The Old Kingdom
4-2
Pages 90-95
Old Kingdom (O.K.) = time in Egyptian history
from 2700 B.C. to 2200 B.C.
 Rule by pharaohs:
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◦ The pharaoh was both god and king
◦ Had absolute power
◦ Government officials helped carry out the pharaoh’s
duties
◦ Khufu was the most well-known pharaoh of the O.K./the
Great Pyramid was built for him in Giza
Early Egyptian Society
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Social Structure:
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Pharaoh*
Priests*
Government officials*
Scribes
Craft workers/Artisans
Merchants
Farmers (where most Egyptians fell in the social pyramid)
Slaves
*Made up of nobles (people from rich and wealthy
families)
Early Egyptian Society

Egypt and Its Neighbors:
◦ Contact and influence from other cultures: Nubia, Punt,
Syria, and Sumer
◦ Attained
 gold, ivory, slaves, and stone from Nubia
 incense and myrrh from Punt
 Lumber from Syria
◦ Sumerian designs found in Egyptian art
◦ Egyptians used Nubian poetry style
Early Egyptian Society
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The Gods of Egypt:
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Polytheistic
Develop unified religion during the O.K.
Temples built to honor the gods/goddesses
Key Egyptian gods/goddesses:
 Re/Ra or Amon-Re = the sun god
 Anubis = god of the dead/mummification
 Osiris = god of the underworld
 Isis = goddess of magic and women
 Horus = god of the sky and the pharaohs
Religion & Egyptian Life
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Afterlife:
◦ Entered an ideal and perfect world after death
◦ Ka = a person’s life force that becomes a spirit after death
but is still tied to the body
◦ The ka still had the same needs in the afterlife that a
person had on earth
◦ As a result of this belief, Egyptians were buried with
objects ranging from furniture to clothes
◦ Families would bring food/drink to the burial sites
Religion & Egyptian Life
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Burial practices:
◦ The ka had to recognize the body or it would suffer in
the afterlife
◦ To preserve the body, Egyptians practiced mummification
◦ Only the wealthy could afford to be mummified
◦ Average Egyptians were buried on the outskirts of the
desert in shallow graves where their bodies were naturally
preserved (due to lack of moisture).
Religion & Egyptian Life
Pyramids – huge stone tombs with four triangleshaped walls that met in a point on top
 Pyramids began being built during the O.K.
 Pyramids are an example of the engineering
accomplishments of the ancient Egyptians
 The size of the structures were a symbol of the
pharaoh’s importance
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The Pyramids