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Egypt the Way We Saw It

1. Explain what the flood did and why it was so important to the people of ancient Egypt.

Once a year, the Egyptians were blessed with a flood. The flood season lasted from June to September. This flood occurred when rain flooded the Nile River all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. These floods were valued in ancient Egyptian culture because they left behind a new layer of rich, fertile soil. The land that was washed over by the floods could be farmed on for many years. The farmers did not have to find new land to farm on because their land was never worn out. The Egyptians were very good at guessing when the flood would occur, however they never knew exactly how much water would come. This flood determined Egypt's prosperity for the next year.

CF Manual Page 135

For more information about the flood: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200603/the.last.nile.flood.htm

-Grace Amandes

2. In looking at illustration 2 page 136, what sudden change in the land do you notice? Except for the delta, desert lands often stretched from both sides of the river for hundreds of miles. This was actually a big help to the leaders of ancient Egypt. Why might that have been so?

The Nile was a great source of water, but a small patch of fertile land and hydrated soil was surrounded by a huge expanse of desert. The desert acted as natural protection: it was difficult for the Egyptians' enemies to proceed through the great expanse of desert on all sides of their civilization. To the West, the Sahara proved nearly uncrossable to enemies, to the South, there was more desert. To the East, they were protected by not only desert but mountains as well, and to the North, the cataracts of the upper Nile made it very difficult for enemies to sail in. The deserts were protection for the Egyptians because their enemies could not get into their area. The Egyptians had fantastic farmland, and protection as well.

More information at: [[http://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/Visit_Egypt_Daily_Life_KS2.pdf ]]

Sources: In-class lecture Monday, February 3, and Tuesday, February 4. SF Manual pgs. 136-137.

- Libby Carr

3. Boats like the skiff in Illustration 3, page 137, were much more useful for travel on the river than in open seas, such as the Mediterranean Sea. Why do you think this was so?

These boats such as a skiff were much more useful on rivers rather than open seas for many reasons. One reason these skiffs would be difficult to travel with on the open sea is because a skiff is a shallow boat that is small enough to be rowed by one person(dictionary.com). The fact that these boats are relatively shallow would make it very difficult to stay afloat in the high waves of the sea. It's small size is also a major problem that makes it very difficult to travel on the open sea, as waves would crash onto the boat and could sink the skiff. Furthermore, on the open seas, there is no current, forcing the single rower to power the skiff, while on a river, the skiff would simply float downstream on the current. And coming upstream, the boat could be aided by a sail(CF 137). For example, Boats on the nile were able to float downstream(north) and use sails to go upstream on the nile(south) because the wind generally blew south from the mediterranean(CF 137). Furthermore, the waters of rivers such as the Nile are usually much calmer than the waters out on the open sea, which the small skiff could not handle. These are the main reasons for that skiffs such as the one in the illustration are much more useful for river travel rather than in open seas.

-CF Manual Page 137

-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skiff

-Grayson Christ

4. Travel was easy on the lower Nile, but much harder farther upstream because of the cataracts. What are the cataracts? Both of these aspects helped ancient Egypt develop into a strong and secure civilization. Why? (Needs more elaboration on why. RB)

Travel being difficult upstream of the Nile and the cataracts helped ancient Egypt develop into a strong and secure civilization. The dictionary defines a cataract as "any furious rush or downpour of water; deluge," also known as a rapid; tere are about six classical cataracts on the nile river. The egyptians learned how to navigate the cataracts and therefore, it became easier for them to overcome the cataracts. However, if the enemy tried to slyly sail downstream to Egypt, they would not be successful because the cataracts acted as barriers to anyone coming down the Nile to attack Egypt. Going downstream was easy because, the boats floated with the current and going upstream, the boats used sails. The cataracts and the difficulty of traveling upstream were very effective in keeping out the enemy and cementing a strong and secure civilization.

Bibliographies:

-CF Manual Page 137

-http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cataract?s=t

-Camille Dawson-

5. What do the details of illustration 4, page 138, show about farming, technology and daily life in Egypt?

This picture illustrates that farming was a large part of life even to the rich and wealthy. This also portrays that farming was part of their daily life. Peasants worked in the fields by planting seeds and plowing land. The plants they farmed included wheat and barley along with vegetables which were grown separately from the the fields in household gardens.The wheat and barley played a key role in making bread and beer. Reeds also grew and were used for baskets, ropes, rafts, and paper. To help with the laborious task of farming the Egyptians invented plows to help ready the soil for farming. Among the plow the Egyptians also used the skiff, hoe, and the sickle. In the end the Egyptians greatly relied on farming which became part of daily life, and to make easier, created technology and tools to aid them.

