EARLY CIVILIZATIONS

III. EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

THE BASIC ELEMENT IN EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION HAS BEEN THE NILE RIVER. THE GREAT GREEK
HISTORIAN, HERODOTUS, DESCRIBED EGYPT AS "THE GIFT OF THE NILE."
- THE RIVER IS THE LONGEST IN THE WORLD AND IS MADE UP OF THE WHITE NILE AND BLUE NILE
JOINED AT KHARTOUM AND FLOWING NORTH TO THE DELTA ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN.
- MOST OF EGYPT IS UNINHABITABLE AND ANCIENT EGYPTIANS COULD ONLY INHABIT ALONG THE
BANKS OF THE RIVER WHICH RELIABLY OVERFLOWS ITS BANKS EVERY SUMMER DEPOSITING A
THICK LAYER OF ALLUVIAL SOIL (SILT) FOR CULTIVATION.
- BECAUSE OF THE NILE, EGYPT WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT EVEN MORE THAN ITS OWN POPULATION
WITH FOOD AS TWO CROPS A YEAR COULD BE PLANTED.
- EGYPT HAD OTHER ADVANTAGES OVER MESOPOTAMIA BESIDES A RELIABLE FLOOD PERIOD AND A
RICHER SOIL.
- EGYPT WAS PROTECTED BY NATURAL BARRIERS, I.E., DESERTS IN THE EAST AND WEST,
EQUATORIAL JUNGLES, A HUGE SWAMP AND NUMEROUS WATERFALLS IN THE SOUTH, AND THE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN THE NORTH.
- BY 3000 B.C., THERE WERE MORE THAN FORTY LARGE SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE NILE.
THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATION OF EGYPT CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE MAJOR KINGDOMS WITH
INTERMEDIATE PERIODS. THE THREE MAJOR KINGDOMS ARE:
1) OLD KINGDOM - 2700 - 2000 B.C.
2) MIDDLE KINGDOM - 2050 - 1800 B.C.
3) NEW KINGDOM - 1570 - 1085 B.C.
1) OLD KINGDOM (DYNASTIES 3-6)
- DURING THIS TIME, MENES (NARMER), A KING, UNIFIED UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT AND
ESTABLISHED A KINGDOM AT MEMPHIS IN LOWER EGYPT.
- THE KING (HE WAS NOT CALLED PHARAOH UNTIL THE NEW KINGDOM) WAS THE OWNER OF ALL OF
EGYPT AND HELD ABSOLUTE POWER AND WAS CONSIDERED A GOD.
- THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT EGYPT THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY WAS POLYTHEISTIC.
- IN THE FOURTH DYNASTY, THE THREE IMMENSE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT AT GIZA (NOW WITHIN
THE CITY OF CAIRO).
DURING THE OLD KINGDOM, THE SUN GOD, RE, EMERGED AS THE MOST POWERFUL OF GODS. KINGS
BEGAN TO CALL THEMSELVES THE SONS OF RE.

http://www.wpunj.edu/~history/study/ws1/set1a.htm

THE OLD KINGDOM COLLAPSED FOR SEVERAL REASONS INCLUDING:

