Download Egypt is the Gift of the Nile

ANCIENT Egypt – updated August 2013
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Ancient Egypt Notes
Vocabulary—Ancient Egypt
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Cataracts – places in the Nile where the river is full of rocks.
Dynasty – represents an entire royal family and some families cover two dynasties.
Ibis – a long-legged wading bird with a long curved bill.
Inundation – the flood that used to cover Egypt once a year.
Kiosk – shelter on the roof of a house.
Lower Egypt – triangular shaped Delta region.
Mastaba – a rectangular building over a tomb. The burial was at the bottom of a shaft under the mastaba.
Mummification – process used to preserve the dead.
Nomarch – title given to nobleman who, in the Old and Middle kingdoms, governed districts of Egypt
known as nomes.
Obelisk – long shaft of stone, usually very tall, with a pyramid-shaped top.
Palette – used by Egyptians for mixing paints, inks and eye-paint.
Peoples of the Sea – people who came from the islands of the Mediterranean Sea.
Reconstruction – an attempt to recreate something as it was in the past.
Scarab – a sacred beetle.
Shabti or ushabti – small magical statue buried with dead person to work for him in the next world.
Thebes – the name given by the ancient Greeks to the city of Wast. Thebes was on both banks of the river.
The part that was on the east bank is covered by modern Luxor.
Upper Egypt – the Nile valley between Aswan and the area of modern Cairo.
*Summary
1 Question
Stop Here – Jones
Physical Features - Mountains, Hills, Valleys and Plains, Deserts
1. Nile River
2. Libyan Desert
3. Eastern Desert
4. Mediterranean Sea
Physical Features - Rivers, Seas, Oceans & other Bodies of Water
1. Nile River
2. Mediterranean Sea
Countries & Important Cities and Ports
1. Aswan
2. Thebes
3. Cairo
4. Alexandria
5. Rosetta
ANCIENT Egypt – updated August 2013
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Egypt is the Gift of the Nile
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Some 2300 years ago, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote, “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.”
The Nile is formed when the White Nile, which rises in the lakes of central Africa, meets the Blue Nile
from the mountains of Ethiopia.
The great river divides north of Cairo, seeking its way to the sea through many channels.
It forms a triangular-shaped area of good farming land known as the Delta.
Annually, melting snows and heavy rains in the Ethiopian mountains sent a great torrent of water and
mud crashing down the Blue Nile into the Nile.
The Nile overflowed without the existence of modern dams.
The whole land flooded down to the Mediterranean Sea and this was known as Inundation.
After Inundation ended, the land was covered with a new layer of rich black soil which was damp
enough to grow crops.
Hail to you O Nile (Why is the Nile so respected?)
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“Hail to you O Nile” is the first line from a hymn to Hapi, the Nile god.
Fish and birds were valuable sources of food.
Men worked in teams using nets but noblemen fished alone for sport used spears.
Small boats, frail and made of bundles of papyrus ,could easily be overturned by a hippopotamus.
Ships of the Nile (What types of ships sail the Nile?)
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The cultivated, inhabited part of Egypt is long and very narrow, with the Nile flowing through it.
The quickest and easiest way to transport heavy loads was by boats of all sizes.
Even Ra, the Sun god, was believed to sail across the sky every day in a barge on a Nile in the sky.
While the Nile flows from south to north but the wind in Egypt blows north to south.
Ships were steered by special oars at the stern.
Ships varied in size from small reed boats to great merchant ships and warships.
Elegant barges, brightly painted and gilded, were built for kings and nobles or to carry statues of gods.
These had comfortable cabins and bright sails. Share Power points* & Pictures
The Farmer’s year (What does the farmer do in a year?)
1. Every year in July, Nile levels would rise, starting the Inundation.
2. Due to flooded lands, the farmers worked on building projects for the Pharaoh.
3. The flood waters were gone by November and the farmers returned to get the soil ready for planting.
4. Fields were ploughed and seeds were planted.
5. Irrigation (hydration) crops canals let water in, little by little. Weeding was done and crops grew.
6. While wheat grew, tax officials arrived to determine how much each farmer had to pay.
7. By the end of March, the harvest was in, reaped with sickles. Donkeys carried corn to the threshing floor.
8. Cattle were driven across the wheat to separate the grain from the husk. Women also tossed grain in the
wind to remove husks.
9. The grain was stored. By now the weather was getting very hot and farmers waited anxiously for the next
inundation.
