Chapter 3: A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich classroom reading
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into ancient Egypt's rich history, beginning around 3100 BC with King Menes. It highlights the Nile's crucial role in agriculture, leading to Egypt's prosperity. The script describes the immense power of pharaohs, exemplified by the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It explores Egyptian religious beliefs, the practice of mummification, and the art of hieroglyph writing. The Rosetta Stone's significance in deciphering hieroglyphs is mentioned, along with the empire's long-standing traditions and two notable periods of attempted change, under King Chiops and Akhenaten, respectively.
Takeaways
- ๐ฑ The script begins with a discussion of Egypt's geography, highlighting the Nile River's crucial role in sustaining life and agriculture in an otherwise arid region.
- ๐ฐ The narrative introduces Menes, the first Pharaoh, who ruled around 3100 BC, and underscores the immense power of Pharaohs, who were considered divine and had absolute authority.
- ๐จ The script describes the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza by Pharaoh Khufu, emphasizing the scale of the undertaking and the labor involved without modern machinery.
- ๐ฑ Egyptian religion is explored, with a focus on the pantheon of gods, the significance of the afterlife, and the practice of mummification to preserve the body for the soul's return.
- ๐ฟ The script mentions the creation of colossal statues and temples, as well as the use of obelisks, to honor the gods and demonstrate the Pharaoh's power.
- ๐พ The sacred status of certain animals, such as cats and the Sphinx, is highlighted, reflecting the deep integration of religious beliefs into Egyptian culture.
- ๐ The use of hieroglyphs as a form of writing is explained, with an example of how to construct a name in hieroglyphs, showcasing the complexity and visual nature of the script.
- ๐ The script discusses the rediscovery of hieroglyphs through the Rosetta Stone and the subsequent ability to read ancient Egyptian texts, providing insights into their civilization.
- ๐ It mentions the use of papyrus, the material from which paper gets its name, and the preservation of knowledge through scrolls, indicating a sophisticated written tradition.
- ๐ฎ The script touches on periods of rebellion and religious reform, such as during the reign of Akhenaten, who attempted to shift Egypt's polytheistic religion to monotheism, but these changes were not sustained.
Q & A
When did history begin in Egypt according to the script?
-History begins with 3100 BC, which is 5100 years ago.
Why were the Egyptians able to grow grain abundantly despite the hot and dry climate?
-The Egyptians were able to grow grain abundantly because the Nile River flowed through their country, providing water and fertile soil through its annual flooding.
What was the significance of the Nile River to the ancient Egyptians?
-The Nile River was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as if it were a god itself, due to its crucial role in providing water and fertile soil for agriculture.
Who was the first king to rule over all of Egypt, as mentioned in the script?
-The first king to rule over all of Egypt was King Menes, who ruled around 3100 BC.
What were the kings of Egypt called?
-The kings of Egypt were called Pharaohs, a title that signified their immense power and authority.
Why did Pharaohs build such large tombs, like the Great Pyramid of Chiops?
-Pharaohs built large tombs as part of their religious beliefs, to preserve their bodies and provide a dwelling for their souls after death.
What was the purpose of mummification in ancient Egyptian culture?
-Mummification was practiced to preserve the body so that the soul would have a physical form to return to, preventing it from suffering if the body crumbled into dust.
How did the ancient Egyptians write, and what was their writing system called?
-The ancient Egyptians wrote using a system of writing called hieroglyphs, which were pictorial symbols representing sounds or ideas.
What is the Rosetta Stone, and why is it significant?
-The Rosetta Stone is a stone inscribed with the same text in three scripts, which allowed scholars to decipher hieroglyphs and understand ancient Egyptian writing.
How did the ancient Egyptians view change and innovation within their society?
-The ancient Egyptians valued tradition and conformity highly, often resisting change. There were rare instances, such as during the reign of Akhenaten, where significant changes were attempted but were ultimately rejected by the people.
What was the primary material used by the ancient Egyptians for writing before the invention of paper?
-The ancient Egyptians used a material called papyrus, made from a reed that grew on the banks of the Nile, for writing before paper was invented.
Outlines
๐พ The Nile: Egypt's Lifeblood
The first paragraph introduces the historical context of Egypt around 3100 BC, focusing on the significance of the Nile River. It explains how the Nile's annual flooding provided fertile soil for agriculture, leading to Egypt's prosperity. The Egyptians revered the Nile as a god, and a hymn from 4000 years ago is mentioned, praising the river for its nourishing and life-giving properties. The paragraph also discusses the concept of the Pharaoh, the supreme ruler of Egypt, and provides an example of King Cheops, who commissioned the Great Pyramid, an architectural marvel built without modern machinery, showcasing the dedication and labor of the Egyptians.
