Egypt

Egypt Timeline
3500 B.C.- People began to settle in the Nile valley. They farmed the land, kept animals, and built permanent homes on the banks of the Nile. 3100 B.C.-- Narmer unified Upper and Lower Egypt 2700 B.C- The first stone pyramid built in ancient Egypt was the 'Step Pyramid'. It was made by building several 'steps' or layers of stone on top of each other. 2600 B.C.Khufu's pyramid The largest of the three stone pyramids of Giza was built for the pharaoh Khufu . It stands 147 metres high and its estimated weight is about 6,500,000 tonnes. Khafra's pyramid The second of the Giza pyramids was built for the pharaoh Khafra. It was built on higher ground than Khufu's pyramid, so it looks taller than Khufu's pyramid, but it is actually shorter. The Great Sphinx The Great Sphinx is a large statue carved out of stone. It is located near Khafra's pyramid on the Giza plateau. The Great Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a human. Menkaura's pyramid The smallest of the three pyramids at Giza was built for the pharaoh Menkaura (called Mycerinus by the Greeks).

Egypt Timeline 2
2200 B.C.- In about 2200 B.C. the government in ancient Egypt collapsed and many people fought to become the ruler of ancient Egypt. For about 150 years, Upper and Lower Egypt had different rulers. 1600 B.C.- Ahmose was a pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt from 1550 B.C. to 1525 B.C.. In about 1550, Ahmose threw the Hyksos out of Egypt and became pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. 1473 B.C.- Hatshepsut was a pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt from 1473 B.C. to 1458 B.C.. Hatshepsut came to power because her step-son (Thutmosis III) was too young to take the throne. 1336 B.C.- King Tut was a pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt for only nine years (1336 B.C. to 1327 B.C.)

Egypt Timeline 3
728 B.C.- Piy was the first Nubian to conquer ancient Egypt, and began the 25th dynasty. Nubian kings continued to rule over ancient Egypt until about 664 B.C. 669 B.C.- The Assyrians came from Mesopotamia. They conquered Egypt in 669 B.C., and controlled the country until 525 B.C. 525 B.C.- The Persians came from the Near East. They conquered Egypt in 525 B.C. and controlled the country until 332 B.C. 332 B.C. - Alexander the Great conquered Egypt 300 A.D.-Last use of hieroglyphic writing 642 A.D.- Egypt conquered by Arabs

Ancient Egyptian Culture

Religion
-polytheistic beliefs and rituals -erected monuments/temples for gods.

Innovations/Advances
-papyrus, ramp and lever, geometry, mathematics and astronomy -pyramids erected for rulers

Social Class
-caste system: upper, middle, lower

Highly devoted to homeland (Egypt)

Modern Egyptian Culture

Islam governs daily life -politically, socially, and economically Religious practices include: (Five pillars of Islam) - Shahada-There is only one god (Allah) and that Muhammad is the Gods messenger - Salat (prayer) five times a day at specified times -Zakat (almsgiving) -Sawm (fasting) during Ramadan holy month) -Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)

Modern Egyptian Culture cont.

Family
significant unit in Egyptian society -each person is subordinate
-

Honor
-respect for ones self and neighbors required -dress according to social rank -honor and reputation intertwined

Social Class -born into social class

-dictates daily life -determined by family background than monetary value

Egyptian Customs
Greetings -based on individuals social class and religion
-handshakes among individuals of same sex -kiss on cheek once personal relations established

Dress
-conservative
-women cover most of body (long shirt/skirt and wear hijab). -men wear long pants or throbe.

Economy
Population- 84 million people GDP (PPP) $519 billion 1.8% growth 5.1% 5 year compound annual growth $6,540 per capital Unemployment 12.2% Inflation (CPI) 11.1%

Economic Freedom

Government
Government- Republic President: Adli Mansour (interim; 2013) Prime Minister: Hazem el-Beblawy (interim; 2013) Well over 30 different registered political parties

Goverment

Adli Mansour

Hazem Beblawy

Current Events in Egypt

August 2013 According to CNN, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led an attack on protesters in Egypt where at least 580 people died as well as 4000 injured US has been supplying weapons and supplies to Egypts military, so these attacks were likely supplied with US weapons

Egypts Crime against humanity

Obama states that this action is a crime against humanity and the United States will cut off all aid to Egypt. The International Criminal Court defines a crime against humanity in the following way:
Any of the following acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack: murder persecution against an identifiable group on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, or gender grounds and other inhuman acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering or serious bodily or mental injury. International Criminal Court

Oil Dependency
CNN also discusses a US oil company based in Egypt that has struck up a partnership with a China company. Our oil-reliant society would be nothing without the oil that is provided by countries such as Egypt with the raw materials. This company supplies 100,000 barrels of oil a day.

What these events mean to us?

Egypt is more to the United States than a tourist location where we can view the pyramids, its culture and events have far reaching implications here in our country. More than just being dependent on their resources, the events that occur in Egypt stand to impact our countrys financial stability as well as our fight for worldwide democracy.

References
Miks, Jason. "Have Crimes against Humanity Been Committed in Egypt?" CNN. N.p., 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. Hargreaves, Steve. "China Partners with U.S. Oil Firm in Egypt." CNN. N.p., 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. Kwintessential. Egypt-Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette. Kwitessential. Web. 28 Sept. 2013 Hasan, Suhaib. Why Do We Pray. Sandhannu, Web, 28 Sept 2013. British Museum. Explore/World Cultures. The British Museum, Web, 28 Sept. 2013. Mark, Joshua A. Egyptian Culture. A Ancient Encyclopedia History, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Sept.

References
"Egypt." Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption. The Heritage Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. "Profile: Interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour." BBC News. BBC, 07 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. "Egypt Shouldn't Ban Brotherhood PM." News24. PRIME MERIDIAN DIRECT, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.news24. com/Africa/News/Egypt-shouldnt-ban-BrotherhoodPM-20130828>.

Reference
"Menu." Menu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. <http: //www.ancientegypt.co.uk/time/explore/main-time.html>.