Copyright (c) 2013 by Dimitry Bubis. All Rights Reserved

1. History of
Civilization
II. ANCIENT EGYPT

2. TOPICS
 The River
 Language and Scripts
 Beliefs, Rituals, Society
 Chronology
 Narmer and Unification
 Old Kingdom and Pyramids
 Technology and Medicine
 Papyrus Literature
 Hyksos and New Kingdom
 Amarna Period
 Clash with Hittites
 The Legacy

3. THE QUIZ
 What you associate with
Ancient Egypt?
 Name the known names
 Where the ancient Egyptians
have gone?
 What other Egyptian
architectural features are
prevalent in world cities today?
 What famous operas have
immediate Egyptian
connections?

4. HIGHLIGHTS
 Over three millennia of advanced
civilization which left wealth of
artifacts
 Oldest written history of currently
extant language
 Orderly stratified society with
sophisticated culture
 Original attempt of monotheistic
religious system
 Only surviving of Seven Wonders
of ancient world: pyramids of Giza
‘Km.t’ = The black land
(Egyptian)
Nefertiti
by Thutmose (1345 BCE)
‘Hwt Ka Ptah’
= House of Ptah’s Soul
→ Αἴγυπτος

5. LOWER & UPPER EGYPT
 Earliest
Nebti = Two Ladies
(Egyptian)
Wadjet
of Papyrus
color
Nekhbet
White Mother
of Nekheb

6. LANGUAGE
 Ancient Egyptian was one
of Afroasiatic languages,
its descendant today is
Coptic
 Hieroglyphs and Hieratic
script developed in parallel
ιερός
= sacred

7. DECIPHERING THE SCRIPT
Rosetta Stone
from Memphis (196 BCE)
Papyrus with Hieratic writings
Jean-François
Champollion
(1790 -1832)

8. PYRAMID TEXTS
 Funerary texts of Old
Kingdom (5th dynasty, ca.
XXVth cent. BCE)
 Recorded earlier oral tradition
 Carved on walls of burial
chambers
 Intended only for Pharaohs
 Not illustrated
 Later evolved into Coffin Texts
(Middle Kingdom) and Book of
the Dead (New Kingdom)
 Oldest religious texts known
today

9. BELIEFS
 Cosmogonies
 Ennead (Heliopolis) :
Atum / Shu + Tefnut / Geb + Nut /
Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nepthys
 Ogdoad (Hermopolis) :
Nu + Naunet, Amun + Amaunet,
Kuk + Kauket, Huh + Hauhet /
Cosmic Egg or Lotus → Ra
 Maat (daughter of Ra) personifies the
cosmic order, and is under threat
 Types of sentient beings inhabiting the
cosmos: gods, spirits, humans
 Pharaoh is human on whom divine
authority is bestowed, providing the
bridge between people and gods
Nut (Sky) supported by Shu (Air)
with Geb (Earth) reclining beneath
Seth protecting Ra’s boat slays Apep

10. DEITIES
Horus Osiris Isis Ra Amun Maat Thoth
Anubis Nepthys Seth Sobek Bastet Hathor Seshat Sekhmet Ptah Khepri

11. OSIRIS MYTH
 God of the afterlife, merciful
judge of the dead, lord of love
 As ruler of the land Osiris is
murdered (not described) by Seth
 Isis finds/collects (with help of
Nepthys) his remains, performs magic
(with help of Thoth and Anubis)
 Isis conceives Horus and hides from
Seth in papyrus thicket Osiris with wheat sprouting
from his body
(from bas-relief at Pilae)
 Osiris becomes ruler of Duat
(the underworld, not Hell)
 Horus and Seth struggle, then
Horus becomes rightful ruler
Isis nursing Horus
(bronze, ca. 660 BCE)

12. Ba
(personality)
Ka
Ren
(name)
Shwt
(shadow)
AFTERLIFE
 Rituals are important for preservation
of an individual in afterlife
 Funerary texts ensured the diseased
person was safe after Ka left the body
 Negative confessional reflected the
acts perceived by Egyptians as evil
Jb
(heart)
Human body with five souls
Judgment scene from Book of the Dead
Papyrus of Hunefer (steward of Seti I, 13th cent. BCE)

13. RELIGION AND RITUALS
 Religion was the unifying agent
 It was centered on temples and
was highly centralized
 Detailed protocols defined the
rituals, mummification, burial,
burial goods, and ceremonies
 Mummification for preservation
was known before 3500 BCE
Opening of the Mouth ceremony
from Papyrus of Hunefer
Episodes 1–9 Preliminary rites
Episodes 10–22 Animation of the statue
Episodes 23–42 Meat offerings aligned with upper Egypt
Episodes 43–46 Meat offerings aligned with lower Egypt
Episodes 47–71 Funerary meal
Episodes 72–75 Closing rites
Anubis attending to the mummy

