Nile and the "two lands"
- upper egypr was a 500 mile strip of fertile land along the nile; lower egypt was wide land of nile delta, emptying into meditteranean sea
- nile was major providere of life for egyptians and much revered in lore and writing
- C. 3100 BC, two lands were united under single king or "pharaoh"
Government by God King
- Pharaoh all powerful, worshipped as gods and intimately connected to other major egyptian gods and godesses
- egyptians relied on harmony and balance off universe, which was "maat"
- pharaohs had multiple wives, often their sisters, and routes to financial and social success were through palace
- women could inherit money, land, divorce husband, though only a tiny few ever wielded real political power
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