How did Egypt's Old Kingdom develop?
The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom).
The term Old Kingdom, coined during the nineteenth century, is somewhat arbitrary. Egyptians at that time would have seen no distinction between the Old Kingdom and the preceding Early Dynastic Period, since the last Early Dynastic king was related by blood to the first two kings of the Old Kingdom, and the Early Dynastic royal residence at Ineb-Hedj (translated as "The White Walls" for its majestic fortifications) remained unchanged except for the name. During the Old Kingdom, the capital was renamed Memphis.
The basic justification for a separation between the Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom is the revolutionary change in architecture accompanied and the effects that large-scale building projects had on Egyptian society and economy..
The Old Kingdom spanned the period from the Third Dynasty to the Sixth Dynasty(2,686 BC – 2,134 BC). Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh andEighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration that had been firmly established at Memphis. Thereafter, the Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline (a "dark period that spanned the Seventh,Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and part of the Eleventh Dynasties) referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period.
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Beginnings. With its capital at Memphis, site of the Third Dynasty court of Pharoah Djoser (formal name Neterikhet, which means "Divine of the Body"; his reign 2630–2611 BC), the Old Kingdom is known today as the "Age of the Pyramids" for the large number of pyramids constructed as pharaonic burial places.
The oldest pyramid, probably the first pyramid built in Egypt, is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which still towers above the surrounding landscape at Saqqara, the royal necropolis complex designed by the first named architect in history, Imhotep (2635-2595 BC) , near Memphis.
More than an architect, Imhotep also served as a physician, high priest, official scribe and vizier (a political advisor and administrative overseer), which made hime the highest official at the royal court second only to the pharaoh.
The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom).
The term Old Kingdom, coined during the nineteenth century, is somewhat arbitrary. Egyptians at that time would have seen no distinction between the Old Kingdom and the preceding Early Dynastic Period, since the last Early Dynastic king was related by blood to the first two kings of the Old Kingdom, and the Early Dynastic royal residence at Ineb-Hedj (translated as "The White Walls" for its majestic fortifications) remained unchanged except for the name. During the Old Kingdom, the capital was renamed Memphis.
The basic justification for a separation between the Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom is the revolutionary change in architecture accompanied and the effects that large-scale building projects had on Egyptian society and economy..
The Old Kingdom spanned the period from the Third Dynasty to the Sixth Dynasty(2,686 BC – 2,134 BC). Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh andEighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration that had been firmly established at Memphis. Thereafter, the Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline (a "dark period that spanned the Seventh,Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and part of the Eleventh Dynasties) referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period.
•
Beginnings. With its capital at Memphis, site of the Third Dynasty court of Pharoah Djoser (formal name Neterikhet, which means "Divine of the Body"; his reign 2630–2611 BC), the Old Kingdom is known today as the "Age of the Pyramids" for the large number of pyramids constructed as pharaonic burial places.
The oldest pyramid, probably the first pyramid built in Egypt, is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which still towers above the surrounding landscape at Saqqara, the royal necropolis complex designed by the first named architect in history, Imhotep (2635-2595 BC) , near Memphis.
More than an architect, Imhotep also served as a physician, high priest, official scribe and vizier (a political advisor and administrative overseer), which made hime the highest official at the royal court second only to the pharaoh.
VOCABULARY:
Old Kingdom- The first of 3 "Kingdom-Periods" in Egypt; followed by "Middle" and "New".
Pharoah- Egyptian God-King; means "great house"
Re- Egyptian sun god
The Great Sphinx- A huge statue with the head of a man and the body of a lion in Egypt
Polytheistic- Belief in many deities or god.
Hapi- God of the Nile River
Isis- The most important goddess; represented the loyal wife and mother
Osiris- God of the dead and underworld; Husband of Isis
Book of the Dead- collection of spells and prayers that Egyptians studied to obtain life after death.
Mummification- The process of preparing the body for the afterlife
PyramidsTombs or Graves for Pharaohs; contained everything needed for the afterlife.
Great Pyramid- Largest pyramid in Egypt; Built for King Khufu
2600BCE- Old Kingdom period begins
2300BCE- Old Kingdom period declines
Diety- Another word for god or goddess
Old Kingdom- The first of 3 "Kingdom-Periods" in Egypt; followed by "Middle" and "New".
Pharoah- Egyptian God-King; means "great house"
Re- Egyptian sun god
The Great Sphinx- A huge statue with the head of a man and the body of a lion in Egypt
Polytheistic- Belief in many deities or god.
Hapi- God of the Nile River
Isis- The most important goddess; represented the loyal wife and mother
Osiris- God of the dead and underworld; Husband of Isis
Book of the Dead- collection of spells and prayers that Egyptians studied to obtain life after death.
Mummification- The process of preparing the body for the afterlife
PyramidsTombs or Graves for Pharaohs; contained everything needed for the afterlife.
Great Pyramid- Largest pyramid in Egypt; Built for King Khufu
2600BCE- Old Kingdom period begins
2300BCE- Old Kingdom period declines
Diety- Another word for god or goddess
Problem?? Solution..
Problem: They had 2 Million blocks of stone that were 5 thousand Lbs. each.
Solution: They used the river and hills to move the stones down the hill, in a boat on the river to the destination.
Problem: They had 2 Million blocks of stone that were 5 thousand Lbs. each.
Solution: They used the river and hills to move the stones down the hill, in a boat on the river to the destination.