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“FOOD PROVIDER, BOUNTY MAKER,
WHO CREATES ALL THAT IS GOOD.”
BY S. HELGESON, HISTORICA MAGNIFIQUE
EGYPT IS THE GIFT OF THE NILE
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Nile flooded regularly every year
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Nile flooding = fertile soil = Egypt
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loess
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10 mi each side of Nile
of “black land”
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Outside that - desert
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Flooding July-October
THE NILE
THE NILE
!
!
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4,157 mi. long - longest river in the world
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flows from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea
!
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Did you know that hippos kill more humans every year in
Africa than any other animal? They can run up to 20 mph.
They also secrete their own sunscreen, which is red.
NILE DELTA REGION
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Has been farmed for 5,000 years
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Most densely populated agricultural area in the world
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Much wildlife extinct due to intensive farming &
draining of Delta region
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Today, 1/2 of the Egyptian population lives in Delta
region
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Delta region shrinks more every year
SURROUNDED BY DESERT
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Can you think of reasons why this could be an
advantage?
RICH WITH RESOURCES
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limestone, gold, copper, turquoise, water, flint,
gneiss, red granite, calcite
EGYPTIAN TIMELINE
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1st semi-permanent villages in Egypt 4500
BCE
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1st hieroglyphics 3100 BCE
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Upper & Lower Egypt Unite 3100 BCE
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Djoser’s Step Pyramid built 2650 BCE
EGYPTIAN TIMELINE
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Divided into 3 Periods:
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“Old Kingdom” 2700-2200 BCE
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“Middle Kingdom” 2050-1800 BCE
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“New Kingdom” 1500-1100 BCE
UNIFICATION OF “2” EGYPTS
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Egypt was divided into
Upper and Lower Egypt
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United 3100 BCE by
Narmer? Scorpion King?
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World’s 1st unified country
OLD KINGDOM 2700-2200 BCE
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Unification brings in the 1st of the 3 important
periods of ancient Egypt
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Time of pyramid building
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Time of mummification of pharaohs
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Prosperity = much building
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Became a trade route between Africa, Middle East,
& Mediterranean worlds
ON THE TRADE ROUTE
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What are some advantages of being in the middle
of an important trade route?
DJOSER’S STEP PYRAMID
2650 BCE AT SAQQARA
STEP PYRAMID DETAILS
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203 ft tall
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6 steps - layered mastabas
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1st example of large cut stones in world
THINKING OF EGYPT IN TERMS OF THE
“CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVILIZATION”
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Government
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Complex Religion
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Job Specialization
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Forms of Writing/Record Keeping
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Social Classes
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Advanced Cities
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Advanced Technology
EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT
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Strong, central gov’t
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Leader: Pharaoh
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Rule by Mandate of Heaven
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Chief advisor: Vizier
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High priests for each god/goddess
COMPLEX RELIGION
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In the beginning…
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Polytheistic
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Mummification
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Afterlife
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Today, most Egyptians are Muslim
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also many Christians
JOB SPECIALIZATION
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During Nov-June, most were farmers & specialized
workers
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During July-Oct, everyone went to work for
pharaoh
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What were they doing?
FORMS OF WRITING
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Hieroglyphs
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Can be read from right, left, or top down
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Over 700 symbols
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Papyrus - a “paper” made of reeds
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Number system for record keeping
SOCIAL CLASSES
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Avg lifespan of a poor Egyptian: 36 years
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Pharaoh
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High priest(ess)
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Nobles (led/paid for wars)
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Merchants, scribes, artisans
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Peasant farmers & slaves
ADVANCED CITIES
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Memphis
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Thebes
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Rosetta
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Cairo
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Abu Simbel
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Heliopolis
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
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Shaduf
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Irrigation systems
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365 day, 12 mo. calendar
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Medicine, surgery
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Astronomy