Ancient EgyptThe Nile Valley

Chapter 2, Section 1World History

Mrs. Thompson

What is Egypt famous for?

Pharoahs, mummies, pyramids and tombs

Deserts and sand

River Nile

l

Egypt is in the continent of Africa.

The River Nile runs through Egypt

The capital of Egypt is Cairo

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A View of Egypt by Satellite

A View of Egypt by Satellite

The Egyptian civilization began in the fertile Nile River Valley, where natural

barriers stopped invaders

Between 6000 B.C. and 5000 B.C., groups of hunter-gatherers

moved into the fertile Nile River Valley and settled to become the

earliest Egyptians . They called they land “The Gift of

the Nile”

Egypt was warm and sunny but received little rainfall.

The Fertile Nile Valley

The Fertile Nile Valley

The Annual Flooding of the Nile

The Annual Flooding of the Nile

Egyptians relied on the Nile.They called it their “precious gift”

Source of water for drinking,

bathing, farming, cooking, and cleaning

It provided food such as fish

and supported plantsAnd animal life

The Nile is the world’s longest river!

The Nile is about 4,000 Miles long and

flows north to the Mediterranean Sea

The Nile beginsas 2 rivers

Blue Nile East Africa mountains

White Nile Central Africa marshes

These two Rivers join to

form the Nile River just south of Egypt

Th

e N

ile R

iver

A great length of the river flows over narrow cliffs and

boulders to form wild rapids called cataracts

Before it reaches theMediterranean Sea, The Nile branches into tributaries that fan outOver an area of fertile soil called the delta.

On a map, the Nile resembles the stem of a

flower and the delta looks like a flower blossom.

To the east is the Eastern Desert

which stretches to the Red Sea

To the west is the

Sahara Desert,the largest

desertin the world.

Ancient Egyptians called the desert

“the Red Land”

Deserts formed a barrier which kept outside armies away from

Egypt.

Geographic

features

which protected Egypt

Deserts to the east and west

Dangerous cataracts in south which

blocked enemy boats from

reaching Egypt

Delta marshes in north which offered no harbors for invaders

approaching from the

sea.

Unlike Mesopotamians

Egyptians maintained friendly contacts with the various groups settled along the Nile River Valley.

Unlike Mesopotamiangeography, the protective

barriers kept them safe andallowed Egyptian civilization

to grow and prosper.

Despite their isolation, the Mediterranean Sea

and the Red Sea offered the Egyptians an outlet for trading with people

outside Egypt.

People used the Nile for trade and transportation

Winds from the north pushed their sailboats south.

The flow of the river pushed their sailboats north.

The Egyptians depended on the

Nile’s floods to grow

their crops

Flooding of the Nile River

DependabilityMore dependable AND gentle than the Tigris and Euphrates

(Egyptians were better farmers)

Source of Flooding

Heavy rains from central Africa

Melting snows from the highlands of east Africa

Flooding Season

July to October

When the waters of the Nile recede, a layer of dark, fertile mud is deposited on the land

Egyptians called land “Kemet” or “Black Land”

Egyptians took advantage of Nile’s flooding to be successful farmers.

Egyptian farmers planted grain: wheat, barley, and flax seeds.

Their wide use of irrigation made Egyptian farmers successful.

Egyptian irrigation

Digging basinsand bowl-shaped

holes to holdwater.

Digging canals tocarry water from

the basins tofields beyond

the river’s reach

Building levees toform walls around

basins

Shadoof

Geometry

Papyrus

Far

min

g A

dvan

cem

entsA bucket attached

to a long pole to lift water into

the basins

To survey or measurethe land to

establish boundaries

A reed plant that grewalong the Nile to make

baskets, sandals, river rafts, and paper.

Nile Irrigation-the Shaduf

Nile Irrigation-the Shaduf

Papyrus PaperPapyrus Paper

Papyrus PlantPapyrus Plant

Hieratic Scroll Piece

Hieratic Scroll Piece

What was Hieroglyphic?Written on:Made up of:Symbols stood for:1.2.3.Carved into:Who learned to read and write:What was their job?What gave historians the ability to

read hieroglyphic?