ANCIENT Egypt – updated August 2013
Cooking, Eating and Drinking
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Bread and beer were basic items in the Egyptian diet.
To make bread, grain is grinded between two stones and it was hard work.
The flour was mixed with water, made into loaves. For additional flavoring, garlic might be used.
To make beer, the loaves would be baked lightly, crumbled, mixed with water and the mixture would
ferment into beer.
The mixture had to be strained prior to drinking.
Cooking was done over an open fire, so meat roasted on spits or stewed in cooking pots.
Bread was baked in pottery containers placed round the fire.
Besides wine and beer, Egyptians drank milk and water.
Beef was a favorite dish, but they also raised sheep, ducks, geese and pigeons.
Houses of Farmers and Workmen –
1. The smallest and poorest Egyptian houses were made from reeds, wood and mud.
2. Most were one room and not very comfortable but did protect against cold nights and
sand storms.
3. All other houses, even palaces, were made of mud bricks.
4. Workmen mixed the rich, sticky Nile mud with sand or chopped straw to get the right
consistency.
5. Columns and roofs were made of wood however the column bases and door steps might
be made of stone.
6. Larger houses had plastered and brightly painted walls.
7. Windows were small and placed near the ceiling.
8. The houses of workmen, located at Tell El Amarna, had no gardens but the same basic
divisions as large villas.
9. The outer room opened on to the street where visitors entered and where the man of the
house might work, if he were a craftsman.
10. The central hall was the main living area where friends were invited and entertained.
11. Women and children spent much time on their roof where it was cooler.
12. A small kiosk or a canopy sheltered them from the sun.
13. Cooking was often done outside the house to reduce risk of fire.
A Nobleman’s Villa
1. In towns, land was scarce so therefore houses were narrow and crowded—sometimes 3-4
storey’s high.
2. In the country, there was plenty of room and rich Egyptians built large and beautiful shady
gardens.
3. High walls were built to stop people from looking in.
Inside the Home
1. The interior of poor peasant’s houses were simple with very little furniture.
2. Houses of the rich were beautifully decorated and furnished.
3. People who could afford it had wooden beds, tables, chairs, stools and storage chests of
all shapes and sizes.
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4. Seats of chairs and stools were made of leather or reeds. Luxury furniture was made from
rich woods such as ebony and cedar. (Time to Summarize) /Come up with 1 question
Flocab – Egypt (take video notes)
Clothes, Cosmetics and Jewels—
1. All Egyptian clothes were made of linen. Basic garments were a kilt for men and a
straight dress with two broad straps for women.
2. The clothing of the rich had more elaborate designs and colored cloth too.
3. For ceremonies and special occasions, men and women wore heavy wigs. Both sexes
used cosmetics.
4. The most important items in a cosmetic box were oils used to stop the skin from drying
up in the hot sun.
5. Kohl was used to paint the eyes.
6. Near the end of the New Kingdom, both men and women wore robes of draped and
pleated linen.
7. Since Egypt had a pleasant climate, they only wore cloaks.
8. In the summer, most children and adults didn’t bother to wear any clothes at all.
9. Everyone, despite their age or sex wore lots of jewelry like: earrings, rings, bracelets
anklets. Jones stopped here. Jones Notebook Friday, Feb. 5th
Fun and Games
1. People tend to think that the Egyptians were sad and solemn because they spent so much
time preparing for death, but this isn’t true.
2. There were plenty of outdoor games to amuse people. For example young nobleman
preferred chariots, hunting or to be on the river fishing, fowling or chasing hippopotami
and crocodiles.
3. Wrestling and swimming were popular.
4. Another sport, which resembled fencing, except the men used sticks.
5. Boatmen formed teams and held competitions on the river. They were armed with poles
with the aim of pushing opponents into the water!
6. Toys survived in the dry sand of Egypt. Dolls and leather balls seem to have been
especially popular.
7. Dancing and playing teams and leap-frog can be seen in pictures.
8. There were no theatres but religious processions and military parades gave the Egyptians
the chance to see magnificent shows.
Descendants of the Gods
1. The title pharaoh comes from two ancient Egyptian words: “per aa”, meaning “the Great
House”, that is the palace.
2. The Kings of Egypt were supposed to be descended from the gods.
3. In the distant past, Egypt had been two kingdoms and these were united by a king called
Menes.
4. The two lands are also remembered as in the title as “King of Upper and Lower Egypt”.
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5. Kings were crowned with crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.
