Page 280 - Encyclopedia Of World History

630 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Egyptian
ANCIENT EGYPT Caspian
Empire
Sea
Trade
WEST ASIA routes
0 100 mi
Tigris
0 100 km
a rudimentary belief in an afterlife.The archaic period wit-
Mediterranean Sea Persian
Euphrates
Gulf nessed the unification of Egypt’s two distinct geographi-
cal regions (Upper and Lower Egypt) by the pharaoh
Lower Giza Heliopolis
Egypt Memphis Menes (flourished c. 2925 BCE) and the construction of
Memphis as the first capital. A new cult dedicated to the
Arabia
Upper Thebes god Ptah (the capital’s tutelary deity) was established,
Egypt
and the reigning pharaoh was said to be the incarnation
Nile R. Red Sea of this god. Centralization of government authority, the
creation of new gods, the construction of shrines, and the
enfranchisement of clergy to provide spiritual oversight
Nubia
SAHARA
for a rapidly evolving and diverse Egyptian theology fol-
N Blue Nile R. lowed on the heels of this development.The advent of the
White Nile R. Old Kingdom saw the construction of the first pyramids
at Saqqara, Dahshur, and Giza as well as the rise of
Heliopolis as a center for solar worship. It was also a time
during which a confident Egyptian worldview supported
by values such as discretion, modesty, patience, and pru-
Saite (664–525 BCE), Late (525–332 BCE), Hellenistic dence developed. This was, no doubt, an outgrowth of
(332–30 BCE), Roman (30 BCE–395 CE), Byzantine (395– economic prosperity and political stability.
640),Arab (640–1517), Ottoman (1517–1805), Khede-
val (1805–1914), British (1914–1922), Egyptian monar- The Decline of
chy (1914–1922), and Egyptian republic (1953–present). Ancient Egypt
While it must be remembered that schemes such as this The First Intermediate period was marred by political tur-
are artificial, they do enable scholars to assemble factual moil brought on by climactic changes that affected the
data and produce a coherent narrative of past events. regularity of Nile flooding. During this era, the pharaohs’
ability to hold sway over the entirety of Upper and
Predynastic Period to the Lower Egypt was severely compromised. The severity of
Old Kingdom, 5500–2195 BCE these conditions abated slightly during the years of the
The early history of Egypt witnessed significant advance- Middle Kingdom, when efforts were made to restructure
ments in virtually every aspect of culture. Of these, two the government, limit the burgeoning power of local lead-
areas were of particular import—politics and religion. ers, tighten border control, and extend mercantile activi-
The fate of Egypt was determined to a great extent by the ties in Syria-Palestine to the northeast. Egypt faced yet
adroitness of its kings and the intellectual creativity of its another challenge in the Second Intermediate Period,
priests. Much of Egypt’s predynastic history remains caused by the incursion of nomads from both Palestine
shrouded in mystery. Archeological evidence suggests and the Nubian highlands. The former, commonly
that hunter-gatherers from various locales migrated to the known as the Hyksos, established control over Lower
banks of the Nile and established an agricultural econ- Egypt and made the city of Avaris in the Nile Delta their
omy centered in villages of modest size and based on the stronghold.The latter succeeded in establishing an inde-
domestication of grains and small animals. Burial prac- pendent principality in the area of the second cataract of
tices, which included placing the body of the deceased in the Nile.Yet another center of administrative activity was
a fetal position and surrounding it with implements used established at Thebes, thereby yielding a threefold parti-
in daily life, may indicate that these early Egyptians held tion of the kingdom.