๐ฑ Sacred Animals and the Afterlife
The second paragraph delves into the religious beliefs and funerary practices of the ancient Egyptians. It mentions that certain animals, like cats, were considered sacred, and gods were often depicted in animal forms, such as the Sphinx. The Egyptians' belief in the afterlife is highlighted, with an emphasis on the preservation of bodies through mummification to ensure the soul's continued connection to the physical form. The construction of tombs and the inclusion of food, furniture, and personal items to sustain the deceased in the afterlife are discussed. The paragraph also touches on the art and writing systems of ancient Egypt, including hieroglyphs and the Rosetta Stone, which played a crucial role in deciphering this ancient script.
๐ Wisdom and Tradition in Ancient Egypt
The third paragraph explores the wisdom and cultural continuity of ancient Egypt. It discusses the Egyptians' use of papyrus, the origin of the word 'paper,' and the preservation of their knowledge in scrolls. The paragraph also reflects on the longevity of the Egyptian empire, which lasted for nearly 3000 years, and the people's adherence to tradition. It mentions instances of rebellion and attempts at religious reform, such as during the reign of Akhenaten, who introduced monotheism. However, these changes were not sustained, and the old customs and artistic styles were reinstated after his death. The paragraph concludes with a nod to the enduring practices and beliefs of the Egyptians, including the continued worship of cats and the use of hieroglyphs.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กNile
๐กPharaoh
๐กPyramid
๐กMummy
๐กHieroglyphs
๐กSphinx
๐กObelisk
๐กPapyrus
๐กAkhenaten
๐กMidas
๐กAnubis
Highlights
History of Egypt begins around 3100 BC with the reign of a king named Menes.
Egypt's strategic location near the Nile River allowed for abundant agriculture despite the desert surroundings.
The Nile's annual flooding cycle was essential for the fertility of Egyptian lands.
Ancient Egyptians revered the Nile as a god due to its life-sustaining role.
A hymn from 4000 years ago praises the Nile for its nourishment and agricultural benefits.
The first unified Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh, a title for its kings, starting with King Menes in 3100 BC.
Pharaohs were considered immensely powerful, with their word as law and the people's toil at their command.
King Chiops, around 2500 BC, had his subjects construct the Great Pyramid, a monumental tomb reflecting his power.
The construction of the Great Pyramid involved manual labor on a massive scale without modern machinery.
Egyptian religion included a pantheon of gods, with pharaohs believed to be the sons of the sun god.
The Sphinx, a lion-bodied deity with a human head, was a powerful symbol in Egyptian religion.
The belief in the afterlife led to the practice of mummification to preserve the body for the soul's return.
Tombs were equipped with provisions and items for the afterlife, including food, furniture, and wall paintings.
Hieroglyphs, the Egyptian writing system, was a complex form of pictorial communication.
The Rosetta Stone, with inscriptions in three scripts, was key to deciphering hieroglyphs.
Ancient Egyptian society was highly stratified, with slaves and nobles having distinct roles and lifestyles.
The Egyptian empire lasted for nearly 3000 years, marked by strict adherence to tradition and religious practices.
King Akhenaten introduced a radical shift in religious beliefs, advocating for monotheism focused on the sun god.
