Welcome to Egypt!
Extra Credit! You now know the Five Characteristics of Civilization! Pick one topic we have studied in Egypt and explain how it relates to one of the Five Characteristics of Civilization! So, in order to get EXTRA CREDIT you must:
1) Identify and DESCRIBE a topic we are studying from Ancient Egypt
2) Explain how it relates to one of the Five Characteristics of Civilization
3) Make sure that you sign off using your first name and first initial of your last name ONLY!
4) Make sure that NO ONE ELSE has written about your topic already! (Everyone has to write about a different topic to get the points!)Follow these directions for FULL points
A. Go to the comment section of this post.
B. Use proper grammar, spelling, etc.
C. Make sure that it is class appropriate--keep it clean!
D. Make sure you go through the whole word verification process(typing the misshapen word).
E. If your comment/choice does not get posted in a timely fashion, or gets posted and then disappears, see me in class ASAP so we can figure out what went wrong!
DUE Tuesday 9/4/12!
61 comments:
A topic we have studied in class about Egypt is the burying of the dead. The had extensive rituals and practices they would perform before placing the body (Ka) in the crypt, or place of resting. They would remove all internal organs and put them in ceramic jars (besides the "useless" brain, which was often thrown away). They would then dry out the body of all liquids, and proceed to wrap the Ka into a "mummy".They were then placed into special coffins and caskets, and placed with their valuables and other things they would need in the afterlife. This relates to the Characteristic of Religion/Beliefs. They had very unique beliefs on how one should be prepared for the alleged afterlife where they would live for eternity. This was all based on their religion.
- Thor H.
A topic we studied in class about ancient Egypt was that at first only the royal family was able to bury their dead with all the rituals and and steps. But then eventually normal people could too if they could afford it. This is an example of the social system characteristic because only the people at the top of the "ladder" could bury their dead with the right steps and rituals until they changed it so that anybody could bury their dead with the rituals
-Pooja P.
Egypt is located on the Nile River. The "Gift of the Nile" is what the Egyptians named the yearly flood of the river. The process is slow and easy to predict, so it allowed farmers to plan when to plant and harvest crops. This allowed them to maximize their production and create a surplus. This is one of the examples that demonstrates the Egyptians' Ability to Produce Surplus Crops. This Characteristic of Civilization says that a civilization must be able to produce extra crops for bad weather and winter. It also says that early civilizations usually developed on river valleys so that they could achieve this. Egypt contained many river valleys and had plenty of extra crops for the winter.
- Jacob N.
A topic we have talked about in class was the use of Hieroglyphics. These are symbols that the Egyptians used to document events, prove things, and record down their history. They used this to communicate as well. This is an example of one of the five characteristics of civilization: written language. The way the Egyptians had a written language was very ahead of their time.
A topic relating to Ancient Egypt that we went over in class was how the Ancient Egyptians Created the first 365 day calendar. This allowed them to accurately keep the date,keep track of growing seasons, and avoid floods. This is a great example of the Characteristic of Civilization that is the Lunar Calendar. This Characteristic states that a civilization must have a calander divided to avoid floods and shows when it's okay to plant crops.How the Ancient Egyptians created the 365 day calendar proved that they were a very advanced civilization, because the 365 day calender is still used today.
- Katie A.
A topic we talked about in class was how the Egyptians created the pyramids. The pyramids allow a place for pharaoh to be buried after death, everything the king would need in his afterlife would be placed inside this tomb. The pyramids were made out of limestone from nearby quarries and the haled to the base. The pyramids took many years to complete; most of the people that created these huge structures came from local villages, and worked for a limited period of time. It is estimated that it took about 20,000 to 30,000 people to create the pyramids of Giza. This relates to the Characteristic of division of labor because the pyramids gave jobs to many people, they were fitted to their skills. There were architects that designed the pyramids, the builders that constructed the pyramids, and astronomers helped select the pyramids' sites and location, so that they would be on the right axis in relation to certain sacred constellations. This is how they divided their work to have greater overall productivity.
~Natalie H
A topic we talked about in class was the Book of the Dead. This was a book filled with magic spells, formulas, and hymns which was buried with the dead to help them to make a safe journey into the afterlife. Many of the rich egyptains would hire a scribe to make a personal book for them in which they could put their favorite spells while the poor would have to buy one off of the shelves that had the basic spells and in which they meerly just wrote their name to justify that it was now theirs.The Book of the Dead was made out of papyrus which was a thick paper like material from a plant called papyrus.Although, the Book of the Dead wasn't exactly a book. Many of the spells were written on the walls of the tomb as well as in on the paper. This is an example of one of the 5 charateristics of civilization,written language, because even though it isn't recorded history or a process in trade, it is still a way the the egyptains demonstrated their superior skills in writing.
