The document summarizes key aspects of ancient Egyptian geography, history, society, and culture. It describes Egypt's geographical divisions of Upper and Lower Egypt, the importance of the annual flooding of the Nile River for agriculture, and the three-period division of ancient Egyptian history spanning 3,000 years and 31 dynasties. It also briefly outlines the hierarchical Egyptian social structure with pharaohs and priests at the top and most as peasant farmers or slaves, and the roles of scribes, women, and doctors in Egyptian civilization.

2. Egyptian Geography

• 2 Important geographical divisions:
 Upper Egypt (south) – Nile valley
 Lower Egypt (north) – Nile Delta
• Unification 3100 B.C.E. – King Menes of Lower Egypt
• Egyptians also made a distinction between
• “Black land” – dark fertile fields along the Nile
• “Red land” – desert cliffs andd plateaus
bordering the valley

3. 

4. Importance of Nile

• Rains of central Africa => Nile to rise over
its floodplain => left a rich layer of fertile
silt
• Construction of canals, dams & irrigation
ditches to control river’s water and careful
planning + organization of planting and
harvesting
• Led to agricultural prosperity
unmatched in ancient world
• Served as major highway connecting
Upper and Lower Egypt

5. Egyptian History

 3,000-year span of ancient Egyptian history
 History divided into 31 royal dynasties
 Old Kingdom (2700 -2200 B.C.E.)
 Rulers became called pharaohs (considered god)
 Pyramids – pharaonic tombs
 Middle Kingdom (2025-1630 B.C.E.)
 King became more directly concerned with his people
 Power of the pharaohs becomes more limited
 New Kingdom (1550-1075 B.C.E.)
 Military expansion and empire

6. What’s so remarkable about pyramids?

 Great technical skill they
demonstrate
 Concentration of resources they
represent
 Proof of pharaoh’s vast wealth
 Proof of the great organization
and power of pharaohs to
organize enormous human effort
over the years it took to build
each pyramid.

7. Pyramids at Giza: The three largest pyramids of Egypt, located at
Giza, near Cairo, are the colossal tombs of pharaohs of the Fourth
Dynasty (ca. 2640–2510 B.C.E.): Khufu (right), Chafre (center), and
Menkaure (left). The small pyramids and tombs at their bases were
those of the pharaohs’ queens and officials.

8. Important Gods & Goddesses

• Amon-Re – the great lord of the Egyptian gods
• Osiris – Egyptian god of the dead and judge of souls
seeking admission to the afterlife
• Isis – wife of Osiris; taught women to grind corn, spin
flax, weave cloth, and care for children

9. Egyptians worshipped many gods and
goddesses, who showed very human traits.
Osiris was killed by his
brother, who scattered
the body across Egypt.
Isis found the pieces
and put them together.
Pharaohs claimed
their right to rule
from the chief
god, Amon-Re.
Around 1380 B.C. the
pharaoh Akhenaton
ordered priests to honor
only Aton, a minor god,
but he was unsuccessful.
Ordinary people
related to the
story of Osiris
and his wife Isis.

10. Osiris became god of the dead and judge
of souls seeking admission to the
afterlife.

• Osiris and Isis promised
eternal life, even to lowly
peasants, if they proved
worthy.
• Dead souls were ferried across
a lake of fire to the Hall of
Osiris for judgment.
• Sinners were fed to the
crocodile-shaped Eater of the
Dead.
• Souls who passed the test
entered the Happy Field of
Food to live in bliss for
eternity.

11. Afterlife
 Egyptians believed that the afterlife was much
like life on Earth
• Buried the dead with everything needed for the
afterlife.
• Mummification preserved the body for use in the
afterlife – preservation of body seen as essential for
continued existence in the afterlife
•Embalmers removed the
internal organs, filling the
body cavity with linen and
drying powder. The body was
wrapped in strips of linen and
placed in the coffin.

12. Book of the Dead

• Served as a guide
in the afterlife
• To avoid dangers
of afterlife, used
spells from the
book
Osiris sits in judgment as souls are weighed on a
scale.

13. Pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried
in the Valley of the Kings.

Over time, robbers looted most of the
Archaeologists
learned a great
deal from the
huge wealth of
items buried
with “King Tut.”
pharaohs’ tombs.
In 1922, archaeologist
Howard Carter unearthed
the untouched tomb of
the young pharaoh
Tutankhamen.

14. EGYPTIAN HIERARCHY

Pharaoh
Royal family
High priests
and priestesses,
government officials,
merchants, scribes,
artisans
Egyptian society was
Peasant farmers and slaves
highly stratified

15. Most Egyptians were farmers.
Men worked the fields.
In the off-season, they
worked on the pharaoh’s
construction projects.
Women also worked
in the fields, raised
the children, collected
water, cleaned, and
cooked.
Egyptian society also included many slaves.

16. Educated scribes played a
central role in Egyptian

Scribes:
Often acquired
additional skills in
mathematics, medicine,
or engineering
Served
government
officials and
the pharaoh
Scribes chiseled official histories into stone, but
everyday writing was done with reed pens and ink
on strips of paperlike papyrus.
Recorded
ceremonies,
taxes,
and gifts
society

17. Scribes developed a system of writing using symbols
and pictures called hieroglyphics “sacred carvings”
A cursive form called hieratic script, and later demotic
script, used simplified symbols.

18. WOMEN IN EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

• Egyptian women enjoyed greater
rights than
in other ancient civilizations.
• Women could inherit property, go
into business, obtain a divorce, and
go to court.
• Women entered the priesthood,
serving goddesses.
• However, women could not become
scribes or hold government jobs. Hatshepsut wore a beard
– ruled Egypt for 20 years

19. Egyptian Doctors

Egyptians were knowledgeable about the human
body.
• learned about the body from mummification.
• performed complex operations.
• diagnosed many diseases.
• prescribed medicines from plants such as anise,
castor beans, and saffron, which are still used today.