Western civ #6

Terms
Narmer- An Egyptian king believed to unify upper and lower Egypt. He settled the capital Memphis and even established the first Egyptian dynasty
Pharaohs- Egyptian god-kings thought to be almost as splendid and powerful as the gods of the heavens.
Theocracy- A type of government in which rule is based on religious authority.
Ka- eternal life force, similar to a living king in its needs and pleasures.
Pyramid- Large temple like structure made out of stone, resting place for kings.
Mummification- embalming and drying a corpse to prevent it from decaying so the soul could return to the body in the afterlife.
Hieroglyphics-means "sacred carving" in greek. A picture stood for an idea and later pictures stood for sounds, too, such as 'm.'
Papyrus- Reeds grown in the marshy delta glued together into paper like sheets.
Delta- broad, marshy, triangular area of land formed by silt deposits at the mouth of the Nile river.
Nile River- Egyptian settlements were formed along the banks of the Nile because once a year in July the Nile would flood and bring fertile land for crops.
Life in Egypt
-Had social classes with kings, queens and royalty at the top, wealthy land owners, government officials, priests, and army commanders below them, merchants and artisans below them, peasant farmers and laborers next, and finally slaves. However, they could move their way up by marriage or success in jobs
-Women were treated similar to men and weren't treated unequally like in Sumer
-Being able to read and write was required for high positions
Religions, Beliefs, and Culture
-Egyptians were polytheistic and believed in many gods such as Re the sun god, Osiris the god of the dead, and Isis, goddess representing the ideal mother and wife
-Believed in an afterlife, where their hearts would be weighed by Anubis and had to be as light as a feather or the devourer of souls would appear and eat it
-Prepared many things for people to have in the afterlife, ex: people were mummified and put into tombs or pyramids surrounded by things that they could use in their next life, such as riches, food, organs, etc.
Egyptian Science and Technology
-developed a calendar based off of Sirius rising on the eastern horizon once a year which was only six hours off of our real solar calendar
-used math to engineer pyramids
-created a written number system
-Had advanced medicine for the time period, they could check for pulses, made splints for broken bones, had effective cures for fevers and wounds, and could even perform surgeries
Struggles
-If the Nile flooded too little thousands would starve because there wouldn't be as many crops
-Too much flooding destroyed homes, granaries, and seeds
-Deserts on either side of the Nile discluded the Egyptians from other civilizations, leading to less trade
Conquered
-Hyksos from Palestine moved into Egypt and ruled until the New kingdom.