Book of the Dead=Payton E. by the way!!
A topic we have studied in class about Ancient Eygpt is that they had the first real goverment. The pharaohs were like the kings of the peasents and they also made some of the laws. They were in charge of mostly everything. This made Ancient Eygpts goverment moncharchy. The next person from the pharaoh was the Vizier. This person also made and enforeced the laws to the peolpe. From the Five Characteristics of Civilization, this topic fits under Bureaucratic Government. To have order and to establish laws was amazing for what time period it was.
Brooke R.
Something we have been learning about recently in social studies is the book of the dead and scribes, who are the only ones who can write properly. This relates to the characteristic of written language. this book binds together the people of egypt in their common quest to go into the afterlife. THis book is very important to pharoes and higher officials who can afford a proper burial for the afterlife. This book also puts scribes in a good position on the social ladder, being the only ones capable of writing sacred blessings on tombs and copying down the book of the dead to help guide people into the afterlife.
Something we learned about in social studies is the book of the dead and about scribes. The book of the dead connects people in their wuest to go to the afterlife. This puts scibes in a very good social standing, because they are the only ones who can translate and copy down the book of the dead for the pharoes and other rich people to use to guide them to the afterlife. They also are the ones who write down the spells and blessings on the tombs to help the dead along in their journey.
Something we have been learning about in Ancient Civ is the book of the dead and the scribe’s part in writing them. The book of the dead connects all the people in their quest to go to the afterlife. This also makes the scribes very essential, therefore putting them in a good spot on the social ladder. They are the only ones who can translate and copy down the book of the dead to be put with the dead to help them on their journey. Scribes also write the blessings and spells on the tombs to help them.
A topic we studied in class about Egypt were the Egyptian gods. We learned that Ra was the sun god, and was the main god of the Old Kingdom. Osiris was the god of the dead, and king of the underworld! He was the main god of the Middle Kingdom. Amon-Ra was the god of the New Kingdom, and he basically replaces the god Ra. He is the sun god and the local god Thebes. Some other local gods are:Sobek (crocodile god and local god of Crocodilopolis), Sekmet (goddess of the desert and warfare), Anubis (god of the underworld and mummification), and Thoth (god of the scribes). This is an example of the Element of culture; Religion/Beliefs because all of these gods were part of the Ancient Egyptians religion!
-Seerat D.
We have learned in ancient civ class that most successful civilizations are based in a river valley, also they typically have a lunar calendar. These two things the Egyptians had, they had a 365 day calendar but also they lived in a river valley. The use of their calendar told them when the river would flood and fertilize their crops, this made it easier for them to produce surplus crops, because they always knew when the fields would flood and when to pick their crops.
Tori B
A topic we have talked about is the belief of how Humans were formed. Apparently, when Ra lost his children, he took his eye out and let it go find them. The eye found Ra's children in the dark waters and brought them to Ra. When Ra saw his children, he started to cry and from those tears, humans were formed. This relates to the characteristic, written language because this is how we knew the humans were formed, from the egyptians recording their beliefs.
-Teia S.
A topic that we have studied in class about Ancient Egypt is the Egyptians' systematic planting and harvesting of crops based on flooding. These timely, predictable floods functioned as a lunar calendar for the Ancient Egyptians living near the Nile River. Because of the regularity of these floods, they were able to plant crops at the same time each year. This allowed them to have more surplus crops and thrive as a civilization.
~ Megin B.
A topic we have studied in class about Egypt is the complex government that it created. The Pharaohs were the leaders of the nation and they were considered gods. An inner-circle of priests usually served as ministers and advisors to the Pharaoh, due to the fact that they were the only ones worthy enough to carry-out the commands of the king. Next came the vizier, who served as a prime minister and a public official. The Pharaoh's kingdom was separated into nomes, which were ruled by individual governors who ultimately served the Pharaoh. This represents the Characteristic: Bureaucratic Government since the power of government was divided among many individuals. The Egyptians were believed to be the first civilization that successfully created a form of government.
~Jim P.
A topic we discussed in class about Ancient Egypt, is the different jobs people had during the time. The different workers is related to one of the five characteristics of civilization. The characteristic is the division of labor. Different jobs were given to different people in ancient Egypt. For example some jobs would be farming or building pyramids. All these different workers created what is now known as the division of labor, which is one of the five characteristics of civilization.
