Eight Characteristics of Civilization

Eight Characteristics of Civilization

Ancient Egypt

by Sofia, Victoria, Lucy and Marie

Job specialization, one of the eight characteristics of civilization helped the ancient Egyptians and their civilization to work, as it meant that the population`s production of food was high enough to let workers specialize in certain fields, promoting new inventions and improvements in the way that the civilization was governed. The specializations that allowed the ancient Egyptian empire of grow and improve so rapidly included scribes and court officers. A significant specialization in helping the development of ancient Egypt, were scribes, men who were able to write and created records. This allowed the ancient Egyptians to have an organized government, as it enabled the government to have written records and teachers, which allowed them to ensure that everyone paid taxes and that more people had the chance to receive an education, meaning that more people could add ideas and inventions, promoting improvement in the technology. This was, as scribes were teachers in so called “Scribe Schools”, where boys could learn reading and writing, and receive and education (Pearson History Book 7 "How Did The Egyptians Live.", pages 146-49.). Furthermore, scribes were tax collectors and creators of records on the harvests and taxes every year (Pearson History Book 7 "How Did The Egyptians Live.", pages 146-49.), allowing them to know the surplus of food, and giving the ancient Egyptians the opportunity to plan what the goods would be used for.

Another important specialization for the ancient Egyptian empire were court officers, who were an important part of the justice system and were developed to enforce the law. This made it easier for the ancient Egyptian government to enforce laws and ensure that their justice system was fair, so that safety and stability were provided for the people. Also, it was a good way for the Egyptian government to solve social and legal issues of the common people, without having to provide special service to them, and letting the Pharaoh judge over each problem individually. Court officers controlled the laws and regulations of ancient Egypt; they were the justice system. (http://prezi.com/ptsd9zw9celu/job-specialization-of-ancient-egypt/)

Court officers also solved smaller social conflicts such as divorces or the ownership of private property. (http://prezi.com/ptsd9zw9celu/job-specialization-of-ancient-egypt/, http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/womneg.htm)

Social Classes

Social classes allowed the civilization or empire of ancient Egypt to develop, as they were based upon the profession of the person. This meant that, the more skillful the work, the higher the social standing was. The system of the social classes allowed ancient Egypt to develop, as the lower classes were responsible for providing raw materials and food for the higher classes, allowing specialization and development in inventions. Women were included in this system and had the same rights as men. Overall, there were four basic social classes under the Pharaoh, who was believed to be a god and was the supreme or absolute ruler. The highest of these four social classes included government officials, nobles and priests, whilst the middle class consisted of artisans, scribes, tradespeople, doctors and soldiers. The lower class included peasants, who were mostly farmers, and laborers. The lowest class, which was smaller than the lower class, were the slaves. These lower classes provided the basic raw materials needed for the ancient Egyptian civilization. The peasants and slaves usually worked or provided some service for people of higher social and economic standing. They provided raw materials and labor for artisans, tradespeople and others. Farmers and peasants grew raw materials such as barley and help livestock or fished, which would then be processed or used by people in higher social classes with more specialized skills. (http://egyptquest.wordpress.com/jobs/) The system of the lower classes serving the higher classes was supported by the contracts between many farmers and land owners; the land owners provided the land and protection to the peasants and farmers who worked on the land and in return paid taxes in form of raw materials and service. (http://www.academia.edu/224303/Craft_specialization_and_Labour_organization_in_Egypt )

Religion

Religion was one of the characteristics that make Egypt a powerful empire. Ancient Egyptians believed on polytheism and also the religion was centered on Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. All Ancient Egyptians followed “Book of the Death” that had all the ideas and beliefs about the Egyptian religion.

