CIVILIZATION OF THE NILE The Ancient Egyptians The Ancient Egyptians 1. Contemporary with Mesopotamia, Egypt rose from about 5000 B.C.E to 3100 B.C.E 1. Geographically, Egypt is divided into Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt. 1. Around 3100 B.C.E Upper and Lower are united by NARMER/MENES (ME-neez). 1. Egyptian history is divided into about 30 dynasties, distinguished by wealth, stability, and rulership… Kings, later called Pharaoh. 1. Around 525 B.C.E, Egypt loses its independence to the Persian Empire. Egyptian hieroglyphs (/ˈhaɪər.ɵɡlɪf/ hyr-o-glif; Egyptian: mdw·w-nṯr, "god's words”) 1. First came into use before 3000 B.C.E 1. At first believed to indicated complete ideas rather than sounds. 1. Frenchman Jean François Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone. 1. Combined logographic and alphabetic elements. 1. scholars believe that cuneiforms are the the basis of Egyptian hieroglyphs. During the Old Kingdom of Egypt (circa 2686 B.C.E. — circa 2181 B.C.E.), Egypt consisted of the Nile River region and the area along the river south to Elephantine. The Rosetta Stone 1. Found in 1822 during Napoleon’s military campaign in Egypt near the town of Rosetta. 1. It is estimated to weigh over 750 kilograms (1,600 pounds). 1. Granodiorite is a plutonic rock composed of black biotite, dark-gray hornblende, off-white plagioclase, and translucent gray quartz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFXY9-pec1I Ancient Egyptian Religion 1. Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic, involving a profusion of Gods/Deities. 2. Importance was given to cosmic forces, the sun, Earth, sky, air, and water. 1. Such forces were depicted in various forms, often as animals, humans, or as hybrids. 1. One of the most important Gods was Osiris, caretaker of the dead, of the afterlife, of the underworld. 1. Another God was Isis, wife of Osiris, and Ra, the Sun God. Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, wife of Osiris. Isis is usually represented as a woman with the throne-hieroglyph on her head, symbolizing her as the wife of Osiris, the king of the afterlife. Isis can also be represented as a bird (called a kite) wearing the same headdress. In another form, Isis bears the headdress used by Hathor, consisting of a sun-disk and cow horns. Horus, son of Isis & Osiris 1. Horus, a God of the Sun, war, and protection… Depicted as a falcon… • In Greek one says Ὧρος Hōros • Eye of Horus Horus relief in the Temple of Edfu Horus, an ancient Egyptian falcon headed-deity. Horus was usually depicted wearing the double crown of kingship, but also appeared in a fully falcon form, among others. Ra, another falcon-headed deity, is distinguished by the presence of the sun disk on his head, but the ancient Egyptians often combined Re and Horus into the composite deity known as Re-Horakhty. The Myth of Osiris 1. Osiris is killed by his brother Set, and his body is disposed, supposedly in the Nile. 2. Isis, than searches for the body of Osiris, finding him and bringing him back to Egypt. 3. When Set came upon the body, he is angered, and dismembers the dead body. 4. Isis again claims the body parts, but this times buries them locally. 5. Horus, than comes of age to challenge Set, of which he defeats in battle. 6. Accordingly, Osiris becomes caretaker of the underworld. Osiris, lord of the dead in the ancient Egyptian religion. Here, he is shown in typical mummy wrappings. Isis, in the form of a bird, copulates with the deceased Osiris. At either side are Horus, although he is as yet unborn, and Isis in human form. Horus Isis Osiris Isis nursing Horus From right to left: Isis, her husband Osiris, and their son Horus, the protagonists of the Osiris myth, in a 22nd dynasty statue Survey of Major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Anubis, the jackal Khonsu, an ancient headed god of Egyptian god depicted as ancient Egypt. a mummiform child with a moon disk on his head. Bastet, the Goddess of Cat in Ancient Egypt Major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses cont… Ptah is one of the Taweret, an ancient Egyptian hippo ancient Egyptian goddess of pregnancy and motherhood. creator-gods. God Left forepaw rests on Sa magical protection of craftsman. amulet and hieroglyph. Ra-Horakhty is a combined deity of Horus and Ra, and is usually depicted as a falcon-headed man wearing a sun disk on his head. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses at the Louvre, Fr. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses at the Louvre, Fr. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses at the Louvre, Fr. