EgyptianGeography of the Ancient Nile Valley =“Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.” — Herodotus "People settled and established farming villages along the Nile. "Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil. "Egyptians had to cooperate to control the Nile, building dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches. "Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper and Lower Egypt. "The Nile served as a trade route connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean world.Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt OLD KINGDOM Pharaohs organized a ‘strong central state, ‘were absolute rulers, land were considered igods. ‘Egyptians built pyramids at Giza. Power struggles, crop ifalures, and cost of pyramids contributed ito the collapse of the |Old Kingdom. MIDDLE Large drainage project created arable farmland. Traders had contacts with Middle East and Crete. Corruption and rebellions were common, Hyksos invaded and occupied the delta region. Powerful pharaohs created a large empire that reached the Euphrates River Hatshepsut encouraged trade. Ramses |l expanded Egyptian rule to Syria. Egyptian power declined.Egyptian Religious Beliefs «Belief that many gods and goddesses ruled the world and the afterlife. Amon-Re was the sun god. Osiris was the god of the underworld and of the Nile. The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as a monarch. ‘Belief in eternal life after death. Relied on the Book of the Dead to help them through the afterworld. Practiced mummification, the preservation of the body for use in the next life.Developed a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics. Doctors diagnosed and cured illnesses, performed surgery, and developed medicines stil usedt today. Developed 12-month calendar on which modem calendar is based. Astronomers mapped constellations and charted movement of the planets. Developed practical geometry. Skilled in design and engineering. Ancient Egypt: A Center of Learning & Culture Statues, paintings, and writings tell us about ancient Egyptian values and attitudes. Developed painting style that remained unchanged for thousands of years. Wrote hymns and prayers to the gods, proverbs, lave poems, stories ‘of victory in battle, and folk tales, Built pyramids and other great buildings, such as temple of Ramses Il.Class System in Ancient Egypt PHARAOH Earthly leader; considered a god HIGH PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES Served gods and goddesses NOBLES Fought pharaoh’s wars MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS Made furniture, jewelry, and fabrics for pharaohs and nobles, and provided for other needs PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES Worked in the fields and served the pharaohCharacteristics of Egyptian Architecture Due to the scarcity of lumber, the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud brick and stone, mainly limestone, but also sandstone and granite in considerable quantities. *From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, -while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes. * Egypt houses were made out of mud collected from the Nile river. It was placed in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to harden for use in construction.Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture -Many Egyptian towns have disappeared because they were situated near the cultivated area of the Nile Valley and were flooded as the fiver bed slowly rose during the millennia, or the mud bricks of which they were built were used by peasants as fertilizer. “Others are inaccessible, new buildings having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures. “Examples include the village Deir al - Madinah, the Middle Kingdom town at Kahun, and the fortresses at Buhen and Mirgissa. "Also, many temples and tombs have survived because they were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of stone.fortresses at Buhen and MirgissaReligious buildings/monuments «massive structures characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings. * possibly a method of construction used to obtain stability in mud walls. «the incised and flatly modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings has derived from mud wall ornamentation. the use of the arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all monumental buildings are post and lintel constructions, *flat roofs are constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls and the closely spaced columns.Religious buildings/monuments “Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers, were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial frescoes and carvings painted in brilliant colors. *Many motifs of Egyptian ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab, or sacred beetle the solar disk the vulture palm leaves, the papyrus plant buds and flowers of the lotus "Hieroglyphs were inscribed for decorative purposes as well as to record historic events or spells.the solar diskIAM) YY eA, Buds and flower of Lotus —a— Palm leaves Religious buildings/monuments Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned