AP World HistoryPOD #1 – Out of Africa

Kingdom of the Nile

Class Discussion Questions

McKay - “Egypt, the Land of the Pharaohs” pp. 16-22

1. What impact did the Nile River have on

Egyptian life? • The Nile River was fundamental to

Egyptian life as it flooded yearly on a predictable schedule bringing fertile soil

• The land along the banks of the Nile was very easy to farm leading to agricultural surpluses that facilitated population expansion

• Egypt was within close proximity to all of the resources it needed

2. What is a theocracy?

• This is a system of government in which the political and religious leader is one in the same

• a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided); the belief in government by divine guidance

3. How does the Egyptian political and

religious system interact? • The Pharaoh (king) • The Pharaoh commanded the wealth,

resources, and the people of Egypt • The Pharaoh served the dual purpose of

being a living god • The Pharaoh was considered a

descendent of the gods • The Pharaoh was considered the god

Horus in human form

4. What was the purpose of pyramids?

• The great house (tomb) of the Pharaoh for the afterlife

• Contained all of the things needed by the Pharaoh in afterlife

• The walls of the burial chamber were inscribed with religious tests and spells relating to the kings journeys after death

5. Describe the social structure of Egypt?

• Egypt had no caste system

• Egypt had no color bias

• Egypt had social mobility

• Most people were serfs who were forced to remain on their land and work government projects such as pyramids, canals, etc.

6. Describe the Egyptian experiment with

monotheism? • King Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti were more

concerned with religion than conquest • Their religious fervor was not favored by the Egyptian people and

was abandoned after their death • They believed in only the worship of the sun-god Aton, whom they

worshiped, was universal, and only god • They considered all other Egyptian gods and goddesses frauds

and disregarded their worship • Their belief suffered from an obvious flaw as the Pharaoh was

considered the son of god and monotheism obviously cannot have two gods

• Akhenaten's monotheism, imposed from above, failed to find a place among the people as it had no connection to the past of the Egyptian people who trusted the old gods and felt comfortable praying to them