Ancient Egypt

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Ancient Egypt
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Time Line
A.D.
B.C.
500
500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
3500
270 B.C. Meroitic Period In Kush
2625 B.C. Old Kingdom Begins
1539 B.C. New Kingdom Begins
730 B.C. Nubian Dynasty Rules Egypt
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Geography of Northern Africa
Vocabulary
A grassy plain with many trees and animals.
savanna
Low land formed at the mouth of some rivers
by the silt the river drops there.
delta
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cataracts
A series of rapids and waterfalls.
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The Nile Valley
During the Old Stone Age, the Paleolithic period,
the area we know today as the Sahara Desert was
a savanna. The people living there were
hunters and gatherers.
Around 5000 B.C., the climate began to change and
the Sahara began to dry. Animals left and plants
died.
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People were not able to survive in the harsh
desert and began to move into the Nile River
Valley.

• The Nile River Valley has fertile land
• along each side of the river.

• It is the worlds longest river.

• The river flows northward for more
• than 4,000 miles from its main source
• at Lake Victoria in central Africa.

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The river flows to the Mediterranean Sea where
the Nile Delta is formed.
The land around the river is higher at the
beginning of the river and lower near the mouth
of the river.
The ancient people called the higher land in the
south Upper Egypt.
The land in the north, the delta area, was called
Lower Egypt.
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• Lower Egypt was made up
• mainly of the Nile Delta.

• The delta forms a huge triangle at
• the mouth of the river. Long ago the
• river broke up into many branches, but
• today there are only two.

• High cliffs surrounded the Nile in
• Upper Egypt. In some places there
• was a narrow strip of flat fertile land
• between the cliffs and the river.

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• The cliffs are made of
• limestone and sandstone.

• Farther south, in the area once known
• as Nubia, the cliffs are made of granite.

• The river hasnt been able to cut a clear
• path through the hard granite and runs
• through cataracts, a series of rapids
• and waterfalls.

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Upper and Lower Egypt

• Both had rich soil.

• The land was perfect for growing crops.

• People were able to settle around the
• river and farm instead of hunting and
• gathering.

Sound Familiar ?
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Black Land
Each year heavy rains in central Africa caused
the river to overflow its banks. When the
floodwaters drained away, a rich silt remained.
The silt was a natural fertilizer.
The dark soil was called Kemet meaning black
land.
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Black Land
The Ancient Egyptians believed their god Hapi
caused the yearly flooding.
The yearly flooding continued until the Aswan
Dam was built in 1972. Now the people use pumps,
canals, and chemical fertilizer to keep the
land suitable for farming.
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Red Land
The dry, barren lands of the Sahara were known as
Deshuret, or the Red Land.
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The Nile River cuts the eastern part of the
Sahara in two.
The land on the west side of the river is called
the Western Desert.
The land on the east side of the river is called
the Arabian Desert.
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Farming in the Valley
Wealthy landowners controlled almost all of the
farmland.
Farmers rented and the owners took part of the
crop as payment.
Typical crops included wheat, barley, onions,
lettuce, and beans.
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• Farmers also raised cattle, goats, sheep,
• and pigs for food.
• Meat
• Milk products including cheese
• Beef mainly for the wealthy
• Most could only afford beef for
• special days, so they caught fish or
• used nets to catch geese or ducks.

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• Plants and animals were important for
• more than just food.

• Fibers of flax plant used to spin
• linen thread
• Sheeps wool woven into cloth
• Leather continers, sacks, shoes
• Other plants sandals, boxes,
• tabletops

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Think
Describe the Nile River.
Why was the flooding of the Nile River so
important to the Egyptians?
What is the difference between the Black Land and
the Red Land?
How might Egypt have developed if the Sahara had
not dried and become a desert?
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Importance of ...
The Nile was know as the giver of life. It united
the populous of Egypt into one Nation-State.
the Nile River
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Vocabulary
Nation-state
A region with a single government and a
united group of people.
To be able to tell ahead of time.
predict
inundation
Yearly flood in Ancient Egypt.
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afterlife
Life after death
nome
Towns that were capitals of city-states.
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Giver and Taker of Life

• The Nile River affected all Egyptian
• activities.
• Farming
• Religious Beliefs
• Ways of Governing

The Nile was called the Giver of Life and
helped bring the people together.
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• The Nile became a river highway.
• Ancient Egyptians became expert
• shipbuilders.
• The first ships were made of reeds.
• Later ships were made of wooden
• planks,and some were 60 feet long.

