Download The Nile Valley

Name
Date
Class
GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-1
The Nile Valley
Directions: Outlining Reading the section and completing the outline
below will help you learn more about the Nile valley. Refer to your textbook to fill in the blanks.
I. The Egyptians relied upon the
for their water needs.
A. The Nile River is the world’s
river.
1. The Nile River flows for a distance of about
miles.
2. The Nile begins as two separate rivers, the
eastern Africa and the
flowing from
from central Africa.
B. Geographic features of the Nile River
1. To the far south, dangerous
the Egyptians.
blocked enemy boats.
2. In the north, the
marshes offered no harbors for invaders
from the sea.
II. The Egyptians had to cope with river
, although they were more
dependable and gentle than those of the Tigris and Euphrates.
A. As a result of regular flooding, the Egyptians were able to farm and live
.
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1. After the floodwaters went down, the farmers were left with a layer of dark,
silt, or mud.
2. One reason for the Egyptians’ successful farming was their wise use of
.
B. Egyptians developed
for their society.
1. The Egyptians used
to make writing paper.
2. Egyptians developed a system of writing called
.
3. Extra amounts of food freed some people to work as
instead of farmers.
III. Around 3100 B.C.,
, the king of Upper Egypt, took control of
Lower Egypt and the two kingdoms became unified.
A. Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31
B. Egyptian society was divided into
over 2,800 years.
, or classes based on wealth
and power.
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Name
Date
Class
GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-2
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Directions: Reading for Accuracy Reading the section and completing
the activity below will help you learn more about Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
Use your textbook to decide if a statement is true or false. Write T or F
in the blank, and if a statement is false, rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. The period of Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom
began around 2300 B.C.
2. The Egyptian pharaohs guided all activity and had to be
obeyed without question.
3. The Egyptians believed the pharaoh was the son of Hapi,
the Egyptian god who ruled the Nile River.
4. The Egyptians worshiped many gods and goddesses and they
believed that these deities controlled the forces of nature and
human activity.
5. The Egyptians believed in a hopeful life after death.
7. To prepare the pharaoh’s body for the afterlife, the Egyptians
developed a preserving process called embalming.
8. Because the afterlife was so important in Egyptian religion,
mountainlike tombs called pyramids were built for the
pharaohs.
9. Each pyramid sat on a triangular base, with the entrance
facing north.
10. The largest pyramid, known as the Great Pyramid, stands 500
feet tall and contains more than 2 million stone blocks.
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6. For centuries, Egyptians believed that everyone could
enjoy the afterlife.
Name
Date
Class
GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-3
The Egyptian Empire
Directions: Answering Questions Reading the section and completing
the questions below will help you learn about the Egyptian Empire. Refer
to your textbook to answer the questions.
1. What city became the capital of the Middle Kingdom?
2. What two lands were captured by Egypt during the Middle
Kingdom?
3. In the peaceful period of the Middle Kingdom, what three areas of
culture thrived?
4. What advantages in warfare did the Hyksos use to defeat the
Egyptians?
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
5. What queen made herself pharaoh and became the first woman
to rule Egypt?
6. Which goods did the Egyptians trade for Phoenician wood and
furniture?
7. Why did Amenhotep decide to change Egypt’s worship of many
gods to the worship of one god, Aton?
8. What did Ramses II have built during his reign?
9. Instead of being used as places of worship, the Egyptian temples
served what two purposes?
10. Which three nations conquered Egypt during the period between
900 B.C. and 670 B.C.?
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Name
Date
Class
GUIDED READING ACTIVITY 2-4
The Civilization of Kush
Directions: Reading for Accuracy Reading the section and completing
the activity below will help you learn more about the kingdoms of Nubia
and Kush. Use your textbook to decide if a statement is true or false.
Write T or F in the blank, and if a statement is false, rewrite it correctly
on the line.
1. Nubia arose in the region of present-day Libya.
2. Powerful Nubian villages created the kingdom of Kerma.
3. After being conquered by the Egyptian forces under Thutmose III, the people of Nubia adopted many Egyptian ways.
4. The Kushite kingdom was formed at the high point of Egypt’s
power.
5. For several centuries, Kushite kings ruled from the city
of Napata.
6. When the Kushite king Piye conquered Egypt, he ruled from
the Egyptian city of Thebes.
8. About 540 B.C., Kush’s rulers moved the capital from Napata
to Meroë.
9. The new capital of Meroë had access to the Euphrates River
for trade and transportation.
10. Meroë became the center of a huge trading network.
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7. The enslaved people of Egypt revolted and drove out the
Kushite kings.