Egyptians

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Egyptians
3,200-1,000 B.C.
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• GeographyEgypt is located
• along the Nile River.

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a. Yearly flooding left rich deposits of silt
(fertile soil from the riverbed) for crop
growing.
FLOOD
Yearly Cycle
HARVEST
PLANT
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• B. Besides water for
• drinking, what else did the
• Nile provide Egyptians
• with?
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.

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C. This river highway allowed contact with other
cultures causing trade and cultural
diffusion (i.e., Sumerians and Nubians)
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D. Egyptian Empire was surrounded by deserts
(Eastern and Western Desert).
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1. Negative--Kept Egyptians tied to river and
limited contact to those along the Nile.
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2. Positive--Kept invaders out. NATURAL
BARRIER! 
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• II.   Economy
• Farming
• Tradewith Sumerians and
• other African kingdoms

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III. PharoahsEgyptian God- Kings A.
TheocracyGovt in which the ruler
is believed to be a god or a
representative of the god(s).
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B. Pharaohs were considered to be
representatives of the gods. 1.
They controlled religion, government
and military.
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IV. Social Life
Pharoahs/Royal Family
Upper Class
Middle Class Merchants and Artisans
Peasant farmers Unskilled laborers Slaves
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1. Egyptians did not have a rigid class
structure. You could change your social
class through hard work.
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2. PolytheisticEgyptians believed in over
2,000 gods and goddesses. Ra Sun
God
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V. Contributions and
Achievements 1. Hieroglyphicssystem of
writing using pictures and symbols.
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b. Papyruspaper made from reeds that grew in
the marshy Nile delta.
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2. Mathematicsaddition, subtraction,
geometry
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3. Pyramidstombs for pharaohs
Pyramids at Giza
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4. Calendar365 day yearly calendar (only off
by 6 hours)
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5. Medicineperformed surgery and set broken
bones successfully.