Pharaoh was really important for Ancient Egyptians people because they live all their life preparing for the afterlife. The afterlife means that their souls would still live but not the body. The book was one of factors that made the empire peaceful because people by the book knew how to achieve the afterlife if they did everything correctly but it was not actually a book it was a nickname for a bunch of different magical spells written down (http://egypt.mrdonn.org/bookofthedead.html) It was easy to rule the empire because people believed in the same religion so the emperor only had to make people believe that he communicated with pharaoh and that if people would do everything right there wouldn't be bad consequences like floods and droughts for example. The emperor had an easy time ruling the cities because of the religion but this doesn’t mean that people were afraid of him they were afraid to lose everything that they work for and if they wouldn’t do the things right they would starve and that is not something that anyone wants. They did worked very hard and every time something went wrong they would work harder next time because they wanted to make the gods and goddess satisfied.

Ancient Egyptians believed in gods and goddess but there were 12 major gods (Amun, Amun-Ra, Anubis, Hathor, Horus, Isis, Khnum,Ma’at, Osiris, Ptah, Ra and Thoth)( Pearson History book page 152). Amun was very important god because was considered as the father of the pharaohs. He was the god of the wind and the king of the gods. Also we was the god of everything. Amun was represented by many animals. People build temples because it was like a sacred place so they would be good for the people and in return they would get food, good life and in the end an afterlife.

(http://www.slideshare.net/ashleeg/ancient-egypts-7-most-important-gods-and-goddesses)

The permanent settlements were one of the eight characteristics that made the empire very stable.

The permanent settlements were very important because it determined the way that the empire work and was controlled. The cities are along the Nile river because Ancient Egyptians needed first of all water to survive and then it was used for transport so it was a way to trade with other cities in the ancient egypt empire or even with other empires. Many times they had to move or re-build them again because of the floods. Next to the river the field were better for the agriculture because after the floods the river as result the place would build up of deposits over the time what make the agriculture easier so it would grow faster and more quantity. Agriculture was the most important activity in the empire that way they first settled in the same place. The houses were not very big or develop because the most important were the activities and also because only the top classes had fancy houses the others that were the poors had really bad houses. ( Pearson History Page 148). The most important agricultural city at Merimda Beni Salama, had about 180,000 square meters and had population for 1,000 years, until about 4000 BC. In the city the main activity was agriculture but people combined hunting and fishing with animal husbandry and the cultivation of crops such as barley, wheat and flax, and would have lived in simple huts built from poles covered with reeds. Later they constructed strong oval houses with mud-covered walls in which a hearth and a stone slab for grinding grain were the main features.

(http://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/merimda-beni-salama/)

The village had areas with workshops and public work. Predynastic villages were villages that result from permanent occupation with a build-up of deposits of the river floods. All of this is very important because the empire wouldn’t work that well if there were not that many resources or ways to make the empire developed. The location of the settlements was really good because gave them transport, water and way to trade for resources. There were resources enough and everyone worked really hard but religion influence so there was a peacuful empire and there were no many fight between people in the same empire. Abydos and Hierakopolis were the first cities in ancient Egypt. Hierakopolis is the foundation ancient egypt society.

(http://www.hierakonpolis-online.org/)

Writing and Records

Writing and Records were one of the eight characteristics of civilization, which helped establish the Ancient Egyptian empire. Keeping records, was the method to create an organised social system, which provided the emperor with control and power over others. Writing was the most efficient way to communicate information related to the administration of the country and the productivity of the working class. Scribes had the most vital job in egyptian society, they wrote records of everything that was of importance to the Pharaoh’s ruling of the empire. One of their most important tasks included “writing reports and recording statistics about food production and harvests” (Pearson History, Book 7, page 147) This benefit the society, because it allowed improvements in the planning of crops, through the increase or decrease of production. Past records provided the government with an overview of tax income and helped them identify new tax sources and see how much taxes the population had to pay. If taxes were raised this meant food production would increase because taxes were usually paid in goods and labour. ( "Writing." Ancient Egypt. The British Museum, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/home.html>. ) Writing helped the Pharaoh and his government gain respect and raise his position in the eyes of the lower social classes even more, because those who could write, the scribes, were said to have a connection with and represent “...Thoth, the god of learning and writing.” (Pearson History, Book 7, page 147), one of the many gods the ancient Egyptians believed in.

