Define
Social Hierarchy
A social hierarchy is a structure of society where people are ranked by their job, social status, wealth and power over the society
Define
The Inundation
When the Nile River floods every year to provide fertile soil for ancient Egyptians.
The Nile River
How did the Nile sustain life?
(4 key points)
- The ancient Egyptians based their civilisation around the Nile River for water supply
- The Nile would flood (called the inundation) and deposit mineral rich soil on the banks
- This made for ideal crop growing conditions which is how they survived
- This also allowed for more wildlife and fish to eat and hunt as well as a means of transportation
Who was the God of the Nile River?
Hapi caused the annual Inundation to make the soil “black” - good for farming; instead of “red” - bad for farming.
Social Order in Ancient Egypt
What were the social order ranks of Ancient Egypt? (9 ranks)
- Pharaoh
- Nobles
- Government ministers and high priests
- Town mayors, governors, priests and doctors
- Scribes
- Artisans and Craftsmen
- Soldiers
- Farmers and Townspeople
- Slaves
Social Order of Ancient Egypt
Who was the Pharaoh? (responsibilities, what ancient Egyptians believed he was, his powers - 3 key points)
- People believed that he was a king and the human form of the God Horus
- Played an inportant role in people’s lives and in the afterlife
- His responsibilties mainly revolved around maintaining ma’at - the order and balance in the world and the heavens
Ancient Egypt’s Geography
How did Ancient Egypt geography help them? (2 key points)
- The geography of ancient Egypt helped to protect and connect it with other countries especially the desert
- It provided a barrier while the Nile helped to trade with other countries or attack them
Ancient Egypt
What was the Rosetta Stone? (3 points)
- It was written in hieroglyphics
- It was able to be decoded by Jean Francois Champollion
- It contained the same message 3 times.
Religion in Ancient Egypt
Why was religion important in ancient Egypt? (name the 5 animal god examples and info)
- There were animal gods
Sobek - crocodile headed and god of water
Bastet - cat headed protector of homes
Horus - falcon headed god of the sky
Ra - man in falcons head and headress of sun - Belief in gods helped them to explain the things that happened around them
- Sun God Ra was the most important of the Gods - he was the ruler of the Gods and created all forms of life on earth
- Mummification was a process to prepare the body for the afterlife - they believed in life after death.
What was the process of mummification like? (8 steps) (Optional)
- Mourners follow dead body as it is brought in for mummification
- Body is washed while priest reads prayers from Book of the Dead
- Lungs, stomach, liver and intestines are removed. Brain is removed by pushing hooks up nostrils. Heart is left in body
- Organs are dried and rubbed with scented oils and put into 4 canopic jars
Lungs - baboon head
Stomach - jackal’s head
Liver - man’s head
Intestines - falcon’s head - Body is covered in salt for 70 days to remove moisture. Then washed in water and covered in scented oil
- Wrapped in linen and amulets are wound into the bandages. Prayers from the Book of the Dead are said
- Covered in sticky resin and more bandages
- Put into a coffin. Important people had multiple coffins. The nest of coffins placed in a sarcophagus.
Define
Irrigation
The supply of water to lands for the growing of crops, typically by manmade channels
Define
Barge
A flat bottomed boat for carrying freight on rivers or channels