A topic we have studied in class about Ancient Egypt is the "Gift of the Nile". The gift of the Nile was the annual flood which fertilized the land to able the Egyptians to grow crops. This is an example of the Ability to Produce Surplus Crops, because if the Egyptian civilization wasn't located on the Nile river. The land wouldn't be rich enough to produce enough crops to satisfy the Egyptians year round.
-Adam L.
One topic that has been discussed in class was bureaucratic government. The Egyptians were one of the first to set up such a thing. Their government consisted of a ruler, a pharaoh. Then came other upper class men usually , wealthy, rich, or important in a skill such as a priest or scribe. Below them is the rest of the majority of the people known as the lower class. They are the normal workers of Egypt. All of them together create the first bureaucratic government, in Ancient Egypt.
~ Devin S.
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One topic that we discussed in class were about the different jobs people were assigned to in Ancient Egypt. During that time, certain people were chosen to do different tasks. For example, some priests, while others were ordered to help build pyramids and other structures. This is an example of division of labor, one of the five characteristics of civilization.
-Jake S.
A topic that we studied in class about ancient Egypt was the geography of Egypt. The Nile river runs through Egypt and helps with the production of crops. Many cities are beside the Nile river, such as Akhetato and Memphis and Thebes. Lower Egypt is above Upper Egypt and is by the Dead See and next to the Libyan Desert. The Sinai Peninsula juts into the Red Sea, which is beside the Arabian Desert. The Sahara is right above Upper Egypt.
~ Vanessa L.
In class, we have talked a lot about the Egyptian gods and how they affected the Egyptians. Although the gods weren't necessarily a "government" they kind of represent a bureaucratic government. In terms of the Old Kingdom, the "top god" was Ra, the god of the sun. Ra would be like our president, the person at the top of everything. Since Ra was only the god of the sun, he couldn't do everything, or in other terms, he couldn't control the air or the water or anything not sun-concerned. Which is why the Egyptians has gods like Shu and Tefnut, to do the things that Ra couldn't. Just like how the president has government workers, and people who work under the government.
~Jaime O.
Something we have learned in Anvient Civ is how Egypt's geography gives them some natural advantages. For example, the Nile River flows northward but the wind from the Mediterranean Sea blows upstream into the Nile Valley. This allowed ancient Egyptians to travel either way and get as far as the first cataract, a pathway of travel and trade that linked all parts of the valley. It helped the people unite the region. This all goes along with the characteristic of geography.
~Caroline K
The temples were large public buildings in which people could go to worship the god or gods to whom the temple was dedicated. The construction and quality of these temples varied according to what god the temple was dedicated to, where the temple was built, and in what era it was made. The construction of many temples, usually the more important ones, were done by slave labor. Though slaves were not the most motivated of construction workers, the slave-masters and temple designers split the work amongst a large number of them so the building could be completed in a reasonable amount of time without too much of the burden resting on each man's shoulders or too many of the slaves getting killed. This division of labor is a prime example of one of the five characteristics of civilization that we have been studying this year.
One topic we discussed was the characteristic bureaucratic government.The pharaoh had the duties of being a president, military leader, and treasurer. Next came the nobles and priest who had influence over the pharaoh and carried out his demands. On the lowest of low then came the peasants and those who worked on pyramids.
-Jacob G
A topic we have talked about is Akhenaton's Revolution. He was a pharaoh that no one liked because he banished all local gods including Amon-Ra and turned Egypt into a monotheistic society. This is an example of Burecratic Government because of Akhenaton being a pharaoh and his way of government by him moving the capital and taking away the power of the preists. Everyone was told to worship Aten, a sun like disk. Even though Akhenaten was not a very good pharaoah he took egypts normal way of life and made it his own.
-Candace C.
A topic we discussed in class is papyrus. Papyrus is a thick paper like material Egytians used to document important imformation such as laws, etc; Scirbes were the people who actually wrote the documents, laws, and other information. They were the only people to write this information because they had what resembled better handwriting compared to others of their civilization. This relates to the 5 Characteristics if Civilization.
-Brittany K.
A topic we discussed in class is papyrus. Papyrus is a thick paper like material Egytians used to document important imformation such as laws, etc; Scirbes were the people who actually wrote the documents, laws, and other information. They were the only people to write this information because they had what resembled better handwriting compared to others of their civilization. This relates to the 5 Characteristics if Civilization: Written Language.
-Brittany K.
One topic we touched on was how the Egyptians had social systems. Starting with the pharaohs, then the priests, and other officials and ending with the farmers and peasants. This is related to the social organizations/systems that is in the 6 elements of culture.
