Ancient Egypt

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Ancient Egypt

• Chapter 3, Section 1
• The Geography of the Nile
• TN SPI 6.1.6, 6.2.3

2
Objectives

• Find out how the geography of the Nile changes as
  the river runs its course.
• Learn about the types of communities that first
  appeared along the Nile, and how the Nile was
  used for trade.

3
Key Terms

• Nubia an ancient region in the Nile River
  Valley
• Cataract a large waterfall a strong rush of
  water - rapids
• Delta a plain at the mouth of a river formed
  when sediment is deposited by flowing water
• Silt fine soil found on river bottoms

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The Nile River

• The Nile is the worlds longest river flowing
  over 4,000 miles from its sources in East Africa
  to the Mediterranean Sea. (distance from New York
  to Alaska)
• The Nile has two main sources
• The Blue Nile
• The White Nile
• The two rivers meet in the present-day country of
  Sudan, and makes its journey through desert lands
  to the Mediterranean Sea.
• The Nile flows from the south to the north. (pg.
  67)

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The Nile River

• The Blue Nile begins in present-day Ethiopia and
  races down to the desert in thundering torrents.
• The White Nile is calmer. It begins in East
  Africa and flows northward through swamps.
• The Nile has several cataracts or large
  waterfalls and empties into several streams
  forming a delta into the Mediterranean Sea.

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Nile River
Blue Nile
White Nile
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Black Land and Red Land

• Egyptians called the fertile land around the Nile
  the black land.
• Vast deserts on each side of the river were
  called the red lands.
• Most of the Sahara desert lay to the west.
• The Eastern Desert lay to the east.
• These lands protected Egypt, because they were
  not friendly to human life.

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NORTH

• The Nile flowed 700
• miles through ancient Egypt.

• Lower Egypt (North)
• Fertile, marshy land, deserts
• stretched on each side
• of the rivers green banks

SOUTH

• Upper Egypt (South)
• Fertile land stretching
• six miles on each side of the river

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Highway for Trade

• The Nile River was used to transport goods.
  Ships could travel north moving downriver.
• They could also sail south with the help of
  southerly winds.
• Trade links ran east across the desert to the Red
  Sea or to Mesopotamia.
• These routes across land were called Overland
  Routes.

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Nubia

• To the south of Egypt was Nubia, also located on
  the Nile River.
• The Nubians became famous traders in the ancient
  world.
• Nubian caravans often with 300 or more donkeys
  traveled to Egypt.
• Ebony wood, ivory tusks, ostrich eggs and
  feathers, panther skins, and boomerangs