Organized Government

Organised government was the foundation of the establishment of the Egyptian empire. It formed the infrastructure of the autocratic civilization. The government had an absolutist structure, where the Pharaoh had complete power, because ancient Egyptian society was a theocracy, the Pharaoh was seen as son of the god Re, therefore “his word was law” (Rayment, W. J. "Early Ancient Egypt." InDepthInfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/early-egypt.htm>.) The system of the government contributed to the development of the civilization, because it organized society into social classes and administered everyone a specific task to complete, in order to help the government rule the country. Upper and lower Egypt were both divided into approximately 20 states, called nomes. Each nome was ruled by a governor, the nomarch, who was selected by the Pharaoh and inferior to the vizier. The people working on the land were slaves. The middle class lived in cities and towns and only worked if necessary to serve the needs of the administrative class. (Rayment, W. J. "Early Ancient Egypt." InDepthInfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/early-egypt.htm>.) Law in Ancient Egypt was harsh and a wrongdoing would bring disgrace over the whole family. The punishments were made to match the crime committed. Some of the punishments were whipping and execution. ("The Ancient Egypt Government." Ancient Egypt Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-government.html>.) Even though, society was clearly split into several social classes, everyone was treated equally when it came to law and punishment. This enabled the Pharaoh to stay in control of the population, even his closest advisors. "Law and Order." Pharaonic Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/law_and_order/>.

Art and architecture were one of the characteristics that helped to build the Egyptian Empire. These characteristics helped to unify and control Egypt and make an empire out of it. First to get a start, there was the belief and religion that inspired the Architects and artist because they could show their religion with buildings and art. The pyramids and big sculptures all around the cities are a good example because for strangers it was a sign that the city had a controlled power and people had belief. Also “Most of the Egyptian paintings included the daily lifestyle where the pharaoh for example was drawn as the biggest in the centre of the art piece and made him stand out positively so the citizens would admire and follow their leader.” (Donn, Mr. "Pyramids & Tombs - Ancient Egypt for Kids." Pyramids & Tombs - Ancient Egypt for Kids. Mr Donn, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.- http://egypt.mrdonn.org/pyramids.html) Another reason why architecture contributed in the growth of the Egyptian Empire was because people needed homes and wanted company so they build more and more houses next to each other and like this little villages and later cities grew.

Overall, art and architecture took a big part in the growth of the Egyptian Empire, it “helped to present and represent their power and belief in the cities” ("Ancient Egypt: Art." Ancient Egypt: Art. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.- http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/EGYPT/art.html)

Public works contributed to the rise of the Egyptian empire in a big way. While the cities were growing bigger, the societies grew as well. People slowed down the hunting and providing water and materials for themselves a bit. Also each village or city had their own religion that they wanted to show and present. That’s where public works started to get mainly used. All the temples,pyramids,tombs and monuments were standing for the leader of the city or pharaoh which means at the same time they were to represent the citizens. Also all the people went into the temples to pray so it was a public work because it got used by more people who had build a community. But there were also other places around Print.the city that were used for the public society or that helped the citizens to become a society. Especially roads, ports, irrigation systems, water canals and markets places offered important steps to make Egypt an empire. The roads and ports helped to provide access to other cities or even countries and to be able to trade and transport. The irrigation systems were mainly used close to rivers. “When the floodwaters dropped, millions of tonnes of rich, black soil had been carried by water” (p.134-135. The Gifts of the Nile. Addison, Penny, Barry Cohen, and Kaye De Petro. Pearson History 7: Student Book. Page .Port Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia, 2011.) THe irrigation systems were important for farmers because the soil helped the ground to get fertile for farming and like that the farmers were able to sell more goods (crops, wheat…) on the markets and with trading. Markets were not only helpful for the supply of agricultural food, they were also very helpful for the supply of other groceries, furniture, medicine, tools, raw materials and other goods. Lastly, the raw material that was used could only be provided through public works because streets and ports were the easiest way to transport goods and materials from one point to another. Public works were a big contribution for the build up of the Egyptian empire, it supported and helped the civilisation to become a community and gave people a basic support to live and develop.