Despite attempts at change, Egyptian society and its traditions remained largely constant over millennia.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
chapter 3
the land by the nile here as i promised
history begins with when and aware it is
3100 bc
that is 5100 years ago when
as we believe a king named menace was
ruling over egypt
if you want to know how where exactly
egypt is
i suggest you ask a swallow every autumn
when it gets cold swallows fly south
over the mountains to italy
and on across a little stretch of sea
and
then there in africa in the park that
lies nearest to europe
egypt is close by in africa it is hot
and for months on end it doesn't rain in
many regions
very little grows these are deserts
as are the lands on either side of egypt
egypt also gets very little rain
but here they don't need it because the
nile flows right through the middle of
the country
from one end to the other twice a year
when heavy rain
filled its sources the river would swell
and burst its banks
flooding the whole land then people were
forced to take to boats
to move among the houses and the palm
trees and when the waters withdrew the
earth was wonderfully drenched
and rich with oozing mud there under the
hot sun the grain grew as it did nowhere
else
which is why from earliest times the
egyptians worshipped the nile as if it
were god himself
would you like to hear a hymn they sang
to the river four thousand years ago
glory be to thee o nile you rise out of
the earth and come to nourish
egypt you water the plains and have the
power to feed all cattle
you quench the thirsty desert far from
any water
you bring forth the barley you create
the wheat
you fill the granaries and store houses
not forgetting the poor
for you we pluck our harps for you we
sing
so saying ancient egyptians and they
were right
for thanks to the nile their land grew
rich and powerful
midas the mightiest of all was their
king
one king ruled over all the egyptians
and the first to do so
was king menace do you remember when
that was
it was 3100 bc and can you remember
perhaps from maybe bible stories what
those
kings of egypt were called they were
called pharaohs
a pharaoh was immensely powerful he
lived in a great stone
palace with massive pillars and many
courtyards
and his word was law all the people of
egypt had to toil for him
if he so decreed and sometimes he did
one such pharaoh was king chiops who
lived in about
2500 bc he summoned all his subjects to
help construct his tomb
he wanted a building like a mountain and
he got it
you can still see it today it's the
great pyramid of chiops
you might may have seen pictures of it
but you still won't be able to imagine
how big it is
a cathedral would comfortably fit inside
clambering up its huge stone blocks is
like scaling up a mountain peak
and yet it was human beings who piled
those gigantic stones on top of each
other
they had no machines in those days
rollers and pulleys at most
they had to pull and shove every single
block by hand
just think of it in the heat of africa
in this way it seems for 30 years some
hundred thousand people
toiled for the pharaoh whenever they
weren't working in the fields
and when they grew tired the king's
overseer was sure to drive them on with
his hippopotamus skin
whip as they dragged and heaved those
immense loads all for their king's tomb
perhaps you're wondering why the pharaoh
should want to build such a gigantic
tomb it was all part of his religion the
egyptians believed in many gods
some had ruled over them as kings long
ago or at least that's what they thought
and among these were osiris and his
consort isis
the sun god ammon was a special god the
kingdom of the dead
had its own god anubis and he had a
jackal's head
each pharaoh they believed was the son
of the sun god which explains why they
feared him so much
and obeyed all his commands in honor of
their gods they chiseled majestic stone
statues
as tall as a five-story house and built
temples as big as towns
in front of the temples they set tall
pointed stones cut from a single block
of granite
these are called obelisks a greek word
meaning something like
little spear in some of our own cities
you can still see obelisks that people
brought back from egypt
there's one in london by the thames
in the egyptian religion certain animals
were sacred
cats for example other gods were
represented in animal form the creature
we know as
the sphinx which has a human head on a
lion's body was
a very powerful god its statue near the
pyramids is
so vast that the whole temple would fit
inside
buried from time to time by the desert
sands the sphinx has now been guarding
the tombs of the pharaohs
for more than 5 000 years who can say
how long it will continue to keep watch
and yet the most important part of the
egyptian's strange religion
was their belief that although a man's
soul left his body when he died
for some reason the soul went on needing
that body and would suffer if it
crumbled into dust
so they invented a very ingenious way of
preserving the bodies of the dead
they rubbed them with ointments and the
juices of certain plants and bandaged
them with long strips of cloth so that
they wouldn't decay
a body preserved in this manner is
called a mummy
and today after thousands of years these
mummies are still intact
a mummy was placed in a coffin made of
wood the wooden coffin in one made of
stone
and the stone one buried not in the
earth but in a tomb that was chiseled
out of rock
if you were rich and powerful like king
chiops the son of the sun
a whole stone mountain would be made for
your tomb deep inside the mummy would be
safe
or so they thought but the mighty king's
efforts were in vain
his pyramid is empty
but the mummies of other kings and those
of many ancient egyptians have been
found inside
undisturbed tombs a tomb was intended to
be a dwelling for the soul when it
returned to visit its body
for this reason they put in food and
furniture and clothes
and there are lots of paintings on the
walls showing scenes from the life of
the departed
his portrait was there too to make sure
that when his soul came on a visit it
wouldn't go to the wrong tomb
thanks to the great stone statues and