14. SOCIETY
 Centralized and stratified society
 King as source of law
 All people essentially equal before
the law, anyone (but not slaves)
could appeal to authority for redress
 No great inequalities for women
 State-run economy, no internal trade
 Cattle count every two years
 Cities without walls and defenses
 Military: partially conscripted,
partially voluntary, and mercenaries
 Majority of population worked the
land, also on projects in lieu of taxes
 Professional medical care and serious
emphasis on hygiene
The Scribe

15. PAPYRUS
Cyperus Papyrus

16. CHRONOLOGY
 Historian Manetho
(3rd cent. BCE) composed
Aegyptiaca from king lists
 Some dynasties / highlights
 IV: pyramids
 XII: classic literature
 XVIII: Hatshepsut, Akhenaten
 XIX: Ramses II The Great
 1st intermediate – Nomes pull
the country apart
 2nd – Hyksos invade
 3rd – Lybians, Nubians
3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 BCE 1 CE
Early Dynastic Old Kingdom Middle K. New Kingdom Late Ptol.
Period Dynasties Dates BCE
Early Dynastic 1-2 3100-2686
Old Kingdom 3-6 2686-2181
1st intermediate 7-11 2181-2055
Middle Kingdom 12-13 2055-1650
2nd intermediate 14-17 1650-1550
New Kingdom 18-20 1550-1069
3rd intermediate 21-25 1069-664
Late/ Achaemenid 26-31 664-332
Ptolemaic 332-30

17. PHARAOH AND FIVE NAMES
 “Pharaoh”
(meaning “great house”)
was used since New
Kingdom
 Standard naming convention for royal titles
included five names
 Example for Thutmose III:
o Horus’ Mighty Bull, Arising in Thebes
o He of the Two Ladies, Enduring in kingship like Ra in heaven
o Horus of Gold - powerful of strength, sacred of appearance
o He of the Sedge and the Bee, Enduring of form is Ra
o Son of Ra, Thutmose, beautiful of forms

18. NARMER AND UNIFICATION
 Narmer
(ca. 31st century BCE,
Ist dynasty)
 The first king shown in
regalia of both Upper
and Lower Egypt
 After Ist dynasty shabtis
are placed in royal
tombs instead of
sacrificed retainers Narmer Palette, 31st Century BCE

19. DJOSER AND IMHOTEP
 Djoser
(ca. 2650 BCE, IIIrd dynasty)
 Military expeditions into Sinai
 Copper and turquoise mining
Stepped Pyramid
(constructed 2667 – 2648 BCE)
 Imhotep the first polymath
“Chancellor of the King of Egypt,
Doctor, First in line after the King of
Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great
Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High
Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief
Carpenter, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of
Vases in Chief”

20. EGYPTIAN MEDICINE
 The world’s oldest manual on
Trauma and Surgery is attributed to
Imhotep:
 This text is devoid of magical thinking
 48 typical cases of trauma in anatomical
order
 Each case has details on injury,
examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and
treatment
 Level of knowledge surpassing that of
Hippocrates (1000 years later)
 Concerns with nutrition and hygiene
 Houses of Life, Sick Leaves, Medical
Insurances and Pensions
 Ca. 2400 BCE: recorded evidence of
female physicians
Edwin Smith Papyrus:
Manual on Trauma and Surgery
(2nd intermediate period, ca. 1500 BCE)

21. KING KHUFU AND OLDEST TALES
 Khufu
(reigned 2589 – 2566 BCE,
IVth dynasty)
 Westcar Papyrus
(from 13th dynasty, ca 1800 BCE)
contains five tales of magic:
1. (lost)
2. The Wax Crocodile
3. The Story of Green Jewel
4. Djedi the Magician
5. The Birth of
the Royal Children

22. THE GREAT PYRAMID AND SPINX
 Khufu’s pyramid in Giza:
 Constructed ca. 2580 – 2570 BCE
 World’s tallest structure for 3800 years
 Base flat within 15 mm
 Side (A): 230.4 m (within 58 mm)
 Height: 146.5 m, = 2A/π
 Oriented within 4 arcmin

23. EGYPTIAN MATHEMATICS
 Numeric system: base 10, additive:
 Mathematical papyri were practical
manuals with concrete problems and
solutions:
 Multiplications and divisions
 Fractions
 Algebra
 Geometry (areas and volumes)
 Simple quadratic equations
 Land surveyors used ropes with eleven
equally spaced knots
Problem 14 from Moscow
Mathematical Papyrus:
Volume of truncated pyramid
𝑉 =
1
3
ℎ (𝑎2
+ 𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏2
)

24. THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
 Mentuhotep II
(reigned ca. 2061 – 2010 BCE, XIth dynasty)
 Origins: nomarchs of Thebes
 Re-unification of the country (around
year 39 of his reign of 51 years)
 Growing importance of Osiris’ cult
 Re-assertion of Egypt’s influence
Funerary temple of Mentuhotep II
(reconstruction, pyramid disputed)
Inroads to Land of Punt

