Download Cornell Notes – Geography and Early Egypt

Cornell Notes – Geography and Early Egypt
Name
Date
Topic – Geography and Early Egypt
Class/Subject - Chapter 4 Section 1
Chapter Questions
Chapter Notes
1. Why was Egypt called “gift of
the Nile?”
Egypt was called the “gift of the Nile” because the Nile River was so important.
Without the “gift” of flooding that provided the rich soil for crops, civilization
probable would not have developed in Egypt.
2. Why was it important to the
Egyptians that the Nile’s
flooding was consistent?
It provided a bountiful growing season every year, and people knew they could
count on a food supply in the future. About two thirds of the farmland was located
in the Nile Delta. Instead of four seasons, they Egyptian year had only three:
akhet, when the Nile flooded the valley; peret, when the Nile receded; and shomu,
when water was scarce.
3. How did farmers use the Nile
to grow their crops?
They built canals to direct the Nile’s water to the fields. The Nile provides life:
fertile soil for crops, water for people, animals, and irrigation.
4. Why might the ruins of early
Egyptian settlements lack
evidence of protective walls?
Egyptian settlements had natural barriers to provide protection: deserts, bodies of
water, and cataracts along the Nile.
5. How did the pharaoh’s crown
display the unification of
Egypt?
The pharaoh Menes combined the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown
of Lower Egypt to symbolize his rule over both lands. Pharaoh means “great
house.” He started the first dynasty of Egypt (a series of rulers from the same
family).
6. What can you conclude about
the evidence we have for
Menes’s accomplishments?
He built a new capital city at the southern tip of the Nile Delta names, Memphis.
He was a strong ruler that encouraged government and artistic activity. The city
prospered. He placed the capital on an island in the Nile, probably to protect it
from invaders and to help him control the Nile Delta.
7. Which part of Egypt – Upper or
Lower-do you think was more
valuable to a ruler? Why?
Lower Egypt, because it had the extremely fertile delta and access to the
Mediterranean.
8. Where did the First Dynasty
extend its power? How did the
First Dynasty end?
The Dynasty extended Egyptian territory southward along the Nile and into
southwest Asia; challengers took over Egypt and established the Second Dynasty.
Additional Questions
1. Draw a venn diagram. Use it
to show the differences and
similarities between the Nile
River in Egypt and the Tigris
/Eurphates Rivers in
Mesopotamia.
Additional Information
Egypt
Predictable
flooding pattern
Mesopotamia
provide water,
irrigation led to increased
Destructive,
unpredictable
crop production, silt
flooding.
enriched the soil,
civilizations arose on
the banks.
Summary
Ancient Egypt began in the fertile Nile River Valley. Two kingdoms developed and later united under one ruler. Egyptian
territory grew.