with astronomically significant events, such as solstices and equinoxes, srequired precise measurements at the moment of the particular event. *Measurements at the most significant temples may have been ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himselfExamples = TOMB ARCHITECTURE MASTABAS ROYAL PYRAMIDS ROCK — HEWN TOMBS = TEMPLES * OBELISKS * DWELLINGS = FORTRESSES column,MASTABAS Historical Background "This type of structure was an elaboration of the Pre — Dynastic Period burial-pit and mound form. Mastabas were favored as funerary monument from the Early Dynastic Period on "As the Egyptian craftsmanship increased in the Early Dynastic Period, mastaba such as those of the first dynasty at Saqqara, were elaborate, having many storage or offering compartments, housing funerary chapels, shrines, offering tables and were quite evidently close copies of contemporary houses. *In the Old Kingdom, even after the Pharaohs began to be buried in pyramids, other royal officials were still interred in Mastabas, usually around the site of the pyramid.MASTABAS Usage and Shape = Asepulchral structure built aboveground. = Mastabas were built above a shaft at the bottom of which was situated a tomb "The structure above the ground were relatively low =Rectangular in plan with inward-sloping walls "Flat roof. "Built of brick and faced with limestone slabs. "sides sloping at an angle of about 75 degreesMASTABAS Usage and Shape (i) (ii) (iii) they were derived from the rude heaps of stones piled over earlier mummy holes. They consisted of three parts : The outer chamber, in which were placed the offerings to the Ka or" double,” decorated with festal and other scenes which are valuable from an historical standpoint. The inner secret chamber, known as the " serdab,” which contained statues of the deceased members of the family. The chamber containing the sarcophagus, reached by an underground shaft.MASTABAS Decorations and Examples * Plain undecorated exterior * The interior of mastaba walls were decorated with texts and images, illustrating scenes from the daily life of the deceased, offering scenes and ritual hunt scenes."King's Chamber, Welvi-(-lnyoe © prelprlel-len ap Greave's Shaft — ; Pcie Be Ae eC T= (6) Bite ale lave me sr-eROYAL PYRAMIDS * Early royal pyramids were of mastaba type, from which the true pyramid evolved. * Pyramids did not stand in isolation. * thoy wore surrounded by a walled enclosure and had an offering chapel, with a stele, a mortuary temple for the worship of the dead and deified Pharaoh = pyramids were built during the lifetime of the Pharaohs, because of their belief in immortality. ROYAL PYRAMIDS =Pyramids were founded on living rock, were of limestone quarried in their locality, faced with the finer limestone. * Granite, in limited use, such as linings of the chambers and passages. * Tomb Chambers and their approaches were either cut in the rock below the monument or were in its constructed core. * Entrances were from the north side, the sides were scrupulously oriented with the cardinal points.ROCK —- HEWN TOMBS " Served for the nobility rather than royalty * Pyramids, of indifferent construction, remained the principal form of royal tomb. * TOMBS, BENI HASAN * Belonged to a provincial great family. * totally rock -hewn, each consists of a chamber behind a porticoed fagade * slightly fluted and tapered columnsTEMPLES " Two main classes — mortuary temples, for ministrations to deified Pharaohs Cult temples, for the popular worship of ancient and mysterious gods * Royal burials more important than mortuary temples = Their special character merged into that of the cult temples, lost the distinction between the two types. * Cult temples essentials were rectangular palisaded court entered from a narrow end flanked by pennon — poles centrally within them an emblem of deity pavilion comprising vestibule and sanctuaryTEMPLES " Mortuary and cult temples had most features in common. * Along main axis, not specifically oriented, there was walled open court, with colonnades around leading to covered structure. " Transverse axis in covered structure had columned vestibule and sanctuary. = Impressive axial gateway to the court.TEMPLE OF KHONS , KARNAK = ACult temple " ithad entrance pylons, court hypostyle hall, sanctuary, and various chapels all enclosed by high girdle wa * The entrance pylons, fronted by obelisks, were approached through an imposing avenue of sphinxes. Corridor of Sphinxes = The Portal gave on to the open court, surrounded on three sides by a double colonnade and leading to the hypostyle hallTEMPLE OF KHONS , KARNAKTEMPLE OF KHONS , KARNAK " The light in the Hypostyle was admitted through clearstory = Beyond was the sanctuary , with openings front and back anda circulating passage around = Beyond this was again a four- columned hall. = There were small rooms flanking the sanctuary "on its rear were mainly chapels, for purpose of rituals " The temple was protected by a great wall of the same height as the halls = The wall decreased in height towards the sanctuary end.TEMPLE OF KHONS , KARNAK Exterior Wall Internal ColonnadeTEMPLE OF KHONS , KARNAK