25. EXPANSION AND LITERATURE
 Senusreth III
(reigned 1878 – 1839 BCE, XIIth dynasty)
 Military raids into Canaan and Ethiopia
 Extensive mining
 Building of forts and canals
 Reform of government
 Literature later regarded
as “classic”:
 Tale of Shipwrecked Sailor
 Story of Sinuhe
 Dispute between man and his Ba
 The Satire of the Trades
 The instructions of Amenemhat

26. THE HYKSOS
 “Foreign Rulers”
 Appeared ca. 1800 BCE
 XIIIth dynasty (18th century BCE):
famine and plague
 Invasion or gradual takeover?
 Ruled Lower Egypt as XVth dynasty
 Expelled ca. 1560 BCE
 Ahmose I
ca. 1550 – 1525 BCE
(first of XVIIIth dynasty)

27. HATSHEPSUT
reigned ca. 1479 – 1458 BCE,
XVIIIth dynasty
 Queen of Thutmose II
 Stepmother and regent for Thutmose III
 Great revival of trade
 Expeditions to Land of Punt
 Height of architecture and monuments
 Royal architects: Ineni, Senenmut

28. THUTMOSE III
reigned ca. 1479 – 1425 BCE,
XVIIIth dynasty
 First 22 years under regency
 16 military campaigns in 20 years
 Conquests in Canaan, Syria, Nubia:
Egypt at its maximal territorial extent
 Construction of more than 50 temples
Amduat scene from the tomb

29. AKHENATEN
reigned ca. 1353 – 1336 BCE,
XVIIIth dynasty
 Amenhotep IV, son of Amenhotep III
 On 5th year of the reign changed name to
“Effective for The Aten”
 Great Royal Wife: Nefertiti
 Six daughters and two sons/successors
 New capital: Akhetaten (Amarna)
 Cult of Aten (The Sun), new temples
 On 9th year of the reign declared
Aten to be not merely supreme god,
but the only God
 Great Hymn to the Aten

30. THE AMARNA PERIOD
 Amarna letters
 Clay tablets in Akkadian, 30 years’ span
 Record of decline of Egypt’s influence
 Religious Revolution
 Amarna Art
 Thutmose
the Sculptor
 Plague
 pandemic claiming members of king’s family,
Hittite King Suppiluliuma I (ca.1322 BCE), etc.
1345 BCE

31. THE SUCCESSORS
 Smenkhare /
Neferneferuaten
 Tutankhamun
(ruled ca. 1332– 1323 BCE)
 Grand Vizier: Ay
 Army Chief: Horemheb
 Intact tomb found in 1922
 Ay
 Related to king’s family,
claim to power unclear
 Army Chief: Horemheb
 Horemheb
(ruled ca. 1306 – 1292 BCE)
 Grand Vizier: Paramess
"My husband has died and I have no
son. They say about you that you have
many sons. You might give me one of
your sons to become my husband.
I would not wish to take one of my
subjects as a husband... I am afraid."
Ankhesenamun to
Suppiluliuma I, ca. 1323 BCE
Tutankhaten with Ankhesepaten

32. AKHENATEN’S LEGACY
1939 1983
from Book of the Heavenly Cow

33. RAMSES THE GREAT
 Ramses II
 Became Prince Regent at
14, king in teens, reigned
66 years, died in nineties
 Re-asserted Egyptian
influence
 Capital: Pi-Ramses
 Erasing Amarna period
 Ozymandias in later
Greek sources
XIXth dynasty

34. RAMSES’ MONUMENTS
 Abu Simbel Temple  Great Wife’s Tomb
Nefertari playing SenetSolar light penetrated
the sanctuary on
February 22 and
October 22

35. CLASH OF SUPERPOWERS
 Hittite Empire
 Battle of Kadesh
 May 1274 BCE (year 5
of Ramses’ reign)
 First battle in history
for which tactical
details are known
 Egyptians: 20000 men,
2000 chariots
 Hittites: 50000 men,
3700 chariots
 Indecisive outcome,
strategic defeat for Egypt
 Peace Agreement
 Year 21 of Ramses'’ reign

36. END OF THE NEW KINGDOM
 XXth Dynasty
 Conflicts between sons of Ramses III
 Third Intermediary Period
 Draughts, famines, plagues
 Internecine strife, civil unrest, corruption of officials
 Sea Peoples, Libyans, Nubians

37. SUMMARY
from Stargate (1994)
 Egyptian civilization of more
than 3 millennia: progress in
food production and in
preservation of knowledge
 sustained development of
advanced society
 Unifying role of culture
 Concepts: afterlife,
resurrection, monotheism
 Achievements: medicine,
construction, etc.

38. IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
 Sargon the Great and
Akkadian Empire
 Ur-Nammu and
Sumerian Renaissance
 Elamites and Amorites
 Babylonian Kingdom
 Hammurabi and his
Code of Laws
 Mittani and Hatti

39. Thank You