1) EXPENDITURES FOR PROJECTS SUCH AS THE PYRAMIDS EXHAUSTED STATE REVENUES.
2) CLIMATIC DISASTERS REDUCED GRAIN AND WEAKENED THE STATE.
3) NOBILITY GREW TOO INDEPENDENT.
4) INVASION INTO THE DELTA BY FOREIGNERS.
2) MIDDLE KINGDOM (DYNASTIES 11 AND 12)
- DURING THE 11TH DYNASTY, THE CAPITAL OF EGYPT BECAME THEBES IN UPPER EGYPT.
- THE GOD AMEN REACHED PROMINENCE DURING THIS KINGDOM AND WAS MERGED WITH RE AS
AMEN-RE AND BECAME THE NATIONAL GOD. THE GOD OSIRIS BECAME POPULAR DURING THE
MIDDLE KINGDOM. HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NILE RIVER AND FERTILITY AND RULED OVER
THE DEAD.
- HIS SISTER/WIFE WAS ISIS AND THEIR SON WAS HORUS.
- EGYPTIANS LONG BELIEVED IN A PLEASANT LIFE AFTER DEATH AND MADE CAREFUL
PREPARATIONS FOR THE PHYSICAL NEEDS OF THE AFTERLIFE. TO PRESERVE THEIR BODIES AFTER
DEATH, THEY PERFECTED THE ART OF EMBALMING (MUMMIFICATION).
- THE EGYPTIANS STRIVED FOR "MAAT" - RIGHT ORDER WHICH THE GODS ORDAINED.
- LOWER-CLASS EGYPTIANS GAINED THE RIGHT TO HAVE THEIR BODIES MUMMIFIED.
- THE MIDDLE KINGDOM ALSO WAS TO WITNESS A MASSIVE LAND RECLAMATION PROJECT AT AN
OASIS WEST OF THE NILE WHICH INCLUDED THE CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS AND RESERVOIRS.
- DURING THE SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (DYNASTIES 13-17), EGYPT SAW AN INVASION OF
PEOPLE CALLED THE HYKSOS AROUND 1720 B.C. THEY ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN FROM SYRIA
AND PALESTINE AND THEY CONTROLLED MAINLY THE REGION OF THE DELTA.
3) NEW KINGDOM (DYNASTIES 18-20)
- HYKSOS WERE DRIVEN OUT OF EGYPT AT BEGINNING OF NEW KINGDOM.
- DURING THE 18TH DYNASTY, RULERS NOW BECAME KNOWN AS "PHARAOHS."
- BECAUSE THE HYKSOS INVASION HAD SHATTERED THE SENSE OF SECURITY THAT EGYPT ONCE
HAD, THIS NEW KINGDOM FOLLOWED A POLICY MUCH MORE MILITARISTIC THAN THE FORMER TWO
KINGDOMS AND FOCUSED ON EMPIRE BUILDING.
- TWO NEW CLASSES CAME INTO BEING:
A) PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS
B) SLAVES
- IT WAS DURING THIS KINGDOM THAT EGYPT AND THE HITTITES (FROM ASIA MINOR) WERE THE
STRONGEST KINGDOMS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD AND EGYPT ENTERED A PERIOD OF EXPANSION.

- IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD ALSO THAT JEWS FELL UNDER EGYPT'S DOMINATION.
- DURING THE 18TH DYNASTY, THE GREATEST FEMALE RULER OF ANCIENT TIMES REIGNED HATSHEPSUT.
- IN 1503 B.C., SHE WAS CROWNED KING OF EGYPT.
- SHE UNDERTOOK SOME MILITARY CAMPAIGNS BUT WAS KNOWN ABOVE ALL AS A BUILDER, E.G.,
HER GREAT TEMPLE TOMB IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS.
- SHE WAS SUCCEEDED BY THUTMOSE III WHO BECAME EGYPT'S MOST DYNAMIC MILITARY
STATESMAN.
- HE ESTABLISHED THE EMPIRE AS FAR AS THE EUPHRATES RIVER.
- UNDER THE NEW KINGDOM, A REVOLUTION IN RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OCCURRED UNDER KING
AMENHOTEP IV (1379 - 1362 B.C.).
- THIS KING OPPOSED AMEN-RE AND OTHER GODS THAT HAD BEEN FOR CENTURIES THE
TRADITIONAL GODS OF THEBES AND PROMOTED THE CONCEPT OF A SINGLE GOD - ATON - THE
PHYSICAL DISK OR CIRCLE OF THE SUN.
- HE WAS SUPPORTED BY HIS WIFE NEFERTITI AS HE TRIED TO OVERCOME THE INFLUENCE OF
PRIESTS AND BUREAUCRATS IN THEBES.
- HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO AKHNATON.
- HE MOVED HIS CAPITAL FROM THEBES.
- THE NEW KINGDOM BECAME WEAK EXTERNALLY BECAUSE OF AKHNATON'S RELIGIOUS ZEAL
WHICH RESULTED IN NEGLECTING THE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES OF HIS KINGDOM.
- HITTITES WERE ABLE TO CONQUER THE REGION OF NORTHERN SYRIA FROM THE EGYPTIANS
BECAUSE OF AKHNATON'S PREOCCUPATION WITH RELIGION.
- THE NEXT PHARAOH, TUTANKHAMEN, CHANGED HIS NAME FROM TUTANKHATON THUS
INDICATING THAT RELIGION HAD REVERTED TO WORSHIPPING AMEN-RE.
- THE ROYAL COURT ALSO MOVED BACK TO THEBES AND THE POWER OF THE THEBAN PRIESTS WAS
RESTORED.
- THE NEW KINGDOM REGAINED ITS STRENGTH AND FOUGHT AN EPIC YET INDECISIVE BATTLE AT
KADESH IN PALESTINE AGAINST THE HITTITES IN 1300 UNDER THE PHARAOH RAMES II.
- HIS TEMPORARY PEACE WITH THE HITTITES ALLOWED HIM TO SPEND MONEY ON BUILDING
PROJECTS INCLUDING WORK AT THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK AND THE TEMPLE CARVED OUT OF ROCKY
CLIFFS ALONG THE NILE AT ABU SIMBEL.
MILITARY
- THE ARMY OF THE NEW KINGDOM WAS LARGE AND WELL TRAINED.
- EACH DIVISION OF THE EGYPTIAN ARMY CONSISTED OF ABOUT 5,000 MEN.
- 4,000 OF THESE WERE INFANTRY TROOPS.

