Egypt Flashcards
(38 cards)
What are the 8 centers of civilization?
China India Mesopotamia Near East Kush Nubia Anatolia Greece
What existed outside of the 8 centers?
Pastoralists peoples
What are pastoralists peoples?
“barbarian” tribes that were backwards when compared to established civilizations
What characteristics did pastoralists peoples share?
did not practice agriculture
every necessity came from animals
constantly on the move to keep the animals grazing (were not tied to their land)
didn’t own property which meant no hierarchy
did not read/write
not artistic
excelled at war, loved to fight, developed superior military technologies to give them the advantage
destroyed or conquered civilizations, had huge impact on world civilization
When did Mesopotamia rise?
3500 BC
How did Mesopotamia begin their civilization?
began along large rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) that gave fresh water for people, food, fertile soils, and highways
What did people of Mesopotamia develop?
rise of major city-states and urban people (consisting of 50,000 people)
had complex government codes
concentration of tech like the sail and system of writing
When did Egypt rise?
3100 BC
What did Egypt have?
Nile River
How was the Nile River an advantage for Egypt?
longest river on earth
was predictable, people knew when it would rise from floods and deplete and leave behind fertile mud
easy to harness (use water for drinking and feeding crops)
easy to construct irrigation systems
leaves behind fertile mud to produce large amounts of food that leads to large population and ability to make money on surplus of food
Why was the Nile River easy to navigate?
Going North, the flow of current pushes you
Going South, the flow of winds pushes you
Egypt was the worlds first what?
nation state (large country)
Who was Narmer?
AKA Menes
the first man to unify Egypt, the first pharaoh
made Egypt an absolute monarchy, so King could exercise absolute power (a God on earth)
Why was Egypts geographical location good?
They were safe from attack since they were plotted in the middle of the desert
What was Egypt blessed with?
Gold, silver, and papyrus (a reed that grow along Nile, and the Nile only for paper making)
made Egypt wealthy
What are the three periods of Egypt?
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
What was Egypt characterized by?
The three Ps
Peace: they were the chosen people by the gods, considering the advantages of Egypt
Prosperity: Wealthiest place on earth
Pyramids: demonstrated their powers/abilities
What are pyramids used for and when were they built?
a tomb for pharaohs
monuments of power
built during Old and Middle Kingdom
When did “all things come to an end” and why?
1652 -1551 BC
Egypt was attacked by a pastoralists people, the Hyksos
What did the Hyksos develop?
a longer, stronger sword with reach advantage
a superior bow, firing bows further
developed body armer made of bronze
developed the chariot
Why did Egypt fall to the Hyksos?
Egypt didn’t have a military, didn’t think they needed it, it wasn’t a noble profession
Who was the Egyptian pharaoh who gained Egypt back? How did he do it?
Ahmose I, 1567-1542
He adopted the technologies of the Hyksos
revamped the Egyptian army
He lead Egypt into the New Kingdom
Why was the New Kingdom different?
Had a professional army of 20,000 men
Pharaoh is now a warrior king who leads the army
Being a soldier becomes noble
How was the army built and what was its purpose?
had 4 units of 5,000 foot soldiers, named after 4 gods
has newest tech
new unit of chariots with 3500 teams totaling 27,000 men
Purpose is to conquer an empire and expand beyond the Nile
allows them to control lands as buffer zones
makes Egypt safer