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ANCIENT EGYPT
LAND OF THE PHAROAHS
Geography
Egypt is almost all desert.
 Egypt is located next to the Nile River.
 The Nile stretches 4,500 miles making it the
longest river in the world.
 The Nile was Ancient Egypt’s lifeline.
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Gifts of the Nile
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Egyptian farmers
depended on the
predictable annual
flooding of the Nile to
grow crops.
The Nile was a good
source of fish and water
birds for food.
Papyrus Plants grew by
the banks, and were used
for paper & boats.
The Union of Two Lands

Legend says that around 3100
B.C., Upper Egypt and Lower
became one kingdom under
King Menes, who founded the
first Egyptian dynasty.
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Ancient Egyptian History began
around 3000B.C. and is divided
into three major periods.

In the 1,000 years before
Egypt’s written history began,
Egyptians learned to farm,
formed governments, and
invented hieroglyphic writing.
The Egyptian Religion
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Egyptians believed in afterlife,
and that after death, each
person needed an undecayed
physical body to keep his or
her spirit alive.
Egyptians placed possessions
in tombs for use by the dead
person in the afterlife.
Egyptians believed in many
gods. Some gods created the
world and ran the afterlife,
while others oversaw everyday
life.
A Writing System
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The earliest Egyptian writing
was called hieroglyphics and
used pictures to represent
objects, ideas, and sounds.
Decoding the Rosetta Stone, in
A.D. 1822, allowed modern
people to translate Egyptian
texts and to learn about
Egyptian life and beliefs.
Only a few people knew how
to read and write. They were
called scribes.
Art
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Egyptian artwork included
beautiful murals on buildings
and inside tombs.
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Artists & craftsmen provided
goods for the king and his
family. Painters smoothed
stone walls with plaster and
used grids to paint.

Goldsmiths made beautiful
jewelry. Egypt had a century
long control of the nearest
gold source in Nubia.
Architecture
The Ancient Egyptians
built remarkable
srtuctures including
pyramids, the Sphinx,
temples, tombs &
monuments.
 Stonemasons gave stone
blocks their definate
shape.
 Builders were often
farmers that had no work
during the flooding
season or were slaves.
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A Social Pyramid
Egyptian society was like
a pyramid, with only one
person at the top; the
king. The king was
believed to be a god.
 Below the king was the
royal family, nobility,
priests, government
officials, and scribes.
Last were craftsmen and
skilled workers.
 Farmers formed the large
base.
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New Kingdom Rulers:
Queen Hatshepsut
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During the New Kingdom
period, 1570-1070 B.C.,
Egyptians began calling
their kings pharaohs.
The female pharaoh
Hatshepsut concentrated
on peace and prosperity,
sending trade groups to
other kingdoms, restoring
damaged temples, and
resuming the practice of
mining.
Pharaoh Thutmose III
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Hatshepsut’s
successor, Thutmose
III, conquered Syria,
Palestine, and other
regions, bringing
great wealth to Egypt,
and making it one of
the Mediterranean’s
most powerful
kingdoms.
Pharaoh Akhenaton
This pharaoh was
seen as a visionary by
many, and a madman
to some.
 He disrupted the
balance of power &
religion by believing
in only one god.
 He moved the capitol
from Thebes to
Armana.
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Pharaoh Tutankhamun
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Believed to be Akhenaton’s
son, Tut became the youngest
pharaoh at the age of nine.
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He restored peace to Egypt by
returning to the old religion
and rebuilding monuments.
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He only ruled until age 19,
dying under mysterious
circumstances. His tomb is
famous worldwide for its
treasures discovered in 1922.
Pharaoh Ramses II
Ramses was the first
pharaoh of the 19th
dynasty.
 He was a teen when
he was crowned.
 He built the great
statues of Abu Sinbel.
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Achievements of the Egyptians
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The Egyptians developed a
more accurate calendar than
the Babylonians.
In the 1500s B.C., an unknown
Egyptian doctor wrote a
medical document filled with
accurate and detailed
observations of the human
body.
Tomb painters created
paintings that are one of
Egypt’s finest achievements.
Egypt Dominates Kush
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During the Middle Kingdom
period, Egypt built forts and
trading posts in the Kush
kingdom and came to see Kush
as part of its empire.
Kushite soldiers helped the
Egyptians drive out a
conquering invader from the
north.
Egyptian culture had a strong
influence on the religion and
crafts in Kush.
Kush Conquers Egypt
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When Egypt fell into
decline at the end of the
New Kingdom period, the
Kushite ruler Kashta
rebelled and conquered
Upper Egypt.
His son, Piankhy,
conquered the Nile delta
and the city of Memphis,
and his successor became
the first Kushite pharaoh.
Kush’s Last Thousand Years
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The Kushites soon lost
control of Egypt, but held
on to their old kingdom.
The Kushite capital was
moved south to Meroe,
where it became an
important center for iron,
wood, and trade with the
Middle East, the Far East
and many parts of Africa.
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Over time, Egyptian
influence lessened. The
Kushites developed their
own hieroglyphics and
religion.
Meroe was conquered
and destroyed by a
neighboring kingdom in
A.D. 350 after being an
important cultural and
trade center for more
than 600 years.