Egypt1

Ancient Egypt: The Old Kingdom

A. Origins:

1. Climatic change, migration, settlement along the Nile River

2. Agricultural Settlements: the gnomes, c 6 - 5000 BC

3. The two kingdoms: Upper and Lower, pre- 3200 BC

4. The red and white crowns: Unification, c 3100 B.C., King Narmer, alternately King Menes, c3000 B.C.

B. How We Know

1. Napoleon Bonaparte, 1798-1801

2. The “Dream Team” – 150 scholars

3. Military Defeat – The Battle of the Nile; scientific victory

4. Description de l’Egypte, 10 vols.

5. The Rosette Stone

6. Archaeological remains:

a. Evidence from the stone ages

b. Pottery

c. Carbon 14 dating

d. Graves

e. The tombs & temple walls

7. True documents: papyrus

8. The Historea of Herodotus, c 450 B.C.

B. The Myths

1. The primordial 8 gods - in pairs: (formlessness, darkness, hideousness, etc – i.e., Chaos), characterized by frogs

2. Atum – the self-created god, (order) begat air (Shu) and moisture (Tefnut), who begat earth (Geb) and sky (Nut), who begat Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys, et al

3. The origin of good and evil: the struggle of Seth v Osiris

4. The origin of the state and mummification: Horus – the child of Isis and Osiris- avenges the death of his father and subdues Seth and becomes Pharaoh (Star War – the escape of Darth Vader)

5. The necessity of dying on Egyptian soil

6. The other gods: Polytheism – the gnomes

7. Worship: rituals/offerings