- 1,000 OF THESE FORMED CHARIOT WINGS.

- CHARIOTS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE TACTICS OF THE NEW KINGDOM ARMY.
EDUCATION
- SCHOOLS, FOR BOYS ONLY, BEGAN AT AGE 7.
- GIRLS WERE TAUGHT AT HOME.
- DISCIPLINE WAS VERY STRICT.
- THROUGH EDUCATION, ONE POSSIBILITY WAS TO BECOME A SCRIBE.
- THIS VOCATION ENSURED A GOOD JOB.
- SCRIBES KEPT THE GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY ORGANIZED.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CONTRIBUTIONS
- EGYPTIANS DEVELOPED A FORM OF WRITING KNOWN AS HIEROGLYPHICS ON THE FIRST FORM OF
PAPER CALLED PAPYRUS WHICH IS A PLANT THAT GREW IN ABUNDANCE ALONG THE NILE. THE
ROSETTA STONE, DISCOVERED WHEN NAPOLEON WAS IN EGYPT, UNLOCKED THE KEY TO
TRANSLATING HIEROGLYPHICS.
- LIKE SUMERIAN CUNEIFORM, THEY ARE A COMBINATION OF PICTOGRAMS AND PHONETIC SIGNS.
- EGYPTIANS DEVISED A MORE ACCURATE CALENDAR THAN THE BABYLONIANS.
- EGYPTIANS PROVIDED A RICH VARIETY OF LITERATURE FOCUSING ON MYTHOLOGY AND THE
AFTERLIFE.
- EGYPTIANS BECAME MASTERS OF THE ART OF SURVEYING FOR ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES
BETWEEN PLOTS THAT NEEDED CULTIVATION.
- EGYPTIANS APPLIED SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE IN THE AREA OF MEDICINE.
- EGYPTIANS WERE AMONG THE GREATEST BUILDERS OF ALL ANTIQUITY, e.g., THE PYRAMIDS AND
GREAT TEMPLES.
- EGYPTIAN SOCIETY MADE IT POSSIBLE TO RISE IN STATURE THROUGH EDUCATION AND IT WAS
LIBERAL IN SCOPE TO WOMEN, i.e., MUCH MORE SO THAN ANCIENT GREECE OR ROME.
- DURING THE NEW KINGDOM, WOMEN HAD THE RIGHT TO BUY AND SELL PROPERTY AND TO
TESTIFY IN COURT.
- WOMEN HAD THE RIGHTS TO SEEK DIVORCE (RARELY OCCURRED).
- PROPERTY WAS INHERITED THROUGH THE FEMALE LINE.
SIMILARITIES OF MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATIONS:
- BOTH WERE DEPENDENT ON RIVERS AND RICH SOIL DEPOSITED BY PERIODIC FLOODS.
- BOTH DEVELOPED AND ORGANIZED SYSTEMS OF IRRIGATION AND FLOOD CONTROL.

- BOTH EVENTUALLY HAD POWERFUL KINGS AND A PRIESTLY CASTE.

- BOTH BELIEVED IN POLYTHEISM AND ALL POWERFUL GODS.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION:
- MESOPOTAMIA WAS NOT AS WELL PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICALLY.
- MESOPOTAMIAN RIVERS WERE NOT AS NAVIGABLE.
- MESOPOTAMIAN RIVER FLOODS WERE NOT AS RELIABLE.
- MESOPOTAMIAN CULTURE AND RELIGION REFLECTED A SENSE OF INSTABILITY AND PESSIMISM.