-Mary S.
A topic that we've discussed in class is the fact that Egypt had the first real written language. This helped develop culture and made Egypt the first civilization with a culture. This is an example of the written language characteristic, for obvious reasons.
The language post was by Tyler N, by the way.
Something that we studied in class was the use of hierogliphics, which was their own written language, one of the characteristics of culture. They drew hierogliphics and scribes were the ones who did this because they were the people that could write in Egyptian times.
As a class, we've studied the five characteristics of civilization. The characteristic that I have chosen to relate to a topic from Ancient Egypt is the ability to produce surplus crops. One way that this characteristic is shown in Ancient Egypt is through their use of salt to perserve different foods, namely meat. Covering slabs of meat with salt allowed the food to be stored and consumed later. This ability to perserve food also kept the civillians of Ancient Egypt healthier, as they didn't have to worry about diseases that come from eating spoiled meat, causing them to be heathier and able to do more work for the empire. Although this technique of using salt as a perservative was not exclusive to the Egyptians, it is one that was still very innovative for its time. Its importance lends itself well to listing it under one of the characteristics of civilization because these characteristics are very important, like their perserving of meat was. So far, I have really enjoyed studying Ancient Egypt, and relating topics we have previously learned to new things we discover every day while studying history.
Drew H.
A topic we have studied in class about Egypt is the Egyptians living so close to the Nile River. Since the Egyptians lived along the Nile River, they had nice fertile ground for growing crops on. Also, the Egyptians used the "Gift of the Nile" to their advantage. They would have the flooding create fertile soil for them. Because of this they could grow more crops. This relates to the characteristic of having surplus crops, in which the Egyptians used the fertile soil to grow more crops than needed.
One topic we have studied about Ancient Egypt is the creation of the world and the people and gods living on it. Egyptians believed the world was made from Nun, a cold watery void. The first god to come from it was Ra, the sun god, followed by Shu and Tefnut. Most gods and humans were created around the same time and had close relationships with each other. This relates to the Religion/Beliefs characteristic because the topic has to do with the Egyptians' religious beliefs about Nun and the gods and how they were formed.
One major advantage that the Ancient Egyptians had going for them is their geography; They were surrounded by deserts. Although that may not seem so great at first, it actually kind of is. Since Egypt was a very fertile nation, they were often the target of invasion. The fact that they were surrounded by deserts created a natural protection against any foreign invaders.
-Daniel C.
In class talked about the flooding of the Nile River, which helps the Surplus Crops. The annual flooding of the Nile would fertilize the crops, and water them so they could grow to their full expectations. This falls under the Surplus Crops because it has crops growing and the crops are then able to be eaten.
-Geno V.
A topic that we have studied in class was the building of the pyramids. Workers were hired to build the pyramids. The characteristic of civilization that this relates to is Division of Labor. The workers were hired because one person could not do everything by himself. That is why many workers were hired to finsh the job.
-Melanie H.
One of the very important characteristics of civilization happens to be bureaucratic government. While Egypt did have a pharaoh, part of having a bureaucratic government is that the main ruler, the pharaoh, can not do everything, they need help. While the pharaoh was the main ruler the priests had a huge influence on the Egyptian society. The priests were actually in some ways more rulers than the pharaohs. The priests were a main part of the bureaucratic government.
- Mitch K.
One of the five characteristics of civilizations we studied was Bureaucratic Government. During the New Kingdom, Hatshepsut was a queen who soon after then became a pharaoh. During her time as leader, she had a long and peaceful kingdom. This time period in fact was known as the ruling of the queens. This is one of earliest examples of women holding powerful positions in Bureaucratic Government.
Daniel M.
In class we have been studying a lot about Ancient Egypt but one thing that has really stuck out to me is The Isthmus of Suez. The Isthmus of Suez is extremely important in the Geography of Ancient Egypt. It created a land bridge between Asia and Africa. It even made a trade route. This trade route helped the civilization thrive. There are other forms of geography that we have talked about like the Red and Mediterranean sea which make traveling to Egypt easier and also are nice for fishing and boats. The Nile river is another form of Geography, it helps with making fertile land for the crops to grow and also gives them a spot to get water. One more form of geography in Ancient Egypt is the deserts.The deserts make a natural defense against attackers. All of these forms of geography work together to make the civilization thrive and make the geography complete.
One topic we have discussed in class is hieroglyphics, papyrus, and the ink they used. This related to written language because with this this helped the make records and then everyone would know the rules. This is important because its one of the first sets if writing we have.
