Ancient egypt

Intro
For almost 3,000 years-from 3100 B.C. to when it was conquered in 332 B.C. by a Greek warrior we will study 3rd quarter named Alexander the Great- ancient Egypt was the most powerful civilization in the ancient world. From the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom through the military conquests of the New Kingdom, Egypt has long fascinated archaeologists and historians and created an entire field of study all on its own: Egyptology, or the study of ancient Egypt.

What we know about ancient Egypt comes from the many monuments, objects and artifacts that have been recovered from archaeological sites, covered with their writing called hieroglyphics that have only recently been deciphered (solved) thanks to the Rosetta Stone.  This stone was written in Greek as well as ancient Egyptian.  This allowed scientists and language experts to figure out what each Egyptian symbol meant, thus cracking the code of how to read hieroglyphics.
When the ancestors of Egypt first arrived is unclear, but as we studied at the beginning of the year, the earliest migration of early humans out of Africa took place almost 2 million years ago! Modern humans began moving out of Africa about 100,000-200,000 years ago, passing through Egypt, which is in northeastern Africa.
Farming villages began in Egypt along the fertile Nile River Valley about 7,000 years ago, and the civilization’s earliest writings inscriptions date back about 5,200 years ago!
Geography
Ancient Egypt can be thought of as an oasis (a water source in the desert), supported only by the great Nile River to support its agricultural population. The country’s source of life came from the fertile land around the Nile where flood waters would leave behind nutrient filled soil.

Like the Sumerians, the ancient Egyptians became master farmers and grew more wheat than they even needed.  This is called a surplus and it allowed their population to grow.  They also grew fresh fruits and vegetables along the river.

There was also an abundance (a lot) of wild plants and animals that lived along the Nile making it the life line of this civilization.   They also had a heavy diet of fish from fishing on the river.  The river was very wide and served as a highway for Egyptian boats.

The ancient Egyptians had a great knowledge of wild animals and were some of the first people to keep dogs, cats and even monkeys as pets.  In fact, their gods all take after an animal that lived along the Nile.
Also like the Sumerians, they domesticated (tamed and used) many animals like cows, oxen, donkeys, pigs, sheep and goats on their farms.

Surrounded by deserts to the west, mineral filled mountains to the east and south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt had little contact with other civilizations early on.  They did trade some with the Phoenicians by sea to get their cedar (wood) and with Mesopotamia by land, but they didn’t need to trade much because they had most of what they needed at home!

Their land was full of natural resources (things that come from the earth) and they even had a lot of gold and other metals in the surrounding mountains.  This is one reason they became so powerful.


Rise to Power and Leadership
Over time, by around 1,500 B.C. the Egyptians built a strong military and conquered parts of Southwest Asia, building a very strong empire.

Just as the Egyptians became masters of agriculture, their most striking achievement was massive stone buildings-many of which still survive today. This took a huge workforce, which was made available by having so much food. Some of the technical and organizational skills involved were remarkable. The construction of the great pyramids around 2,500 B.C. has yet to be fully explained especially considering the Egyptians didn’t use metal tools!  In fact, their structures were so advanced that some theories have begun saying it was actually aliens who built them (it wasn’t).  They were also expert mathematicians and astronomers.

Egypt’s history is divided into 30  dynasties.  A dynasty is ruling family.  Their leader was called a pharaoh and he had total control over his country.  The pharaohs were worshiped as gods!  There were even a couple lady pharaohs like the great Queen Hatshepsut.  The most powerful pharaoh ever was Ramses II.  He not only had massive building projects completed, but he had several military conquests as well.  The massive stone carvings in the picture above of four people sitting were built for him!

When pharaohs and other wealthy and powerful people died they were mummified.  The Egyptians believed in life after death and that people who died needed their body in this afterlife.  So, they preserved it to make it last.  They would also bury powerful people in big tombs with all of their personal belongings that they might need in the afterlife.  One of the most famous tombs was that of King Tut!