Index of Ancient History with approx page numbering Ancient Egypt 2 Ancient Greece 12 Ancient Rome 22 Assyria 33 Babylonia 43 Bronze Age 53 History of Greece 63 Iron Age 73 Mahabharata 84 Mesopotamia 94 PortalAncient Greece 104 PortalAncient Rome 114 Ramesses II 124 Stone Age 134 Sumer 145 Sun Tzu 155 http://cd3wd.com wikipedia-for-schools http://gutenberg.org page no: 1 of 163 Ancient Egypt zim:///A/Ancient_Egypt.html Ancient Egypt 2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Ancient History, Classical History and Mythology Ancient Egypt was a civilization in eastern North Africa concentrated along the middle to lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern nation of Egypt. The civilization began around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history occurred in a series of stable periods, known as kingdoms , separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. After the end of the last kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during which Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when the early Roman Empire conquered Egypt and made it a province. The civilization of ancient Egypt thrived from its adaptation to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. Controlled The pyramids are among the most irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture. With resources recognizable symbols of the civilization of to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early ancient Egypt. development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military that defeated foreign enemies and asserted Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a divine pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people through an elaborate system of religious beliefs. http://cd3wd.com wikipedia-for-schools http://gutenberg.org page no: 2 of 163 1 of 20 02/09/2011 10:32 Ancient Egypt zim:///A/Ancient_Egypt.html The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians included a system of mathematics, quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples, obelisks, faience and glass technology, a practical and effective system of medicine, new forms of literature, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques, and the earliest known peace treaty. Egypt left a lasting legacy: art and architecture were copied and antiquities paraded around the world, and monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of tourists and writers for centuries. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy for Egypt and the world. History By the late Paleolithic period, the arid climate of northern Africa became increasingly hot and dry, forcing the populations of the area to concentrate along the Nile valley, and since nomadic hunter-gatherers began living in the region during the Pleistocene some 1.8 million years ago, the Nile has been the lifeline of Egypt. The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave humans the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization. Map of ancient Egypt, showing major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC) History of Ancient Egypt Predynastic Egypt Protodynastic Period Early Dynastic Period Old Kingdom First Intermediate Period Middle Kingdom http://cd3wd.com wikipedia-for-schools http://gutenberg.org page no: 3 of 163 2 of 20 02/09/2011 10:32 Ancient Egypt zim:///A/Ancient_Egypt.html Predynastic Period Second Intermediate Period By about 5500 BC, small tribes living in the Nile valley had developed into a series of unique cultures New Kingdom demonstrating firm control of agriculture and animal husbandry. The earliest were established in Third Intermediate Period Lower Egypt at el-Omari, Merimda, and in the Faiyum. At the intersection of routes from the Sahara, First Persian Period the Nile valley, and the Near East, the Faiyum Neolithic culture displayed characteristics of each and Late Period was noted for advanced stone tools which shaped the prehistoric lithic industry in Egypt. Merimda was Second Persian Period one of the largest northern communities, and was unique for its sophisticated forms of vases and Ptolemaic Dynasty pottery ring-stands and ladles, and the stone maceheads that became popular during the Old Kingdom. A typical Naqada II jar decorated with gazelles. The earliest cultures in southern Egypt, the Badari, were established a few centuries after their northern counterparts. (Predynastic Period) Contemporaneous with the Maadi, Buto and Heliopolitan cultures to the north, the Badari culture was known for its high quality ceramics, stone tools, and its use of copper. Badarian burials, simple pit graves with signs of social stratification, suggest that the culture was coming under the control of more powerful leaders. In the north, Maadian pottery was occasionally decorated with birds and serekhs bearing the first Horus names, a sign of increasing cultural sophistication. Maadi was also the main source of basalt vessels, whose distribution becomes more widespread in the south after northern Egypt falls under the control of the Upper Egyptian rulers. In the south, the Naqada culture gradually developed into a civilization along the Nile by about 4000 BC. It had power centers at Nekhen and Abydos and it expanded its control of Egypt northwards. The people of Naqada manufactured painted pottery, high quality decorative stone vases, cosmetic palettes, and jewelry made of gold, lapis, and ivory. They also engaged in trade with Nubia, the oases of the western desert, and the Levant. Naqada developed a ceramic glaze known as faience, which was used well into the Roman Period to decorate cups, amulets, and figurines. During the last phase of the predynastic, the Naqada culture began using written symbols that evolved into a full system of hieroglyphs for writing the Egyptian language. Early Dynastic Period The ancient Egyptians chose to begin their official history with a king named "Meni" (or Menes in Greek) who they believed had united the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. The transition to a unified state actually happened more gradually than the ancient Egyptian writers would have us believe, and there is no contemporary record of Menes. Scholars now believe, however, that the mythical Menes may have actually been the pharaoh Narmer, who is depicted wearing royal regalia on the ceremonial Narmer Palette in a symbolic act of unification. The third century BC Egyptian priest Manetho grouped the long line of pharaohs following Menes into 30 dynasties, a system still in use today. In the Early Dynastic Period about 3150 BC, the first pharaohs solidified their control over lower Egypt by establishing a The Narmer Palette depicts the capital at Memphis, from which they could control the labor force and agriculture of the fertile delta region as well as the unification of the Two Lands. lucrative and critical trade routes to the Levant. The increasing power and wealth of the pharaohs during the early dynastic period was reflected in their elaborate mastaba tombs and mortuary cult structures at Abydos, which were used to celebrate the http://cd3wd.com wikipedia-for-schools http://gutenberg.org page no: 4 of 163 3 of 20 02/09/2011 10:32 Ancient Egypt zim:///A/Ancient_Egypt.html deified pharaoh after his death. The strong institution of kingship developed by the pharaohs served to legitimize state control over the land, labor, and resources that were essential to the survival and growth of ancient Egyptian civilization. Old Kingdom Stunning advances in architecture, art, and technology were made during the Old Kingdom, fueled by the increased agricultural productivity made possible by a well developed central administration. Under the direction of the vizier, state officials collected taxes, coordinated irrigation projects to improve crop yield, drafted peasants to work on construction projects, and established a justice system to maintain peace and order. With the surplus resources made availabl e by a productive and stable economy, the state was able to sponsor construction of colossal monuments and to commission exceptional works of art from the royal workshops. The pyramids built by Djoser, Khufu, and their descendants are the most memorable symbols of ancient Egyptian civilization, and power of the pharaohs that controlled it. Along with the rising importance of a central administration arose a new class of educated scribes and officials who were granted estates by the pharaoh in payment for their services. Pharaohs also made land grants to their mortuary cults and local temples to ensure that these institutions would have the necessary resources to worship the pharaoh after his death. By the end of the Old Kingdom, five centuries of these feudal practices had slowly eroded the economic power of the