-Bethany H
In class we have talked about the 5 characteristics of civilization. One of them was Bureaucratic Government, which was a division of power among the government because one person cannot do everything. The Egyptians had something like that during the Old Kingdom.The upper class in Egyptian society included the pharaoh, the royal family, and the priests and officials. They all helped govern country, instead of having one single person left to do everything. Towards the end of the Old Kingdom, the officials who eventually became nobles grew stronger while the pharoahs grew weaker.
~Caroline K.
One topic in class we talked about was the use of papyrus. Ancient Egyptians would write down their hieroglyohics on papyrus in order to record laws, beliefs, and other important information. The use of papyrus relates to the characteristic of written language because the Egyptian's language was documented on the papyrus. The use of papyrus can be related to the written language characteristic of civilizations and also the element of culture of achievements specifically in literature.
-Matthew S.
A topic we studied in class was the location of ancient egyption cities The ancient egyptions knew that they would need food and a water source in order to survive so that impacted the location of their citys. So they built there civilization on the Nile because of the 'gift of the Nile' and it provided water. Also a good number of their cites were built near the Nile river delta. The Nile river delta provided water and fertile land for crops. This example would work for geograpy because it is the location of their citys in lower egypt along the Nile river and it's delta.
-Zac C.
A topic we studied in class about Egypt was how there was only a number of scribes that could write. Any average person in Egypt was not able to write, you had to have experience and actually know the written language of hieroglyphics. With that being said, one scribe was not enough for the amount of hieroglyphics that were written entirely. This falls into the category of divison of labor since there was not only one scribe doing the work, it was many scribes put together.
-Jason S.
A topic we studied in class was the proper burials for Egyptians. At first only Pharaohs were allowed into the afterlife. eventually over time the priests allowed anyone with the money for a proper burial into the afterlife. Only those who could not afford a proper burial were not allowed into the afterlife.
-Kyler F.
Something we have learned about in Ancient Civ. is hieroglyphics. They are a form of written language and were a good way of communication. They also tell us of ancient times, when marked on the inside of tombs, pyramids,etc. Egyptians were the only ones that used the language, maybe because of how long it took to write with it. Documents, papers, and history were all written down in this language.
Something we have learned in Ancient civ. is hieroglyphics. It is a form of written language, and help researchers learn more about the Egyptian's past. Hieroglypics were written in documents, papers, tombs, etc. Only Egyptians used the language, possibly because of how long it took to write. They also spoke in this language, and are stil using it today.
One topic we discussed in class was surplus crops. This relates to how the Nile river used inundation. It also relates to how the Nile was such a great source of travel. The water flows north while breezes blow south, which creates fast and smooth sailing in either direction. This helped the Egyptians with thier trade routes.
The pharohs were an example of a political system. They can be seen as the president in our time. Their reign spread throughout ancient Egypt. They lived a life of luxury as the gods "chose" them. No one messed witht the pharohs, or death would be served to whoever challenged them.
- Raphael E.
a topic we have studied in class is about the pyramids of Giza. the pyramids of Giza were built by pharaoh Khufu. this topic relates to the characteristic of division of labor, because they needed millions of people to help build theses huge things. and seeing as they only took 20 years to build means they were REALLY working hard.
the comment above about the pyramids is by Tommy M.
In early ancient Egypt there was the Nile Valley civilization that enhabited the Nile Valley.The Nile Valley was covered with an abundant amount of crops and plant life. This is an example of surplus crops. Another example would be divison of labor. There were many different jobs in ancient Egypt. There were people who built the pyramids, scribes, nobles, pharohs, priests, farmers, and those who were in charge of building the pyramids.
Comment above by Ryan Burke
I thought the Gods were interesting
A topic we talked about in class was the book of the dead. This was the way egyptians believed they could safely pass into to the underworld. It was written on papyrus or carved into the walls of tombs using hyroglyphics. Generally, it held spells, hymns, and magic formulas that the rich could have scribes personalize for them and the poor would just buy off of the shelf. i promise mrs.S the one i typed before was much better than this one with more information!!
-Payton E.
a topic we talked about in class was the book of the dead. This was held egyptians hymns, maagic spells, or other chants that would help safely giude them into the afterworld. Generally, this book was written on papyrus or on the walls of tombs in heiroglyphics. The rich could have their books personalized by scribes while the poor had to buy them off of the shelfs and meerly write their names in them to varify it was for them. i promise mrs.s my original was much better than this one!!
-Payton E.
Payton E. is trying to posst this comment on the book of the dead but it isnt really working....
a topic we talked about was the book of the dead.
-Payton E.
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