More Notes on Egyptian Life

I have my notebook this time, and i'm sorry if i repeat anything. 

• Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt - the "Two Lands"
• Nile River flows from south to north.
• Egypt is centered around the Nile River.
• about 95% of the people live within a few miles of the Nile.
• The Nile was the major provider of life for the Egyptians and was much revived in lore and writing.
• C. 3100 B.C. the two lands were united under a single king or "Pharaoh".
• pharaoh - worshiped as a god, ruler of government and ruler of religion.
• pharaoh could "talk" to the element gods.
• Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe, which they called "maat".
• women could inherit money and land and divorce their husbands, though only a tiny few ever wielded real power (political power)
• middle class women actually didn't have it that bad. they could run businesses, own land, etc.
• gods were often portrayed wit animal heads or bodies.
• Egyptians believed in an after-life and mummified bodies to preserve them for this post-death journey.
• not all people were mummified... it was the rich and powerful .
• pyramids were massive tombs for the pharaohs.
• 2 ways of writing - Hieroglyphs and Hieratic.
• Hieroglyphs - represented religious worlds, or parts of worlds, and most commonly adorned temples.
• Hieratics - Hieratic script was a shorthand developed by scribes and priests.
• Egyptian astronomers created a calendar with 365 days to make better sense of the seasonal cycles.
• due to their excellent knowledge of the human anatomy, Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health issues and created potions and cures for a number of common ailments.  
• pyramids were massive stone tombs. 
• NO slaves made the pyramids.
• there was a maze inside the pyramids so thieves couldn't get to the pharaoh's riches and possessions. 
• geography, daily life, pharaohs, gods and goddesses, and pyramids - the 5 elements of Ancient Egypt.
• Nile - worlds longest river - 4,000 miles!
• water for drinking, irrigating, bathing, and transportation.
• every July the Nile floods, and every October it leaves behind rich soil.
• Delta - broad, marshy, triangular, fertile silt.
• PYRAMIDS
• THE GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA-
• built 2555 - 2532 BC.
• a recumbent lion with a human's head
• oldest monumental statue in the world - 4,500 + years old!
• *DAILY LIFE*
• pharaoh 
• government officials - nobles, priests
• soldiers
• merchants
• actisians
• farmers
• slaves and servants.
• (starting from the bottom of the food chain)
• SLAVES -
• helped the wealthy with household and child raising duties.
• FARMERS -
• raised wheat, barely, lentils, onions - bentiful from irrigation of the Nile
• ARTISANS - 
• carve statues reliefs showing military battles 
• MERCHANTS -
• money/barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later, coinage came about.
• SCRIBES -
• kept records, told stories, poetry, described anatomy and medical treatments. - wrote in Hieroglyphs and Hieratic.
• SOLDIERS - 
• wooden weapons but had bronze tips. - might ride chariots.
• UPPER CLASS AKA THE "WHITE KILT CLASS" - 
• priests, physicians, engineers
• PHARAOH - 
• religious and political leader
• title - "Lord of the Two Lands" and "High Priest of Every Temple".
• "Lord of Two Lands" - ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt.

• Hatshepsut was a woman who served as pharaoh.
• Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much later (51-30 BC) more on her when we study Greece.
• GODDESSES AND GODS - 
• over 2,000 gods and goddesses!
• sun god - Ra
• they "controlled" the lives of humans.

that's how far we got in class today. we didn't take all of these notes in class, but i forgot my notebook at school on Friday so i wrote down the notes from Friday.