Dates
What happened in 2540 BC?
What did Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten do?
He turned Egypt into monotheism to worship Aton, a sun god
What is a vizier and what two main areas does he oversee?
"Steward of the whole land" (2nd to pharaoh) and oversaw the bureaucracy, but especially the treasury and agriculture
What are two Bronze Age Technologies that the Hyksos introduced to Egypt?
Compound bow, horse-drawn war chariots, heavier swords
What is the social structure of Ancient Egypt?
Pyramid - nobles/king on top, freemen/artisans/craftsmen in the middle, serfs on the bottom
What happened ~2500-2200 BC?
Old Kingdom
What did Pharaoh Khufu do?
Built the Great Pyramid
What are two things the period of kingdoms are characterized by?
Long-term stability; Strong monarchical authority; Competent bureaucracy; Freedom from invasion; Much construction of temples and pyramids; Considerable intellectual and cultural activity
Who destroyed Egyptian control in Palestine and forced Egypt back to its old borders?
The "Sea Peoples"
What is the miracle of the Nile?
Annual tame flooding and leaving behind silt
What happened ~2200-2050 BC?
1st Intermediate Period
What did Pharoah Menes do?
First king to unify Upper and Lower Egypt
True/False and explain: Pharaohs had absolute authority and could do whatever they wanted.
False - they had absolute but not arbitrary authority. They had to rule under the idea of Ma'at - cosmic order/justice/harmony
How far did imperial Egypt reach?
Into Syria and Palestine, even up to the Eurphrates
What does the word "hieroglyphics" mean?
"Priest carvings" or "sacred writings"
What happened 1567-1085 BC?
New Kingdom
What is Amenhotep III known for?
Brought the New Kingdom to its height
What are nomes and nomarchs, and how did they lead to the fall of the Old Kingdom?
Nomes are bureaucratic provinces, and nomarchs are the "governors" of those provinces. It was a position initially appointed by the pharaoh, but as time went on, they were seen as hereditary and thus didn't rely on the pharaoh as much and sought increasing autonomy, which led to the diminution of the Old Kingdom and eventually its collapse
What are two things Amenhotep IV did to help more Egypt into monotheistic worship of Aton?
Who is Ptah?
Creator god who held the universe in his mind and spoke it into existence
What happened 1652-1567 BC?
What did Ahmose I do?
Expel the Hyksos
What two ways did the Middle Kingdom try to stabilize and rectify the mistakes of the Old Kingdom?
Solidify the nome structure (boundaries and obligations are settled, with nomarchs being a hereditary rule, assuming they do a good job) and Co-regency (pharaoh takes his son as a co-ruler to prepare him for governing)
Explain how the pharaoh lost power during the New Kingdom (Hint: 3 institutions took it away)
Army, royal bureaucracy, and priesthoods. While the pharaoh was away, they grew more autonomous (army and bureaucracy), and the priesthood grew more powerful due to increasing riches from military conquest
Why did people name their dead "Osiris"?
So that they too might share in the resurrection of Osiris