Creativity for Eternity Egypt Academics Support INIFD Corporate
Egypt • Began about 3500BC • Independent for 2000 years • 31 dynasties – 4 great kingdoms or periods • • • •
Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom Late Period (nonindependent)
• Geography was a blessing and a downfall
Geography and Stability The Nile River • Predictable and gentle flooding – Replenished the soil, thus allowing for 3000 years of continual planting – Consistent flood times – Consistent flood amounts
• Planned irrigation – Allowed for enough crops for a very large population
Geography and Stability Isolation • Only realistic route for an invader is over the Isthmus of Suez • Egypt able to defend it • Egypt was not influenced by outsiders for 1000s of years • Even when Egypt became dominated by outside rulers, it held onto its own laws, culture, religion and kings.
Creativity • Creativity and Change – Old Kingdom was uniting and conquering – Temples and religion demanded creativity – Surplus of labor. The Pharaoh put them to work on elaborate construction projects.
• Stagnant but Stable – Middle and New Kingdoms – Fear of upsetting the profitable system, Egypt stopped creativity – Delicate balance between gods, nature, and choices of the people – Pharaohs lost the ability to bring change
Creativity “The cost of Egyptian
survival was the loss of its creativity.� -Dr. Strong
Pre-Dynastic Period 3500-3100 B.C. • Time of tribal and nomadic wanderings • The Egypt territory was divided roughly to upper and lower Egypt • Simple boats made of reeds sailed on the Nile
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
• Menes combined the upper and lower kingdoms into one (powerful ruler) • Memphis-capital • Creativity: – Papyrus – Hieroglyphics – Pyramids (Architecture and Engineering) – Religion (Pharaoh was part god) – Calendar – Mathematics – Art
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Papyrus and Hieroglyphics • Papyrus first made during time of Menes – Easy material for writing
• Hieroglyphics: Sacred writings – Used for over 2000 years – Done by priests – Usually concerned Pharaohs
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Pyramids: Pharaoh burial place • Built by both slaves and Egyptians – Created a strong relationship between the people and the government – Make-work projects
• Extensive engineering used to build pyramids larger and higher – Built pyramids of Giza and step pyramids
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Religion:
• Principal gods: Osiris (father), Isis (mother), Horus (son), Set (evil), Amon-Re, Aten (later)
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Religion:
• Be buried on Egyptian soil • Be properly prepared (embalming) • Pyramid built for afterlife • Must preserve name in writing • Judgment and afterlife
O my heart of my being! Do not rise up against me as a witness, Do not oppose me in the tribunal, do not rebel against me before the guardian of the scales!
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Calendar and Mathematics • Created a calendar with 12 months of 30 days each, which equals 360 days a year. To match solar year they had 5 days of holidays at the end of the year. • Created a numbering system based on 10 • Used accumulation and place holders
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
Art • Representational rather than realistic – Standardized poses – Generic faces
Old Kingdom (3100 - 2200 BC)
The Old Kingdom was the Golden Age for Egypt. Why? • Energy from forming a new country? • Innovation from conquering? • Leadership of Pharaohs – Strong leaders who know how to motivate their people are capable of great accomplishments
Middle Kingdom (2000 - 1800 BC) Creativity? Not much.
• Tried to recapture Old Kingdom’s glory
– Not able to build a conquering army – No massive public works projects (lack of funds) – Capital moved to Thebes for new temple, it was never completed.
• Weak Pharaohs forced to share power with priests and landholders • Ended with an invasion
– Invasion by the Hyksos (Shepherd Kings or Semitic people)
New Kingdom (1550 - 1050 BC) • Began with overthrow of the Hyksos. The pharaoh knew not Joseph (Exodus 1:8) • Ended with the Third Intermediate Period, led by foreign rulers and internal fighting
• Creativity – Temples
• Luxor and Karnak
– Strong pharoahs Luxor
Karnak Temple
New Kingdom (1550 - 1050 BC)
• Strong Pharaohs – Akhenaton (monotheistic)
New Kingdom (1550 - 1050 BC)
• Strong Pharaohs – Queen Hatshepsut
New Kingdom (1550 - 1050 BC)
• Strong Pharaohs – Rameses II (military) – Moses' enemy?
Late Period (700 - 332 BC) • • • •
Capitals – Tanis and then Alexandria War – internal and external Government fractured Ruled by outside rulers – Libyans – Persians – Greeks (Ptolemy)
• Egypt given as a gift to Ptolemy, a general to Alexander the Great • Last of the Ptolemies was Cleopatra – Romans
Egypt – Overall Creativity • Development and organization period was high creativity • Later periods were weak kings, strong priests, and low creativity – Trying to move to the past – Religious conservatism – Isolation
• What societies today have these characteristics?
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