 People’s head and legs were
always seen from the side. Their
upper bodies and shoulders
straight on.
 People do not always appear the
same size: important figures such
as pharaohs appear huge in
comparison to others.
 They were also skilled
stoneworkers, metalworkers and
jewelers. With these materials
they made:
 Huge statues
 Necklaces, collars and bracelets.

10. Homework: Rosetta Stone

 On the blog, you will find a
Word Document called:
Rosetta Stone. Read it and
answer the questions at the
end.
 Remember to bring it typed to
school on a sheet of paper.
 Times New Roman size 12
 Type the questions, so you can
later use them as a study
source.

11. Ask Yourselves

 Analyze:
 What were some advantages of using papyrus?
 What would It be like to use a language that could be written
either up or down, right or left; or left to right?
 Why do you think builders would place obelisks at the
entrance of the temples?
 Why do you think many Egyptian temples had rows of
sphinxes leading to the entrance?
 Identify:
 What is a sphinx?
 Recall:
 What are the two types of large structures created by the
Egyptian architects?
 Give two examples of common subjects of Egyptian paintings.

12. Bibliography

 Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History
(Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H. McDougal,
Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt Publishing Company.
 Images taken from Google.com