the wonderfully bright and vivid wall
paintings we have a very good idea of
what life in ancient egypt was like
true these paintings do not show things
as we see them
an object or a person that is behind
another is generally shown on top
and the figures look stiff their bodies
are shown from the front
and hands and feet from the side so they
look as if they've been ironed flat
but the egyptians knew what they were
doing every detail is clear
how they used great nets to catch ducks
on the nile how they paddled their boats
and fished with long spears
how they pumped water into ditches to
irrigate the fields
how they drove their cows and goats to
pasture how they threshed grain
and made shoes and clothes blew glass
for they could already do that
and how they shaped bricks and built
houses and we can also see girls playing
catch
or playing music on flutes and soldiers
going off to war or returning with loot
and foreign captives such as black
africans
in nobleman's tombs we can see embassies
arriving from abroad
laden with tribute and the king
rewarding faithful ministers with
decorations
some pictures show the long dead
noblemen at prayer
their arms raised before the statues of
their gods or holding banquets in their
houses
with singers plucking harps and clowns
performing somersaults
next to these brightly color colored
paintings you often see lots of
tiny pictures of all sorts of things
such as owls and little people flags
flowers tents beetles and vases together
with zigzag lines and spirals all
jumbled up together whatever can they be
they aren't pictures they are
hieroglyphs or sacred signs the egyptian
form of writing
the egyptians were immensely proud of
their writing indeed they were
almost in awe of it and of all
professions
that of scribe was the most highly
esteemed
would you like to know how to write
using hieroglyphs
in fact learning this sort of writing
must have been incredibly hard as it's
more like constructing a picture puzzle
if they wanted to write the name of
their god osiris they would draw a
throne
which was pronounced os and an i
which is pronounced eerie so that the
two together made
osiri and to make sure that no one
thought they meant
thrown eye they often drew a little flag
like this beside it
which meant that the person was a god in
the same way that christians used to
draw a little cross
after a name if they wanted to show that
that person was dead
so now you can write osiris and
hieroglyphs but
think what a job it must have been to
decipher all that egyptian writing when
people became interested in hieroglyphs
again
200 years ago in fact they were only
able to decipher them because a stone
had been found
on which the same words were written in
three scripts
ancient greek hieroglyphs and another
egyptian script
it was still a tremendous puzzle and a
great scholars devoted their lives to it
you can see that stone it's called the
rosetta stone in the british museum
in london
we are now able to read almost
everything the egyptians wrote
not just on the walls of palaces and
temples but also in books
though the books are no longer very
legible for the ancient egyptians did
have books
even that long ago of course they
weren't made of paper like ours but
from a certain type of reed that grows
on the banks of the nile
the greek name for these reeds is
papyrus from which our name for paper
comes
they wrote on long strips of this
papyrus which were then rolled up into
scrolls
a whole heap of these scrolls has
survived and
when we read them we discovered just how
wise and clever those ancient egyptians
really were
would you like to hear a saying written
more than 5 000 years ago
but you must listen carefully and think
about it
wise words are rarer than emeralds
yet they come from the mouths of poor
slave girls
who turn the millstones
because the egyptians were so wise and
so powerful their empire lasted for a
very long time
longer than any empire the world has
ever known nearly 3 000
years and they took just as much care as
they did with their corpses when they
preserved them from running away
in preserving all their ancient
traditions over the centuries
their priests made quite sure that no
son
did anything his father had not done
before him to them
everything old was sacred
only rarely in the course of all that
time did people turn against
this strict conformity once was shortly
after the reign of king chiops
around 2100 bc when the people tried to
change everything
they rose up in rebellion against the
pharaoh killed his ministers and dragged
the mummies from their tombs
those who formerly didn't even own
sandals
now hold treasures and those who once
wore precious robes now go about in rags
the ancient papyrus tells us the land is
turning like a potter's wheel
but it did not last very long and soon
everything was as strict as before if
not
more so on another occasion it was the
pharaoh himself who tried to change
everything
akhenaten was a remarkable man who lived
around
1370 bc he had no time for the egyptian
religion with its many gods and its
mysterious rituals
there is only one god he taught his
people and that is the sun
through whose rays all is created and
all sustained
to him alone you must pray the ancient
temples were shut down
and king atnatan and his wife moved into
a new palace
since he was utterly opposed to
tradition and in favor of fine new ideas
he also had the walls of his palace
painted in an entirely new style
one that was no longer severe rigid and
solemn but freer
and more natural however this didn't
please the people at all
they wanted everything to look as it had
always done for thousands of years
as soon as akhenaten was dead they
brought back
all the old customs and the old style of
art so everything stayed
as it had been for as long as the
egyptian empire endured
just as in the days of king menas and
for nearly three and a half
more centuries people continued to put
mummies into tombs
to write in hieroglyphs and to pray to
the same gods
they even went on worshiping cats as
sacred animals
and if you ask me i think that in this
at least the egyptians were right
[Music]
[Applause]
you
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