6. It was the duty of the king to keep the lands united by serving the gods and governing
according to their laws. To assist him in this mighty task, the king had an army of
ministers, officials and scribes.
7. The chief minister was the Vizier. Jones stopped 2/2 – Tues.
A Pharaoh’s Life (Show Brainpop onPharaohs)
1. In the days before modern medicine, children died young.
2. Therefore all young princes had to be carefully trained in case they had to be king one
day, instead of the chosen heir. Horus, the sky god, chose to appear as a hawk to
protect young princes.
3. Pharaoh’s had one queen but several minor wives.
4. The queen’s son was the official heir and he would marry his sister.
5. He was descended from the gods and no one else was great enough to become his
queen.
6. The king’s duties included: caring for subjects, tending the irrigation system, being a
law-giver, administrator and priest. He also had to be a skilled warrior.
7. The spirit of Horus was said to enter the king’s body while he sat on the throne. The
king was living link between men and the gods and his every word had to be obeyed.
8. Upon death, the Pharaoh was buried in a magnificent tomb. According to paintings in
it showed the king received into the kingdom of Osiris, the god of the dead.
9. There the pharaoh would become a god too and live there forever.
Soldiers, Weapons and War (Show Brainpop on Cleopatra)
1. In the early days, the Egyptian army was small and its job was to keep wandering bands
of nomads out to protect mining and trading expeditions.
2. Eventually the army grew in size because the Egyptians conquered Nubia in order to gain
more trade.
3. The Hyksos people invaded Egypt and so the Egyptians set out to capture their lands over
the eastern frontier to prevent the Hyksos from ever invading them again.
4. Once the Egyptians had fought on foot, but the Hyksos brought a revolutionary new
weapon to Egypt—the horse and chariot.
5. Based on paintings, we also learned that the army used scaling ladders and battering
rams.
6. In the New Kingdom, army officers often become rich and powerful.
7. In early times, soldiers wore no armor but later they wore leather garments covered with
metal scales.
8. Weapons included: battle axe, mace, bow and arrow, sword, dagger and scimitar.
*Show culture video—Journal series.
Traders and Trade
1. Egyptians did not have money as we know it.
2. Trading was done by barter or through the exchange of goods of equal value.
3. It was a difficult system and therefore became custom to decide how much articles were worth in
terms of copper weights called deben.
4. Merchants brought back goods from abroad.
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5. The king sent out important trading missions too.
6. The king also organized the mining expeditions that went to Sinai for copper, turquoise and
eye-paint.
7. Trading expeditions over land often had an escort of soldiers.
8. Donkeys carried goods and supplies.
9. Large graceful ships were used to trade with lands across the seas. Egyptians brought wood and
silver from the mines of western Asia.
10. In the New Kingdom, when Egypt conquered an empire, the subjects had to pay tribute. (Time to
Summarize/ Come up with one question) Flocab – Egypt (take video notes)
Scribes and Scrolls
Learning to Write
1. The job of a scribe was greater than any other office.
2. Efficient government in Egypt certainly relied on the labor of an army of scribes.
Papyrus scrolls
1. Papyrus scrolls may seem fragile but an amazing number have survived in the hot, dry sand
of Egypt.
2. Scrolls record Egyptians’ mastery of mathematics which enabled them to build pyramids.
3. Scrolls revealed the skill that made Egyptian doctors famous.
4. We can learn of their gods, their studies of the stars, life and learning.
Egyptian Craftsmen
Skilled craftsmen and their training
1. Vast majority of Egyptians were farmers but there was always an important minority of
craftsmen.
2. The most skilled craftsmen were employed by the king, by temples or by noblemen with
workshops on their estates.
3. Other craftsmen produced things for local markets—and these craftsmen lived quietly in
small towns.
4. Sons of craftsmen were expected to follow the same profession as their fathers and would
start their training early.
Strict rules for painters and sculptors
1. Painters and sculptors in particular had to obey very strict rules.
2. Everything had to be drawn to right proportions, and only show people in certain poses.
3. This was because the picture in a tomb was expected to “come alive” in the next world, after
the priest said the right prayers and spells.
4. The scenes shown would then go on happening for all eternity.
5. If a dead man’s body was damaged or destroyed, his spirit might need to pass into a statue of
himself.
6. Therefore statues had to show people as they wanted to be forever, young, strong and
handsome.
7. Great responsibility was placed on the craftsmen—a mistake might harm their client forever
in the next world!