-CF Manual page 138

-For More info check out http://www.touregypt.net/egypt-info/magazine-mag07012001-magf5.htm

-Gregory Estrera

6. What do they show about family life and the roles of men and women in it?

7. Illustration 5 page 139, shows various source of food being prepared.... Yet they played a role in producing the surplus since it took a strong central government to make sure the Nile was used efficiently. Can you explain how the central government did this?

The central government built dikes to hold back floodwater from towns, built basins to store water during dry periods, and dug ditches and canals to carry water to the fields. Without holding back the flood water, there could be a population decrease through hazards and disease. In addition, farms and villages had to work closely with those downstream. It required a strong government to make sure the Nile was used properly.

Sources:

Website: Baines, John. "The Story of the Nile." BBC. BBC, 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/nile_01.shtml>.

Manuel: Beniretto, Rosie, and Clay Elliot, comps. Manuel for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilization. Vol. 2. Houston: St. John's School, 2013. Print.

-Katie Malcolm

8. Using illustration 6, describe the kinds of skill you think the ancient Egyptians would have needed to plan and build a pyramid with technology available to them then. Refer to details from the picture to back up what you say.

The Egyptians, during the time in which the pyramids were built, did not have incredibly complex tools. This meant that the workers needed to be strong, and they were. While many skilled workers worked on the pyramids, the also hired rural workers who lived near the Nile to work on the pyramids during inundation. The skills that were needed to complete the pyramids included quarrymen to work the quarries, stonemasons to make the large stone blocks as seen in illustration 6, overseers to watch the workers, officials to keep the governments influence in place, and other highly skilled artisans. Some archeologists suggest that the government required the seasonal labor.

Cited Sources:

CF Manual page 140

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0805_020805_giza_2.html

-Jared Margolis

9. The people saw such buildings as helpful to all of Egypt, not just the pharaohs. Why do you suppose that was so?

The buildings that the Egyptians built are truly amazing. These buildings were most important to the pharaohs but they beyond that, they were helpful to all of Egypt. They were astonishing to the human eye, wheather or not that eye belonged to a pharaoh. I suppose that these buildings gave the Egyptians a sense of pride, being that they could build something so great. This sense of pride was felt by all Egyptians and was something that ordinary people of Egypt could look at and feel good about.

CF Manual page 140

Louisa Morgan

10. What ideas or feelings do the pharaohs in illustration 7 give you? Why? Be specific in your response.

The Pharaohs in illustration 7 give me an impression that they were great kings, and many people had a lot of respect for them. The Pharaohs were considered "god-kings" a 1/3 god, and 2/3 human, which in the Egyptian rule meant you had all of the power to rule the kingdom. I would think the Pharaohs also took religion, education and politics very seriously. They were very educated thorough out their lives and extremely picky with whom they married, or who their children married. They had a great responsibility to keep the royal blood to a minimal amount of people. I suppose they were good kings who did a lot for their country.

CF Manual pg. 141 Julia Parsley

11. Explain how writing and written records might have helped the pharaohs and other officials in all four of these areas: political; economic; military; religion.

Political: to keep the affairs of the king in order, spread news (scarab)

Economic: trade, commercial writings, taxes

Military: plans for battle, treaties

Religion: preserve beliefs and ideas, texts, tombs

Writing was very important for ancient Egypt. Politically, writing was a huge advantage for the pharaohs and other high officials because they could easily transport ideas and news by scarabs, keeping the population educated so they would support the leader. In general, writing was important for the king to keep all events or ideas in order. Also, the history of past pharaohs or government could be recorded. Messengers could be used to deliver tablets both in and out of the country for faster communication. Economically, writing was important to all business transactions for both trade in and out of the country. With writing, the common people had an easier time trading, while the pharaoh could know what was going on as the transactions were recorded. Goods and prices could have symbols making for an easier deal. Commercial writings could be created to spark trade by drawing in customers with signs, which brought a successful economy. In addition, falling in both the political and economic categories, taxes were very important to the pharaoh. The pharaoh could know who paid the tax, as the scribe could easily record it. For the military, writing brought peace. The pharaoh could create treaties with other countries to prevent war. And in the event that a war would arise, plans could easily be transported between generals, as well as immediate battle reports to the pharaoh. For religion, the history of religion could be written down. Tombs, could now include names and possibly more information. Religious texts could be written, and could be spread at the command of the pharaoh. All in all, writing, changed the lives of Egyptians, while providing a convenience for the Pharaoh and other high officials.

Sources:

CF Manual p. 142

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/home.html

http://www.musesrealm.net/egypt/writing.html

-Daniel Perrier

12. Looking at illustration 9, what if anything, do you think the illustration can tell us about slavery in ancient Egypt or about any other aspect of its social system?

