ARTH 227 Lecture 7: Class 7 ARTH 227
Document Summary
Herodotus calls egypt: the gift of the nile. Flows south to north: southern part is upper egypt, Nile floods every year: replenishes the soil with nutrients: akhet: summer inundation (june to september, peret: fall/early winter growing season (october, shemu: spring/early summer drought (march to may harvest) Naqada ii: 3500-3250 bce: first steps toward complexity in upper egypt, three chiefdoms: abydos, naqada, hierakonpolis, scorpion unites three chiefdoms, narmer unites upper/lower egypt. Quena bend: caravans go through to reach the red sea, trade, contact with outside world. Naqada ii: pottery vessels with scenes of boats playing the nile river. Exotic materials, lots of trade moving up the nile. Abydos tomb: hieroglyphic tags: first true hieroglyphic writing c. Story of unification of upper and lower egypt. Power of the egyptian state: agricultural produce, labor, ideology. Memphis was the center of the old kingdom.
