Ancient Egypt Geographic Setting The longest river in the world is Nile River. It flows from its highlands of central Africa to the Mediterranean sea, 4,160miles away. The river is considered the source of life in Egypt. Natural Barriers The Libyan and Nubian deserts, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea form as natural barriers of Egypt. These barriers protected the early villagers from attack by outsiders. Religion The religious beliefs of the Egyptians reflected the importance of nature in their lives. They practiced polytheism, the belief in many gods. The most important Egyptian god was the sun god Amon-Re. Hieroglyphics Egyptian priests developed a system of writing later known as hieroglyphics because of the need to keep records of religious rituals. They first wrote by carving hieroglyphics on stone or wood. Later, they flattened papyrus reeds into strips and wrote on the strips with brushes and ink. The English word “paper comes from the word “papyrus” Government of ancient Egypt There are two kingdoms ; the Upper Egypt in the south between Memphis and the First Cataract / the Lower Egypt in the north which consisted of the delta. Menes became the first pharaoh and founder of the first line of dynasties. Ancient Egyptian history divided into three major periods 1. The Old Kingdom or Age of Pyramids(BCE 2700-2200) Egyptian rulers acquired extensive power during this period. They were called Pharaoh which means “great house”. The son of the sun-god, Amon-Re. Hieroglyphics were improved. They developed engineering know-how which is necessary in building tombs for the pharaoh. Imhotep, the chief minister, designed the Step Pyramid at Sakkara for Pharaoh Zoser. It is one of the world’s oldest structural stone. It is called Pyramid age because Zoser’s successors as well as rich nobles constructed pyramid tombs. 2. The Middle Kingdom or Age of Nobles(BCE 2050-1800) Art and literature was encouraged and they started a new irrigation project that increased crop production. It expanded its borders and had greater contact with other civilizations. Hyksos ruled Egypt for 200 years. Egyptians learned important military skills from them and making the bow and arrows and waging war using horse-drawn chariots. 3. The New Kingdom or Empire Age(BCE 1570-1090) The Hyksos were driven out by the leaders of Thebes and restored Egyptian rule to Egypt. Because of the growth of the New Kingdom, this era was also called the Empire Age. Egypt was ruled by a female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, who gained the throne in a coup. One controversial pharaoh of the New Kingdom was Amenhotep. He was not interested in foreign conquest but in changing some traditional religious practices. He wanted the Egyptians to worship the god, Aton. Decline of Egyptian Power The first written treaty in history ended the struggle between the Hittites and the Egyptians.(Ramses 2). The Assyrians and the Persians conquered Egypt. In BCE 331, Greeks led by Alexander the Great occupied the lands in the Nile valley. Cleopatra was the last pharaoh. Egypt was conquered by Roman Empire in BCE 31. A government where a religious leader rules the state as god’s representative is called a theocracy. The pharaoh owned all the land, commanded the army, and controlled the irrigation system with absolute power. Social classes Egyptians society was divided into three classes. 1. The upper class of people was made up of the priest, the court nobility and the landed nobility. 2. The middle class included men and women who became rich through trade. Skilled artisans who made furniture and jewelry, worked with leather and cloth. 3. Most slaves were descendants of people brought back to Egypt as prisoners of war. The Status of Women Women in Egypt enjoyed a high status. Women’s role as a wife and a mother was especially valued in the society. Education Reading, writing, arithmetic, and also religious ceremonies and rituals were part of their education. The primary aim of education was to produce scribes. Religion Egyptians believed in afterlife, and that the soul could not enter into the future life without the body. The human body must be preserved after death as a mummy in order for the soul to live on. They worshipped many gods and goddesses, a practice called polytheism. Amon-Re(the sun-god), Osiris(the god of the Nile) they also worshipped certain animals. During the reign of Akhenaton, the new belief was born, worshipping only Aton, which is called as monotheism. Egyptians contribution to civilization Hieroglyphics : the first writings consisted of picture of objects. The first Egyptian books were written on material made from papyrus, a reed plant. They were mathematicians. They invented addition, subtraction, and division. Also learned how to compute the triangles, circles and other shapes. They were great builders, sculptors and engineers. They devised a method to preserve the human body after death which was called mummification. Ancient India Geographic Setting India It surrounded on three sides by the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. The vast Indian subcontinent has many diverse geographic features. The three major regions are : the Northern Plain, the Deccan Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. Three great river-the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. The chief feature of the Indian climate is the monsoon, a seasonal wind system from June until September. The two cities The ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro reveal that they are products of careful planning. Government and Religion The people of two cities were polytheist like the Egyptians and Sumerians. They worshipped a mother-goddess and sacred animals such as the bull and certain trees. Economic life Agricultural economy thrived in the Indus Valley civilization. End of Indus Valley civilization The Aryans invaded the Indus Valley and introduced the caste system in India. Aside from Aryan invasion, flooding was also cited as the cause of decay of the Indus Valley civilization.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 15:18:51 +0000
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