Here is an illustration like illustration 9 showing the same principle.
[1]

This illustration depicts a slave being punished, but what really stands out is the way he is bent over and held there by one person while another begins to whip him with a stick. The slave is shown as lower than everybody else in this drawing, which is exactly where the person was in society and class. Slaves had fewer rights than an ordinary person and sometimes sold themselves into slavery to get away from the harshness of poverty. Prisoners of war and criminals were enslaved, and sometimes those who did not pay their taxes were too. This illustration helps us understand that to keep order and social classes, some people had to be at the bottom of society, and these people were slaves. To keep order, it was necessary to use force. It was all part of the Egyptian culture and way of life.

Sources:

This website has more information on slavery in ancient Egypt and is where I gathered some of my information: http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/slavery.htm

Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. By Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 2. Houston: St. John's School, 2013. 143. Print.

-Maddie Shen

13. How does the belief about the ka help explain the practice of turning corpses into mummies?

Every Egyptian thought of themselves as having a physical body, a Ba (soul), and a Ka (spirit double). After death, Egyptians said, the Ka would leave the body. The Ka could live without a body, so ancient Egyptians developed the process of mummification to prevent decay and to preserve the body's physical features so the Ka could identify it. The Ka and Ba would then reunite and go to the afterlife together. A Ka without a body could not move on to the afterlife, so the preservation and mummification of the body for the Ka was a very important after death ritual.

Sources:

class notes from video, Timelines of Ancient Civilizations: Ancient Egypt

Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 2. Houston: St. John's School, 2013. 144. Print.

http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.module&language_id=1&story_id=46&module_id=291&ee_messages=0001.flashrequired.text

-Bailey Slawin

14. In what ways do you think the Egyptian belief in the ka was like the religious beliefs about the soul or spirit in our own society today? In what ways was this belief different from common religious beliefs about the soul today?

Both the Egyptians and the people that are living right now believe in the afterlife. We think that your soul goes to a place once you die. Also, we both believe that the dead body should be buried in a nice place for the transition to the after life. In addition, we both place special objects of the dead in their tomb or grave. For example, Egyptians placed gold or jewelry in their tomb and we place flowers over their graves to honor them. We also have several differences in beliefs of the soul. Such as, they believed in mummifying the body to keep it from decaying while we do not believe in that ritual. In addition, we believe in either going to Hell or Heaven in the afterlife while Egyptians believe that they everyone goes to the same place after they die. After that they will be judged by Maat to go to the perfect afterlife or to go be devoured by “The Great Swallower”. All and all, we believe in some different religious beliefs but we also believe in some of the same religious beliefs.

Sources:

http://www.king-tut.org.uk/egyptian-mummies/egyptian-afterlife.htm

Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. By Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 2. Houston: St. John's School, 2013. 143. Print.

- Peter Stone

15. Egyptians believed the heart was where a person's thoughts, feelings and memories were located. Why do you think they believed this? Looking at illustration 11, what do you think this would show about the person?

Since the Egyptians were a fairly non advanced people in terms of anatomy, many of their decisions as to the nature of the human heart were based around their beliefs, and therefore hard to recall. However, once one has understood the nature of the Egyptian's belief system, they can more easily guess their rationale. The Egyptians believed that the heart was one of the most important organs in the entire body. The heart contained thoughts, feelings, and memories. This is supported by the fact that, upon mummification, the Egyptians would often remove the brain from the mummy. I believe the heart was seen as the center of a person's thought because the heart was in the center of the body. To the egyptians, this would provide a channel for the host's Ka, or the spirit/ life force, to spread throughout the body. In figure 11, a subject's heart is being weighed on a scale, comparing it to the weight of a feather. If the feather and heart weighed the same, they are admitted to be judged by Osiris. If the feather weighed more, the subject could be eaten by the eater of souls, condemmed to a life of nothingness. The very fact that a heart could weigh close to a feather indicates the somewhat fantastical nature of the Egyptian's ideas about humans in general, supporting their claim that the heart acted as the brain. Therefore, the heart would show that the person was a truthful person not in speech and interaction, but also in thoughts, feelings, and desires. In order for this high level of Ma'at to be achieved, the subject must have lived almost a perfect life. Egyptians most likely could not accept that a part of culture held in such importance lived in a area of the body so familliar, like the brain. It had to come from somewhere more mysterious, somewhere more magical: the heart.

-Max Westmark

SOURCES: The Manual for Cultural Foundations of Ancient Civilizations. Rosie Beniretto and Clay Elliott. Vol. 2. Houston: St. John's School, 2013. 144-145. Print.

16. What does illustration 12 show about Egyptians, their feeling about life in this world AND their hopes for the next?

Illustration 12 portrays that Egyptians were artistic and also hard working. They painted the works of their daily lives on the walls of their tombs. It also shows the people's passion for their duties on Earth. The Egyptians believed that words are pictures had magic powers that could uphold the routines of the way the people lived when they were alive, into the life after their death. They believed that these powers could construct the dead one's life in the next world. This notion proves that the people enjoyed their lives alive so much that they hoped that the work aspects of their daily lives could continue after they died.

Manual 146

Grace Wilson