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses at the Louvre, Fr. Egyptian Gods and Goddesses at the Louvre, Fr. The Old Kingdom (2686-2181 B.C.E) 1. The Old Kingdom was a time of social and political stability. 2. During this time society was stratified: commoners, artisans, wealthy, nobles, and God/Kings (Pharaoh). 3. Common people and artisans were kept busy through sanctioned works: The Great Pyramids of Giza, sculpture, and mastabas. 4. The human body was central to Egyptian life, and The Book of the Dead came to be known. The Pyramid of Khafre, also known as the Pyramid of Chephren, is the second-tallest, and second-largest of the Pyramids of Giza. It serves as the tomb of Khafre. Abū al-Haul, English: The Terrifying أبو الهول :The Great Sphinx of Giza (Arabic One; literally: Father of Dread), Pharaoh Chefren of the Old Kingdom (also read as Khafre, Khafra, Khefren) 1. King of the 4th Dynasty. c. 2613 to 2494 BC. 2. He was the son of Khufu. 3. His reign was a time of peace and prosperity… 4. Time when trade with other countries is documented. 1. Built the 2nd largest pyramid at Giza. Isometric drawing of the Pyramid of Khafre taken from a 3d model – R.F. Morgan Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza, Facchinelli, Beniamino (1829?-1895?) Fragment of the beard of the sphinx (British Museum). Profile of the Great Sphinx The Book of the Dead The Book of Coming Forth by Day 1. Spells out the procedures that the deceased had to pass through to reach peace. 2. The purpose of the soul was to be reunited with Osiris in the Field of Reeds. 3. In the Field of Reeds, a person would have to justify their good to people/Gods. 4. A favorable judgment reunited souls in The ba was a free-ranging peace and joy. spirit aspect of the deceased. It was the ba, depicted as a human-headed bird, which 5. The book contained incantations that might could "go forth by day" from protect against an unfavorable judgment. the tomb into the world; spells 61 and 89 of the book acted to preserve it. If all the obstacles of the Duat could be negotiated, the deceased would be judged in the "Weighing of the Heart" ritual, depicted in Spell 125. The deceased was led by the god Anubis into the presence of Osiris. There, the dead person swore that he had not committed any sin from a list of 42 sins, reciting a text known as the "Negative Confession". Part of the Book of the Dead of Pinedjem II. The text is hieratic, except for hieroglyphics in the vignette. The use of red pigment, and the joins between papyrus sheets, are also visible. Books were often prefabricated in funerary workshops, with spaces being left for the name of the deceased to be written in later. For instance, in the Papyrus of Ani, the name "Ani" appears at the top or bottom of a column, or immediately following a rubric introducing him as the speaker of a block of text; the name appears in a different handwriting to the rest of the manuscript, and in some places is mis-spelt or omitted entirely. Sheet from a Book of the Dead, ca. 1075-945 B.C.E. Papyrus, pigment, 37.1699Ea, as mounted: 24 1/2 x 13 15/16 x 7/8 in. (62.2 x 35.4 x 2.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum The existence of the Book of the Dead was known as early as the Middle Ages, well before its contents could be understood. Since it was found in tombs, it was evidently a document of a religious nature, and this led to the widespread misapprehension that the Book of the Dead was the equivalent of a Bible or Qur'an. It was not recognize as a funerary ritual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I-3TxjNVgk The Book of the Dead found in tombs… @ the Louvre The Middle Kingdom (2040 B.CE. to 1700 B.C.E.) 1. In 2040 B.C.E a prince named Mentuhotep II unites Upper and Lower Egypt… 1. During this period regional governors where given power. 1. Farming increased to higher grounds of the Nile River. 2. A resurgence of art, literary works, and small scale works. 1. Ideas of the afterlife now followed by common people. The Middle Kingdom cont. The block statue is a type of memorial statue that first emerged in the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The block statue grew in popularity in the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period, and by the Late Period, this type of statue was the most common. These statues were used in temples typically as funerary monuments of non-royal yet important individuals. Block-statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra, ship master, bearing a statue of Ptah. Block statue for Khay, Scribe for the general staff, showing Harwa, attendant to the Divine Adoratrice of Amun, Amenirdis I titulary god of the scribe, Thoth-(a baboon) The Speos Artemidos (Grotto of Artemis) is an archaeological site in Egypt.