Survey: The Historical Context Flashcards
geography, topography, resources; 18th Dynasty overview; Amun priesthood; roles of the king and relationship to the gods; 18th Dynasty religious beliefs overview (12 cards)
Geography of Egypt
+ Topography + Neighbours
Egypt is located in north-east Africa, surrounded by desert to the west, south and north-east (Palestine (“Asiatics”), Mitanni, Syria, Hittites, Cyprus, Crete, Nubia, Libya) and fronted by the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.
It is divided into two regions:
- Upper Egypt - from Aswan to Memphis
- Lower Egypt - the delta of the Nile, north of Memphis
The Nile River was the key feature of the kingdom. flowing south to north and bringing the annual floods necessary for fertility.
- The strip of fertile soil by the Nile is called kemet (Black land), while the unproductive desert is called deshret (Red land)
- Irrigation canals extended the fertility provided by the Nile
- Artistic representations used desert and wild animals to represent chaos while the farmlands by the Nile were civilised
Topography: flat with a limestone mountainous region
Resources in Egypt
Egypt was self-sufficient in most resources, the exclusion being timber.
- Papyrus Plant - paper, sandals, baskets and boats
- Flax - linen cloth → clothing, household furnishing, mummy bandages and sails
- Crops - wheat, barley, leeks, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, beans, figs, grapes, onions and dates
- Herbs - coriander, cumin (medicine and flavouring); cinnamon, cardamom (perfume)
- Honey - sweetener and medicine
- Domesticated Animals - pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, asses (“tushes”), ducks and geese
- Bricks - mud and straw (houses); granite, sandstone and limestone (larger buildings)
- Desert Mines - copper, gold, semi-precious stones (amethyst, agate, jasper and turquoise), salt (natron)
Resources in Neighbouring Lands
- Timber - cedar was a major import from Lebanon
- Gold, ivory, oils, gemstones, pottery, incence and animal skins - imported from Nubia and Syria-Palestine
Overview of the 18th Dynasty
PRIOR TO AMENHOTEP III
The Theban family of strong pharaohs saw the developments of the ‘warrior pharaoh’ and the rise of solar theology, particularly of the Theban god, Amun.
Egyptian armies and merchants ventured into Syria-Palestine and Nubia, allowing for great wealth to flow into Egypt.
- Ahmose I expelled the Hyksos people and established the precedent for the military expansion of Egypt
- Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Hatshepsut and Thutmose III ensured foreign occupation would never happen again
Relationships were established with other major powers, including the Mitanni, Hittites, Babylonians, Syrians, Palestinians and the Minoans.
Social Structures
Highly stratified and complex hierarchy, dominated by the pharaoh and his court.
- Pharaoh - formal regalia, power and wealth set him as a figure above all others, with the duty to uphold the ma’at (divinely established order of the universe) and continue prosperity/administration.
- Nobility/Officials - support the pharaoh in administration, often depicted in wealth in their tombs.
- Nomarchs - govenor of regional districts called ‘nomes’
- Priesthood
- Scribes - educated workers who kept the records and bureaucracy functioning using their skills of reading and writing.
- Craftsmen/Artisans - generally worked in large workshops owned by the pharaoh, temples or nobility to work on stone, wood, metal, pottery and semi-precious stones.
- Working Class - agricultural workers, fishermen and fowlers generally worked on land owned by others.
- Servants/Slaves
Women played no role in the bureaucracy in general but higher-ranking women could serve as members of religious cults. They derived their social status from the men to whom they belonged.
Political Structures
- Pharaoh - being directly related to the gods like Amun and a warrior pharaoh, he held supreme power.
- Nobility/Officials - held roles such as Vizier, Steward of the King, Chamberlain, Overseer of Works and mayors.
- High Priests - High Priest of Amun held enormous political power.
- Workers - no power (idk why they’re on the list)
Akhenaten assumed the throne when Egypt was at its greatest period of achievement in both internal and foreign affairs.
