Ancient Egypt

(proper noun)

A civilization that existed in the valley of the Nile River from 3150 BC to 30 BC. Noted for building the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Related Terms

Examples of Ancient Egypt in the following topics:

  • The Nile River

    • The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt, a country whose civilization has depended on the "Great River" since ancient times .
    • Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan, and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks.
    • Ancient Egypt was a civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt.
    • The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods.
    • This map of ancient Egypt shows the path of the great Nile River, along with major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BCE to 30 BCE).

  • The Third Intermediate Period

    • The Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt last from 1070 BC up to the foundation of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty in 664 BC.
    • The Third Intermediate Period refers to the time in Ancient Egypt that began with the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI in 1070 BC, which ended the New Kingdom.
    • Even in Ramesses XI's day, the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt was losing its grip on power in the city of Thebes, whose priests were becoming increasingly powerful.

  • Stelae of the Middle Kingdom

    • The stelae of ancient Egypt served many purposes, from funerary to territorial to publishing decrees.
    • While most stelae were taller than they were wide, the slab stela took a horizontal dimension and was used by a small list of ancient Egyptian dignitaries or their wives.
    • The huge number of stelae surviving from ancient Egypt constitute one of the largest and most significant sources of information on those civilizations.
    • One example of such stelae is the Annals of Amenemhat II, an important historical document for the reign of Amenemhat II (r. 1929–1895 BCE) and also for the history of Ancient Egypt and understanding kingship in general.

  • Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art

    • In a narrower sense, Ancient Egyptian art refers to art of the second and third dynasty developed in Egypt from 3000 BCE until the third century.
    • Ancient Egypt was able to flourish because of its location on the Nile River, which floods at predictable intervals, allowing controlled irrigation, and providing nutrient-rich soil favorable to agriculture. 
    • Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan, and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks.
    • The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Thirteenth Dynasty, between 2055 and 1650 BCE.
    • They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt.

  • Late Egyptian Art

    • The Late Period of Ancient Egypt (664–332 BCE) marked a maintenance of artistic tradition with subtle changes in the representation of the human form.
    • The Late Period of ancient Egypt refers to the last flowering of native Egyptian rulers after the Third Intermediate Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty into Persian conquests and ended with the conquest by Alexander the Great and establishment of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
    • Jeremiah and other Jewish refugees arrived in Lower Egypt, notably in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis.
    • Some refugees also settled at Elephantine and other settlements in Upper Egypt (Jeremiah 43 and 44).
    • One major contribution from the Late Period of ancient Egypt was the Brooklyn Papyrus.

  • Painting of the Early Dynastic Period

    • The Early Dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt reached a high level in painting and sculpture that was both highly stylized and symbolic.
    • Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic.
    • Many ancient Egyptian paintings have survived due to Egypt's extremely dry climate.
    • The monumental sculpture of Ancient Egypt is world famous, but refined and delicate small works exist in much greater numbers.
    • The so-called reserve heads, or plain hairless heads, are especially naturalistic, though the extent to which there was real portraiture in Ancient Egypt is still debated.

  • Sculpture of the Early Dynastic Period

    • The small-scale sculptures of the Early Dynastic Period in ancient Egypt provide insight into the foundations of Egyptian customs and the unification of the country.
    • The monumental sculpture of Ancient Egypt is world famous, but refined and delicate small works exist in much greater numbers.
    • As in the art of many cultures of ancient times, the palette contains hieratic scale, in which Narmer is the largest figure.
    • To the right is a set of papyrus flowers, which symbolize Lower Egypt.
    • The recto side of the palette depicts the unification of Egypt as a violent one.

  • Hatshepsut

    • Hatshepsut (1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt.
    • Women had a high status in ancient Egypt and enjoyed the legal right to own, inherit, or will property.
    • Hatshepsut was one of the most prolific builders in ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
    • One still stands today as the tallest surviving ancient obelisk in the world; the other has broken and toppled.
    • The temple has an architrave with a long dedicatory text bearing Hatshepsut's famous denunciation of the Hyksos, who had led Egypt into a cultural decline prior to her rule.

  • Art in the Early Dynastic Period

    • The hallmarks of ancient Egyptian civilization, such as art, architecture and religion, took shape during the Early Dynastic Period.
    • The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt immediately followed the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt around 3100 BC.
    • Before the unification of Egypt, the land was settled with autonomous villages.
    • The art displays an extraordinarily vivid representation of the Ancient Egyptian's socioeconomic status and belief systems.
    • This is a plate from the Early Dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt.

  • Egyptian Pharaohs as God-Kings

    • The Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or, later, Isis), or Nut.
    • Throughout ancient Egyptian history, the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, derived by being the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or later, Isis), or the sky deity, Nut.
    • Narmer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 31st century BCE).
    • He is thought to be the successor to the Protodynastic pharaohs Scorpion (or Selk) and/or Ka, and he is considered by some to be the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty—therefore the first pharaoh of unified Egypt.
    • Explain how the first Pharaohs of Egypt developed and why they were perceived as god-kings.