Timeline of Ancient Egypt

Henry, Laura. "The Nile River's Importance to the Egyptians." Study Mode. Mrs. Stevens, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Nile-River's-Importance-To-The-425364.html>.

Warren, John Warren. "An Overview of the Cities and Towns of Ancient Egypt." An Overview of the Cities and Towns of Ancient Egypt. Jimmy Dunn, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cities.htm>.

Dunn, Jimmy. "Mixed Representations of Ancient Egyptian Gods." Mixed Representations of Ancient Egyptian Gods. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mixed.htm>.

"Ancient Egypt: Art." Ancient Egypt: Art. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/EGYPT/art.html

Thomas P. Campbell. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Egypt in the Late Period (ca. 712–332 B.C.). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lapd/hd_lapd.htm (art and architecure)

"Ancient Egyptian Pyramids." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, 2000. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/pyramids.htm (art and architecture)

Breasted, James Henry. "Metals: Sources, Technologies, Uses." Ancient Egyptian Raw Materials: Metals. Ancient Egyptian Raw Materials: Metals, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/trades/metals.htm

Donn, Mr. "Pyramids & Tombs - Ancient Egypt for Kids." Pyramids & Tombs - Ancient Egypt for Kids. Mr Donn, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

http://egypt.mrdonn.org/pyramids.html (architecture)

"Writing." Ancient Egypt. The British Museum, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/home.html>. (Writing and Records)

Rayment, W. J. "Early Ancient Egypt." InDepthInfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/early-egypt.htm>. (Organized Government)

"The Ancient Egypt Government." Ancient Egypt Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-government.html>. (Organized Government)

Ormeling, Rinus. "Join Academia.edu & Share Your Research with the World." Craft Specialization & Labour Organization in Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.academia.edu/224303/Craft_specialization_and_Labour_organization_in_Egypt>.

"Ancient Egypt: Daily Life." Ancient Egypt Daily Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://egyptquest.wordpress.com/jobs

/>.

"Job Specialization of Ancient Egypt." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://prezi.com/ptsd9zw9celu/job-specialization-of-ancient-egypt/>.

"Great Pyramid Tombs Unearth 'proof' Workers Were Not Slaves." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/11/great-pyramid-tombs-slaves-egypt>.

"Job Specialization - Ancient Egyptopedia." Job Specialization - Ancient Egyptopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. <https://sites.google.com/site/ancientegyptopedia/social-structure/job-specializatio

n>.

"The Status of Women in Egyptian Society." The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. <http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/womneg.htm>.

"Ancient Egyptian Timeline." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. <http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_egypt/timeline.htm>.

Works Cited

Shemu - March to May - Season of Harvest. One of the three farming seasons.

Shemu. Digital image. Cow of Gold. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. <https://cowofgold.wikispaces.com/Shemu>.

Maat, the goddess of the the World Order.

Bodsworth, Jon. Maat, Tomb of Nefertari. Digital image. Pharaonic Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. <http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/index.html>.

Public Works

Pyramid of the Social Classes in Ancient Egypt. Digital image. Reading Community Schools. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.readingschools.org/olc/page.aspx?id=15091&s=293>.

Job Specialization

Art and Architecture

"Ancient Egypt - Characteristics of a Society." Ancient Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2014. <http://ancientegypt916.weebly.com/>.

Hill, Jenny. "Gods of Ancient Egypt: Amun." Gods of Ancient Egypt: Amun. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2014. <http://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/amun.html>.

Historical Maps

Permanent Settlements