• Boats going downriver (north) could
• use the strong current to travel.
• Boats going upriver (south) used sails
• to catch the steady north wind.

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Concerns About the Nile

• Light rains upriver - no overflow
• Land baked in the sun crops died

• Too much rain at rivers source
• Wild flooding
• Crops washed away
• People and animals drowned

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Source of Innovation

• Common problems helped unite the
• Ancient Egyptians.
• They were able to predict when
• the yearly floods (inundation) would
• come.
• To keep track of this event they
• created a 365 day calendar based
• on the sun.

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Three Seasons
The Egyptians divided the year into three seasons
based on the rivers actions. Inundation the
start of the new year Emergence land
emerged from beneath the water Harvest
the time when crops were ready
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Inundation The land was made new by the
rich silt left by floodwaters.
Emergence Farmers planted using plows or
hoes to create furrows. They
dropped seeds and led cattle or other
animals through the fields to push the
seed into the ground.
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Harvest The final season. In most years
farmers would have a large crop.
Very little rain fell in Egypt. The hot, dry
climate was very harsh. The Ancient Egyptians
developed irrigation so they could water their
crops.
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During Emergence they trapped water in ponds to
use in case of drought. They also built dams
and dikes to hold back the river when there was
too much flooding. Canals were built to carry
excess water back to the river from the fields.
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Source of Religion
The Ancient Egyptians believed in many gods and
used stories about them to explain events in
nature.
They believed the sun was a god that was born
each day and died each night.
They believed religion was important to their
survival in the Nile River Valley.
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Egyptian gods
god of wisdom
Thoth
Hathor
goddess of love
ruled over the dead
Orisis
god of the river
Hapi
Amon-Re
the sun god (most important)
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Afterlife
The Egyptians prayed to their gods and believed
in life after death.
A book of prayers called The Book of the Dead was
placed in their tombs To be used as a guide in
the afterlife.
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Unified Egypt
About 5000 B.C. small farming villages grew up
along the Nile. As populations grew, villages
became towns. Some towns became capitals of
city- states called nomes. Leaders of
nomes competed for wealth and power.
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By around 3,500 B.C. the city-states joined
together forming two large kingdoms.
The kingdoms were known as the Two Lands.
(Upper Egypt Lower Egypt)
Around 3000 B.C. the Upper Egyptian Kings had
gained control of Lower Egypt. Uniting Egypt
marked the Beginning of the worlds first
nation-state, which lasted for 3,000 years.
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Who Really United the Two Kingdoms?
No one really knows. Legend says King Menes did.
Some experts think King Narmer did because in
artwork he is shown wearing a double crown that
combines the white crown of Upper Egypt and the
red crown of Lower Egypt.
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Think Time
How did the Nile bring people together?
What did the Egyptians do to control the river?
How did the Egyptians explain events in nature?
Why was uniting Egypt important?
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Early Egyptian Rule
3000 Years
Over 33 Dynasties
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Vocabulary - Lesson 3
dynasty
A series of rulers from the same family.
pharaoh
king
Important government official, advisor
vizier
commands
decrees
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Vocabulary - Lesson 3
hieroglyphics
Ancient system Of writing using over 700 symbols
papyrus
Paper made from reeds that grew along the Nile.
pyramid
A burial place for the dead
mummy
A preserved body
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Egypt's Early Period

• Egyptians called their kings pharaoh.
• The word pharaoh means great house
• and referred to the rulers palace.
• Pharaoh had total authority and was
• believed to be the son of Re, the sun
• god.
• Pharaoh was believed to be a link
• between man and the gods.

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Why did the Egyptian civilization last so long?