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Building Pyramids and Temples
1. The Egyptians had no cranes or pulleys.
2. All of their monuments were erected by using ramps of rubble and sand.
3. Teams of men dragged blocks up these and rollers were sometimes placed under the blocks to
make them move more easily.
4. Blocks were laid one layer at a time.
5. The pyramids of Giza were the largest and most carefully built of all pyramids.
6. The outer casting of the blocks was the finest white limestone.
7. Later pyramids were smaller and some had smaller blocks and rubble inside while others only
had mud bricks.
8. To build a pyramid, they laid in position the column bases and the first layer of blocks for the
walls. The spaces between the blocks were filled with sand, giving a flat surface over which to
pull the next layer of stones. An ever-growing ramp was used to drag up the blocks.
11. This process went on until the roof was in place. The sand was then removed and the decorations
could be completed at the same time. . (Time to Summarize/ Come up with one question) Flocab
– Egypt (take video notes)
Homes of the Gods
Egyptians believed that there were many gods and goddesses who took care of all their needs.
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Amun was the most powerful.
There were several priests, priestesses, dancers and singers serving these many deities.
The gods owned vast estates and great workshops just like human noblemen.
Egyptian temples (the homes of gods) all had the same basic plan. You entered a lofty gateway
and passed through one or more wide and open courtyards.
The sanctuary was at the far end and here a divine statue was kept in a shrine.
Every day priests made offerings of food, clothing and incense to the god.
Ordinary people were not allowed inside the temples but priests could take messages into the god,
begging for help and advice.
At certain festivals, the divine statue was put in a small golden boat and then carried through the
streets by priests.
Mummies and Burial Rites (Show Brainpop on Mummies)
1. The Egyptians used to tell a story about the god Osiris. He once ruled Egypt and then was
murdered by his jealous brother, Set.
2. After many adventures, Isis, the wife of Osiris managed to restore him to life.
3. The Egyptians believed that because of this, they too would live after death in a land ruled by
Osiris.
4. Egyptians believed that they would have to pass certain tests to show that they lived a good life
on earth.
5. Then the Fields of the Blessed would be open to them and there they would live a life like the one
they’d known in Egypt—but even more comfortable and free from all troubles.
6. To enjoy the next life properly, the Egyptians needed food, drink and the possessions they had on
earth. All these things were put into tombs.
7. Egyptians painted their tombs with good things of this world, so that these would go on
happening in the next world.
8. The dead man would need his body so it was carefully preserved by the process known as
mummification.
9. Due to this custom, it is possible to see what ancient Egyptians looked like and even to find out
what diseases they had.
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10. Shabtis are magical statues of servants who were to do the heavy work in the next world.,
Rock-cut Tombs of Thebes
1. The kings of the Old and Middle Kingdoms had been buried under pyramids, but robbers had
broken into every one.
2. King Tuthmosis I therefore decided to hide his tomb by choosing a remote valley at Thebes,
above which towered a rocky peak, shaped rather like pyramid.
3. For over four hundred years the Pharaohs were buried in this valley, in tombs cut deep into the
rock by groups of trusted workmen.
4. When the king was finally laid to rest, with all the things he needed for the next world—the door
was closed. No one was supposed to enter again.
5. Thieves found the tombs and sometimes destroyed the bodies of the kings.
6. Some priests eventually collected the bodies and secretly buried them in other hiding places.
7. About a hundred years ago, these were found and moved to the Cairo Museum for safe keeping.
8. Only one royal tomb escaped the thieves and this was the tomb of Tutankhamun (Tut). Howard
Carter discovered it.
9. Tut’s tomb was one of the smallest tombs in the royal valley.
Life After Death
1. The dead man had to be able to swear that he’d not committed any sins. Gods and
goddess would sit in judgment on his soul.
2. The dead man and his wife are introduced into the hall of judgment and trial would take
place before Osiris and his wife and sister, Isis.
3. Anubis, the god with the head of jackal, guarded the dead. Anubis would weigh the heart
of a dead man against a feather. The feather represents Truth.
4. If the heart and the feather were of equal weight, the man had been virtuous during his
life.
5. If the heart was heavier, he had been wicked.
6. Thoth, who is shown with the head of an ibis, was the god of wisdom. He acted as a
scribe for the gods. Thoth wrote down the verdict of their court of judgment.
7. If the dead man was guilty of leading a wicked life, this horrible monster was waiting to
eat him up! The innocent passed onto a happy existence forever. (Time to Summarize/
Come up with one question) Flocab Quiz soon!
ANCIENT Egypt – updated August 2013
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