Geography of Ancient Egypt: The Nile River

1
Geography of Ancient Egypt The Nile River
2

• Mysteries Of Egypt 1 www.keepvid.com.mp4

3
I. Cataracts

• A. At six places along the Niles winding
  course, stone cliffs and boulders force its
  waters through narrow channels.
• B. The rushing water forms waterfalls and rapids
  called cataracts.
• C. The first cataract marked the southern
  boundary of ancient Egypt.

4
(No Transcript)
5
II. Nile Delta

• A. From the first cataract, the Nile flows north
  for about 600 miles.

B. This triangle of marshy wetlands is called the
delta.
6
(No Transcript)
7
III. The Three Seasons

• A. Farmers depended on the annual flooding to
  water their crops and provide the fertile mud
  called silt.
• B. The Egyptians measured time by the river,
  dividing the year into three seasons
• Inundation (flood) Season
• Planting Season
• Harvest Season
• 1. This seasonal cycle of flooding, planting
  and harvesting gave a pattern to Egyptian life.
  

8
IV. Upper Lower Egypt

• A. Ancient Egypt had two regions Upper and Lower
  Egypt.
• Upper Egypt, the southern part, stretched for
  over 500 miles from the 1st cataract northward to
  the beginning the Nile Delta.
• Lower Egypt, the northern part, was the Nile
  Delta. It was only 100 miles long but much wider
  than Upper Egypt.

9
IV. Upper Lower Egypt
10
IV. Upper Lower Egypt
11
IV. Upper Lower Egypt
12
V. Irrigation

• A. To take advantage of the annual flooding of
  the Nile (the inundation) the Egyptians built
• 1. irrigation channels to carry water into the
  fields
• 2. dams to hold back the water for use during
  droughts
• B. All this work required a great deal of
  planning and organization, what was an important
  job of the government.