I.  Importance of the Nile River
    A. other features of Egyptian geography and its effects on culture
    B. historical evidence for the study of Egypt

II. Major periods of Egyptian History
    A. Archaic  3100-2686 B. C.

    B. Old Kingdom  2686-2181 B. C. --  Pyramid Building Begins

    C. Middle Kingdom  2133-1603 B.C. --  Civil War
    D. New Kingdom  1567-1085 B. C.  --  Prosperity and Warfare
    E. Late Period  1085-525 B.C. -- Egypt  incorporated into the Assyrianand Persian Empire, and later fell to Alexander the Great.

       i.   first dynasty -- Narmer (Menes)
            unified Upper (south) and Lower Egypt (north)
III.  The Old Kingdom   (third - sixth dynasties)
    A. rigid bureaucracy headed by kings
       i. Pharaoh  seen as Divine ruler of all Egypt
       ii.  Osiris of the underworld, living Horus on earth
      


    B. power of kings led to building pyramids and the cult of the pharaoh
       i.  the importance of the afterlife
       ii.  mumification
    C. Possible Methods of Pyramid Construction
       i.  The Step Pyramid Complex of Djoser (Zoser) at Sakkarah --
    
       ii.  The great pyramids at Giza
          a. Why did Egyptians build the pyramids?
          b. current research on the pyramids
          c. inner construction
          d.  cost of pyramids to Egyptian society
             i.   rising power of the priests
             ii.  collapse of Old kingdom

IV.  The Middle Kingdom (6 - 18th dynasties) - pharaohs restored order
    A. Civil War:
        i. Memphis
    B. reunited by 12th dynasty
        i. expansion
        ii. dominance of Thebes
          a. development of Amon-Re
    C. Hyksos invasion

V.  The New Kingdom -- begins with the 18th dynasty
    A.  adoption of Hyksos weapons & the defeat of the Hyksos
    B.  reunification of Upper and Lower Egypt
    C.  Characterized by military conquest  
        i. Thutmose I
        ii. Hatshepsut - first female ruler of Egypt (daughter of Thutmose I, wife of Thutmose II, stepmother of Thutmose III.)   

        iii. Thutmose III --expanded empire -- 17 successful military campaigns

    D.  Amenhotep IV ( Akhenaton   )
        i. appraisal of his reign
        ii.  loss of frontiers to Hittites
        iii. The Amarna Period :
          a. monotheism in the ancient world
          b.  his capital at Akhetaton
          c.  the art of his era:


        iv. The aftermath:
          a. his image, temples and religion destroyed by his son-in-law
             Tutankhamen.
          b. The legacy of Tutankhamon
             i. his original name
             ii. his tomb 
                discovered in 1922 --  Howard Carter    Flinders Petrie

    E. Ramses II
       i.  The Great Temple of Abu Simbel     
       ii. the Ramesseum
       iii. the Great Hyppostyle Hall
       iv. warrior: the conquest of Asia
       v. pharaoh of the exodus

VI. The collapse of Egypt
        A.  The People of the Sea -- 1200 B.C.
         B.  The Assyrians -- 7th B.C.
         C.  The Persians -- 525 B.C.
         D.  Alexander the Great -- 331 B.C.