• The pharaoh was obeyed without
• question.
• The structure of the government
• didnt change.
• Viziers carried out the pharaohs
• decrees and took care of running
• the government.
• There were many officials to help
• govern Egypt.

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• Officials collected taxes, planned
• building projects, and enforced
• laws.

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How do we know about the early kings?

• Egyptians left written records.
• They developed hieroglyphics, a
• system of writing.

• more than 700 symbols
• most stood for sounds
• some stood for whole
• words or ideas

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• Scribes studied for years to learn
• hieroglyphics.
• They also learned math.
• A scribes job often involved tax
• collecting and record keeping.
• They wrote on stone and on papyrus.
• Books were scrolls rolls of papyrus
• joined end-to-end. Some were over
• 100 feet long.
• Scribes recorded Egyptian history.

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Three Main Divisions of Egyptian History
The Old Kingdom
2625 to 2130 B.C.
Great achievements in building
Intermediate period
The Middle Kingdom
1980 to 1630 B.C.
Changes in government, trade expanded, changes
in society
Intermediate period
1539 to 1075 B.C.
The New Kingdom
First full time army, empire expanded
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The Old Kingdom

• Dynasties 4- 8 ruled
• Pharaohs began to look outside of
• Egypt for resources
• Colony started in Nubia
• Traders sent south in Africa to find
• incense oils, ebony, ivory, other
• items
• Trade in Asia cedar wood silver

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Old Kingdom - Age of Pyramids

• Largest stone buildings in the world
• Built as a burial place for the dead
• Pyramids built for rulers and other
• important people
• Egyptians believed they would need
• their bodies in the afterlife.

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Are You My Mummy?

• Preserving a body took about 70 days
• All internal organs removed except the
• heart
• Organs placed in canopic jars
• Heart believed to be the home of the
• soul
• Body covered with natron a kind of
• salt
• Natron absorbed the water in the body

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• Body was rubbed with special oils
• wrapped in linen cloth
• Everything that a person might need
• was placed in the tomb with the body.

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Where Did My Mummy Go ?
The Egyptians believed the soul appeared before
the god Osiris and a group of judges. The dead
persons heart was placed on one side of a
scale and a feather (the feather of truth) was
placed on the other side.
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• A balanced scale meant the soul would
• live forever.
• An unbalanced scale meant the soul
• was heavy with sin.
• Egyptians believed the sinful soul
• would be eaten by an animal that
• was part crocodile, lion, and
• hippopotamus.

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The Pyramids
Imhotep, architect for King Zoser, built the
first stone tomb a step pyramid.
Egyptians believed that pharaoh went to Live with
Amon-Re, their most powerful God.
The step pyramid may have been Imhoteps way
to help the king climb the stairway to
heaven.
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The best known pyramids were built at Giza
beginning in about 2600 B.C.
The largest pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu.
The citizens of Egypt had to pay a labor tax by
working for the government. As many as 10,000
farmers worked on the pyramids during inundation.
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Workers cut and moved more than 2 million stone
blocks. Each block weighed about 5,000
pounds. The blocks were probably moved on
sleds. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is
about 480 feet high and covers 13 acres.
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Egyptian Way of Life
Clothing Women long sleeveless
dresses made of linen Men knee-length linen
skirts with or without short-sleeved shirts Men
Women wore jewelry and makeup Wealthy often
wore fancy wigs
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Houses made of mud brick had a shrine for
worship of household gods
Farmers worked for the government during
inundation.
Men artists, carpenters, builders, stonecutters
worked 10 days, off 1 day
They listened to music, sang, danced at
religious festivals parties.
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Women - in charge of household matters, didnt
hold government jobs
Some women were craft workers.
Most weavers were women.
Women could own property and had full legal
rights.
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Children were seen as gifts from the gods.
They played games such as leap frog, tug-of-war,
and wrestling.
Education Girls learned weaving household
skills from their mothers. Boys learned their
fathers trade. Upper class children learned
math, literature, and writing.
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Use Your Brain
Who controlled the land and people of ancient
Egypt?
Why did the Egyptians preserve their dead?
How did the Egyptian government get workers to
build the pyramids?
What were the periods between the three main
kingdoms called?