Chapter 3 section 1 and part of section

2

Explain how often and when the Nile flooded

Describe the route of the Nile river

List some technology the Egyptians used to

adapt to the annual flooding of the Nile

List ways the Nile was both beneficial and

disastrous to the Egyptian civilization

Explain how understanding the flooding of

the Nile helped Egyptian civilization thrive

and last for thousands of years

In some areas of Egypt, the annual rainfall

was less than one inch. What would a river

such as the Nile mean to the people living

around it?

Located in Africa

Main water source: Nile river

Known for: pyramids, Pharaohs,

hieroglyphics, and much more

An ideal place for civilizations in

northeastern Africa

Civilization depended on agriculture and the

Nile provided water for crops to grow

Surrounded by hot and sandy deserts

Nile river was a source of life

Longest river in the world – 4000 miles

Flows through a delta: a triangular shaped area of soil at the mouth of a river that looks like fingers spread out

Water flows from south the north and carries silt and is emptied into the Med. Sea

Silt: a mixture of soil and small rocks

The soil is then deposited near the mouth of the river

Irrigated land about 5 miles away on both sides

Pathway from the Med. Sea to Egypt = trade with other countries

The Nile overflowed often because of heavy

rains

People who lived near it would plant seeds

after the floods and have a harvest in the

late summer

They called this areas of harvest “black

land” because it was very fertile

Heavy rains and overflowed from June-

October

How would the vast deserts that surround

Egypt be helpful to the Egyptians?

Wheat and barley were the most important crops in ancient Egypt

Papyrus was a vegetable that was used to make stems of paper (in book page 80)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD_Yopn5c70

How did they make paper? Cutting strip from a Papyrus plant and pressing

them together.

When the strips dried, the produced a smooth surface

Used for keeping records

The Nile was also used for the transportation of goods

However the makeup of the Nile made traveling on it difficult

There are six cataracts or waterfalls along the Nile- they also break up the flow

These water falls made it IMPOSSIBLE for people to travel on the Nile without having to take their boat out or carry it.

Though the Nile did bring a lot of life to the

Egyptians it also caused destruction as well

Heavy rains caused too much water to

overflow

Crops would be destroyed and people lost

their lives

The Egyptians would stock up their food

supply in case the Nile overflowed

Create a rap about why the Nile was so

important to the people of Egypt and in turn

to everyone

Why was it important, how did it help with

civilization and the development of new

ideas

Groups of 4

The Egyptians were polytheistic – the belief

in many gods

Similar to the Mesopotamians

Main god: Amon-Ra or Ra was represented by

the sun

The Egyptians predicted the patterns of the

Nile based on the sun and moon

The moons appearance changed slightly each

evening and they made an inference based

on the moon and sun in relation to the Nile

King of Upper Egypt: wore a white crown

King of Lower Egypt: wore a red crown

King Menes: King of upper Egypt who invaded

Lower Egypt and wore a double crown. He

united Egypt as legend goes. Invaded from the

South to the north

First dynasty of Egypt named Memphis the

Capital city of Egypt

Dynasty: passing of the throne through family

members

Priest and advisor who began keeping records

Why is that important

Divided the kings into different dynasties

Passing the kingship form father to son

Said to be related to Amon-Ra, the sun god

Worshipped the Pharaoh as a god

Most pharaohs saw themselves as protectors

of the people and so tried to rule fairly.

Also considered the king

Like the Sumerians, the Egyptians created a

form of writing

Hieroglyphics: Egyptian writing

Also known as sacred carvings

Represented objects or ideas AND sound

They were carved into clay, stone and

written on paper

The priests and advisors to the king kept the

records

Scribes traveled to kingdoms and recorded

information

How much wheat was harvested

How many taxes people had to pay to the

government

Archaeologist did not know how to read the hieroglyphics they found on Egyptian buildings and artifacts for a long time

In 1709 a.d. French engineers dug up a stone tablet that had been carved in 196 a.d.

Was decoded by Jean Champollion.

Historians divided the early history of Egypt

into the 3 periods.

Old Kingdom

Middle Kingdom

New Kingdom

During the Old Kingdom, Egyptians started

building pyramids as temples

The old kingdom is often called the Pyramid

age

Great Pyramids at Giza and the Great Sphinx

were built during the old kingdom

Thebes is made the capital of Egypt

Trade and exploration flourish

Expeditions are sent south to search for gold

Traders traveled to Palestine, Syria, and

Crete in the Mediterranean

The Middle Kingdom ends with Egypt being

conquered by a group called the Hyksos of

western Asia

Empire reached from the Euphrates in

Mesopotamia to Southern Africa

Referred to as the Egyptian Empire

Egyptians learned to used new weapons and

retook Egypt