Geography of Ancient Egypt - Mr. Brown's Webpage - …heritagesocialstudies.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/0/7/... · 2015-12-10 · Nile River • Floods annually between June and October-average

Geography of Ancient Egypt




Nile River

• 4,000 miles long

• Two Nile Rivers: White and Blue Niles in

Ethiopia and Central Africa

• Flow affected by “Cataracts”-speed up the

flow by narrowing

Nile River

• Floods annually between June and

October-average flood depth of 45 feet

• Flood leaves rich deposits of soil on the

banks

• Nickname: “Gift of the Nile

Nile River

• Fertile strip on average only 12 miles

• Only major river which flows northward

• Divides Egypt into:

– Southern part = “Upper Egypt”

– Northern part = “Lower Egypt”

Nile River

• Egyptians learned to build sophisticated

irrigation systems to maximize the use of

the Nile

• Mouth of the Nile forms a wide delta as it

enters the Mediterranean Sea



NORTH

Delta - the fan-shaped

area at the mouth or

lower end of a river

formed by eroded

material that has been

carried downstream

and dropped in

quantities larger than

can be carried off by

tides or currents

Open access to Lower

Egypt




WEST

Northern Sahara Desert

No passage



EAST

Sinai Peninsula

Desert

Passable only

along the coast


SOUTHEAST

Red Sea

Trade passage


SOUTH

Eastern Sahara Desert

Nubia

6 stages of cataracts or

rapids


Cataracts

6 locations

Stop river travel












Topography

• Land has ample stone for building large

monuments

• No wood or other building products

• Lower Egypt was a savannah teeming with

wild animals

Climate of Egypt

• Frost-free climate allowing for year round

farming

• Receives only ½ inch of rain per year on

the average

• Temperatures are hot, up to 140 degrees

in the summer

Climate of Egypt

• Non-existent humidity = preservation of

artifacts

• Winds blow to the south from the

Mediterranean assisting in travel up the

river


Egyptian history is divided into six eras:

•Predynastic

•Old Kingdom

•1st Intermediate Period

•Middle Kingdom

•2nd Intermediate Period

•New Kingdom or Empire

•Greek Egypt

•Roman Egypt


Historical periods ruled by groups of

hereditary kings divided into 31

dynasties:

• Kings of Egypt known as “Pharoahs”

or “great houses”

• Kings considered gods- rule was

autocratic and religious (theoracy)


Historical periods ruled by groups of

hereditary kings divided into 31

dynasties:

• Kings usually married their sisters

• Dynastic rule produced 3,000 of

continuous rule with small interruptions


Dynasty-

family of

rulers

Old Kingdom

1st dynasty


New

Kingdom

17th and 18th

Dynasties


Pre-dynastic Egypt

1. Influenced by

Mesopotamia

2. Upper and Lower

Egypt united about

3,100 BC

3. First king of united

Egypt was Menes

or Narmer


4. Capital of united

Egypt was

Memphis

5. Pallete of Narmer

is one of first

historical

documents

Egypt

Documents

Geography of Ancient Egypt - Mr. Brown's Webpage - …heritagesocialstudies.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/0/7/... · 2015-12-10 · Nile River • Floods annually between June and October-average