Steps to making paper from Papyrus:

1. Cut stalks of the plant into narrow strips.

2. Soak the strips and pound them flat.

3. Air dry the strips to stiffen them.

4. Join the strips together to form a roll.

Like Mesopotamians, Egyptians a developed writing systemEgyptian writing was called hieroglyphics Egyptians used papyrus rolls as writing

paperIt was made up of thousands of picture

symbols.Egyptians used papyrus rolls as writing

paper

24 “letters” + 700 phonetic

symbols

24 “letters” + 700 phonetic

symbolsSome symbols stood for objects or ideas and some symbols stood for sounds.

Scribes carved hieroglyphics into stone walls and monuments.

Few Egyptians learned to read and write.

Some Egyptian men went to special schools to become scribes.

Scribes kept records and worked for the rulers, priests, and traders.

Hieroglyphic

“Cartouche”

Hieroglyphic

“Cartouche”

Champollion & the Rosetta Stone

Champollion & the Rosetta Stone

Egyptian MathEgyptian Math

What number is this?

What number is this?

1 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

A United Egypt:Around 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two major

kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt were

combined into one.

Som e b ecam e artisans (craftsm en)b ecause they w ere ab le to w orkat o ther th ings instead farm ing

Skillfu l farm ingled to surp luses

o f fo od

E gy ptians trad ed w ith each otherand M esop otam ia

w here they learned id eas aboutw riting and governm ent,

A rtisans w ove clothm ade potterycarved statues

shaped copper into w eapons and tools

Connect toMesopotam ia

What created the need for government?

Advances in farming, crafts, and trade created need for government

Government directedactivities

Storingand

rationinggrain

Building and

maintainingIrrigation

system

SettlingDisputes over

Landownership

By 4000 B.C., Egypt was made up of two large kingdoms:

Lower Egypt in

the Nile Delta

to the northUpper Egypt

At the Mouth of The Nile in

the south

About 3100 B.C., the 2 kingdoms became one

Narmer of Upper Egypt, known as King Menes, led his armies to take control of Lower Egypt and created a unified Egypt.

He ruled from Memphis and wore a double crown of red and white to symbolize unity of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Menes: Unifier of Upper & Lower Egypt

Menes: Unifier of Upper & Lower Egypt

Narmer’s family inherited power to rule and passed it down from father to son through a line of rulers to form a dynasty

Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 different dynasties

Historians group Egypt’s dynasties into 3 main periods: Old, middle, and new kingdoms

Early Egyptian Life:

Egyptian society was divided into social groups based on

wealth and power

Egyptian society was highly structured and divided into different social classes, each

with certain responsibilities and lifestyles.httwww.classzone.com/cz/books/ms_wh_survey/resources/html/animations/wh04_egyptsocial.htmlp://

Upper Class

WhoNobles, priests, government

officials

LocationCities and large estates along

the Nile

HousingElegant homes, beautiful

gardens, and pools filled with fish

Work

Little physical work – had servantsRuled and conducted religious ceremonies,

ClothingWhite linen clothes, eye

makeup, jewelry

Egyptian NobilityEgyptian Nobility

An Egyptian Woman’s “Must-Haves”

An Egyptian Woman’s “Must-Haves”

PerfumePerfume

WhigsWhigs

MirrorMirror

Egyptian Priestly ClassEgyptian Priestly Class

Middle Class

WhoTraders, artisans, shopkeepers, scribes, and farmers (largest group)

Location Smaller villages along Nile

HousingHomes smaller than upper class

nobles

Work

Important group were artisans who produced linen cloth,

jewelry, pottery, and metal goods. Grew the food.

Clothing Dressed in simple clothes

Ancient Egyptian Housing

Ancient Egyptian HousingMiddle Class

HomesMiddle Class Homes

Peasant Homes

Peasant Homes

Egyptian ScribeEgyptian Scribe

Lower Class

Who Unskilled workers

Location Crowded city neighborhoods

Housing Small mud-brick homes with dirt floors

Men

Women

Men did physical labor like loading cargo on boats, making and stacking mud bricks

Women dried fruit, made bread, and wove cloth

Worked and slept on their rooftops

Clothing Very simple clothes

Scenes of Ancient EgyptianDaily Life

Scenes of Ancient EgyptianDaily Life

Father headed the family

Egyptian women had more rights thanfemales in most other

early civilizations

Own and pass on property

Buy and sell goods

Make wills and get divorces

Upper-class women were in charge of temples and could perform religious ceremonies

Few children went to school

Children played with Board games, dolls,

Spinning tops,And leather balls

mothers taughtdaughters to sew,

cook, and runa house

Fathers taught sons farming orskilled trades