- Amenhotep III had reaped the rewards of the foreign conquest made by his warrior pharaoh predecessors
- Egypt was now in direct control of Nubia to the Fourth Cataract
- Sphere of influence in Syria-Palestine effectively managed by garrison troops and vassals
- Pharaoh corresponded with neighbouring rulers/vassals and had diplomatic marriages
Economic Structures
- Pharaoh - theoretically, the pharaoh owned all land, buildings and resources but nobility and temples owned some.
- Prosperity largely dependent on the efficient production and distribution of grain as the stape of the economy
- Poor People - undertook various work duties and were paid in goods.
- Majority grew their own food and bartered for additional goods
Everyone paid taxes to the pharaoh except for the temple and officials.
Royal building projects used vast resources of manpower, material and supplies.
Trade with foreign lands supplied additional goods (e.g. timber, pottery, gems, jewellery)
Religious Structures
Role of Amun and the Amun Priesthood
Amun-Re was the supreme god and his temple the main beneficiary, though other gods were not ignored and their old religious centres continued to be funded.
- Amun-Re’s titles include “King of the Gods’ and ‘Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands’.
- Pharaohs claimed to be the sons of Amun or chosen heirs
- Pharaohs claimed that Amun supported their military campaigns and expansions.
- “Thanks to Amun’s support in the brilliantly successful military campaigns waged by Thutmose I and his predecessors of the early 18th Dynasty, and thanks to the tribute from Egypt’s ‘empire’, the influence of Amun’s priesthood developed massively… a state within a state, greedy for more power” (Nicholas Reeves) - Temple of Amun in Karnak was immensely powerful, receiving booty from campaigns and becoming a national cult centre.
Amenhotep III challenged this pre-eminence, appointing Memphis officials instead of Thebes and elevating cult of Aten.
Role of the King
The pharaoh was central to life and culture, his formal regalia, powers, wealth and way of life setting him apart.
- Pharaoh comes from per aa, meaning “Great House”
- The formal symbols and regalia of the king includes various crowns, headdresses, uraeus, false beard, crook, flail, mace, scimitar and bull’s tail
- As both the political and religious head of state, he linked religious and policy closely
Relationship to the Gods
Role of the King
The pharaoh was the god Horus on earth, son of Osiris and closely linked to Amun.
- Pharaonic titles include “The Good God” and “The Living Horus”
- The pharaoh acted as intermediary between the gods and the people
- Building and restoration of temples and shrines was critical
- The pharaoh took part in religious feasts, festivals and processions, such as the Feast of Opet for Amun-Re
Relationship to Amun
Amun became the most powerful god in early New Kingdom times, enormously growing the priesthood.
[COPIED FROM ‘RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES’]
- Amun-Re’s titles include “King of the Gods’ and ‘Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands’.
- Pharaohs claimed to be the sons of Amun or chosen heirs
- Pharaohs claimed that Amun supported their military campaigns and expansions.
- “Thanks to Amun’s support in the brilliantly successful military campaigns waged by Thutmose I and his predecessors of the early 18th Dynasty, and thanks to the tribute from Egypt’s ‘empire’, the influence of Amun’s priesthood developed massively… a state within a state, greedy for more power” (Nicholas Reeves) - Temple of Amun in Karnak was immensely powerful, receiving booty from campaigns and becoming a national cult centre.
Cults and Practices
Priests served individuals gods in their temples, cared for the statue of the god and maintained harmony (ma’at).
- Many nobles held priestly positions
- Women often held priestly positions, particularly for goddesses. The ‘God’s Wife of Amun’ was an important position held by queens.
- The Cult of the Pharaoh - mortuary temples were built to worship the king after death, who was thought to become the god Osiris.
Festivals
- Feast of Opet - major festival for Amun held during the Nile flood.
- Beautiful Feast of the Valley - held during the harvest season each year with statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu
- Heb-sed Festival - commemorated the 30-year anniversary of a king’s rule to renew the powers of the king
