Chapter 4: Section 2

The Old Kingdom

The Big Idea: Egyptian government and religion were closely connected during the Old Kingdom.

Main Idea #1: In early Egyptian society, pharaohs ruled as gods and were at the top of the social structure.

Early Egyptian Society

The Old Kingdom = 3rd dynasty 2700 BC – 2200 BC

Government:

  • Ruled by a pharaoh- considered to be king & god- managed Egypt for the gods (Khufu was a famous pharaoh)
  • Power over land and people
  • Was held responsible for all the good and bad that happened
  • Pharaoh had a lot of responsibilities therefore, he had officials to help w/ duties

Social structure:

* Pharaoh *

Upper Classes

Middle Class

Lower Class

Neighbors:

  • Sumerian art influenced Egypt
  • Egypt traded with its neighbors:

Nubia – gold, ivory, slaves, stone

Syria – wood (rare in the desert)

Punt (Red Sea) – incense and myrrh

Main Idea #2: Religion shaped Egyptian life.

Religion:

  • Polytheism
  • Built temples – collected $ from gov’t and worshipers- this allowed temples to get very strong
  • Eventually certain areas of society worshiped certain gods
  • They had a god for everything – mixed human and animal forms

Major Gods: Re or Amon-Re = sun

Osiris – underworld

Isis – goddess of magic

Horus – god of sky / god of pharaohs

Afterlife:

  • Afterlife = life after death
  • Believed to be a happy place
  • Pictures depict people as young and healthy
  • Originated from Ka (a person’s life force) left the body when they die and became a spirit, but remains liked to the body and is at the burial site… Ka has all the same needs as the living person… they fill tombs with objects for the afterlife:

Furniture

Tools

Jewelry

Weapons…

Burial:

  • Believed bodies had to be prepared therefore, preserved, the body was not allowed to decay because the spirit would not be able to recognize it
  • Embalming – mummies – wrapped in cloth – took several weeks – then placed in a coffin

Main Idea #3: The pyramids of Egypt were built as tombs for the pharaohs.

  • Egyptians began building pyramids during the old kingdom
  • Largest pyramid was built for the pharaoh Khufu, near the town of Giza
  • It was 481 feet high and took more than 2 million limestone blocks to build
  • The size of the pyramid was a symbol of the greatness of the pharaoh
  • The point at the top symbolizes the journey to the afterlife
  • Egyptians wanted the pyramids to be special because they believed the pharaoh was their link to the gods and that he (pharaoh) controlled everyone’s afterlife, so if the spirit of the pharaoh was happy, everyone would have a good afterlife