Religion of the Pharaohs
January 3, 2002
Introduction to the culture of ancient Egypt
all text copyright Caroline T. Schroeder 2002
all images copyright Caroline T. Schroeder 2002 unless
otherwise noted
1. Introduction
2. Geography of ancient Egypt
3. Ancient Egyptian timeline
4. Images related to ancient
Egyptian ethnicity
1. Introduction
When we think of Egypt, this is what we think of:
The Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx...
or the towering collonades and halls of the great
ancient temples, such as the Temple of Karnak.
But modern Egypt is much different.
The capital, Cairo, is bustling modern city, and contemporary
Egypt is a world of Islamic mosques...
above photograph credit: Encyclopedia Brittanica online |
 |
and tourism!
2. Geography of ancient Egypt
Map of Egypt in the Middle East from Encyclopedia Britannica
online.
Note the location of the capital, Cairo. Also note
that most of the population centers are clustered around the Nile river.
The Nile river begins in central Africa and flows
North, up through Egypt. It then dumps out into the Mediterranean
Sea.
map of the Nile river from Encyclopedia
Britannica online
The agricultural land in Egypt hugs the banks
of the Nile River. On both sides of the river beyond this narrow
band of fertile land lies the Sahara desert.
photograph from Encyclopedia Britannica online
In Ancient Egypt, as well, most inhabited areas developed
along the banks of the Nile. Print out the map of ancient Egypt from
the Blackboard website.
Note the locations of Thebes and Memphis.
3. Ancient Egyptian timeline
The calendar most scholars use counts the years of history
as being in the Common Era (CE) or Before the Common Era (BCE)
BCE and CE correspond to the more familiar BC (before
Christ) and AD (Anno Domini)
So, 1500 BCE is the same year as 1500 BC.
In this course, we will use BCE and CE.
Bookmark the Metropolitan Museum's timeline for Egyptian
history on their web
resource for ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian history is grouped into several major
eras:
-
Prehistory/predynastic history: before Egypt was
was unified under one pharaoh (pharaoh=king, royal ruler)
-
The archaic dynastic period: when Egypt
was first united into one kingdom
-
Old Kingdom: begins around 2650 BCE
-
Middle Kingdom: begins around 2060 BCE
-
New Kingdom: begins around 1550 BCE
-
Ptolemaic Era: Greek rule over Egypt; begins
in 332 BCE
-
Roman Era: Roman rule over Egypt; begins
in 30 BCE
There are also "Intermediate eras" between the Old, Middle,
and New Kingdoms.
Each of the major eras (before the Roman period) is
divided into smaller periods called dynasties.
4.
Ancient Egyptian Ethnicity
As you read the article on Ethnicity , check out these
inscriptions of African and Asiatic slaves from the New Kingdom Temple
of Abu Simbel:
African slaves
Asiatic slaves
