Download Ancient Egypt Study Guide Vocabulary Words, Notes in Notebook

Ancient Egypt Study Guide
Vocabulary Words, Notes in Notebook, & Old Mesopotamia Study Guide:
All given on Egypt and Mesopotamia – Look over notes & Study Guide on Mesopotamia’s religion, government, social
division, trade (items and geographical barriers, writing). You will compare these two civilizations on these items.
The Nile Valley
The Nile River is the longest river in the world, about 4,000 miles long. The Egyptians used the Nile River water to drink,
clean, farm, and cook. They ate fish from the river. The Nile Valley is a narrow, green valley in Egypt. The northern end
of the valley is a fertile area of land called the Delta. Egypt has several natural borders to protect it. The deserts, the
dangerous rapids of the Nile (Cataracts), and marshes in the delta kept enemies from entering Egypt. The Sahara, the
largest desert in the world, lies west of the Nile Valley. The Eastern Desert lies to the east of the valley. The
Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east allowed trade with other peoples. Within Egypt, people
traveled on the Nile to trade with each other. Egyptian Natural Defenses: Enemies had difficulty attacking the country
because of the seas, deserts, and cataracts.
The Nile River
Floods along the Nile were predictable and were not devastating. Each spring the Nile would flood and leave a dark,
fertile mud along its banks. Farmers learned about the waters of the Nile. They used the soil left behind by the floods to
grow wheat, barley, and flax seeds. Farmers learned about irrigation. They dug basins to trap floodwaters, dug canals to
channel water to the fields, and built dikes to strengthen the basin walls. Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the Nile,
was used to make baskets, sandals, and river rafts. Later, it was used to make paper. The Egyptian system of writing was
called hieroglyphics. This system consisted of thousands of picture symbols. Some Egyptian men learned to read and
write. They attended schools to learn to be scribes. Egypt has rich deposits of topsoil, creating an excellent farming and
herding environment. These deposits were created by the annual flood cycle of the Nile River. The primary reason the
civilization first developed in the Nile Valley and in Mesopotamia was that the soil was fertile for farming. Know the
location of the Nile River Valley and the location of the Mesopotamia River Valley (don’t forget the names of the rivers –
Tigris-Euphrates). The Nile helped the Egyptians by allowing them to irrigate their crops (which led to surplus). It also
served as a means for transporting goods for trade. Finally, the Nile provided fresh water for the Egyptians to drink.
Social Hierarchy
Ancient Egypt had social classes. The pharaoh was the highest power. The upper class consisted of nobles, priests, and
government officials. The middle class included merchants, artisans, shopkeepers, and scribes. Farmers were the largest
group of people and were in a lower class than the middle class. Unskilled workers were the lowest class of people in
ancient Egypt. Although men were the heads of households, women had more rights in Egypt than in other ancient
civilizations. They could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills, and obtain divorces. Few children
went to school in ancient Egypt. Children had time to play games and had toys.
Government
Egyptian people served pharaohs because they believed the kingdom depended on one strong leader. They also
believed the pharaohs were the sons of Re, the sun god. They thought pharaohs were gods on Earth. Pharaohs were allpowerful Egyptian kings who guided every activity in Egypt. Pharaohs appointed officials to carry out their commands.
The Egyptians accepted the pharaoh’s total authority because they believed he was a god in human form. Hatshepsut
was the first woman to rule Egypt.
Religion
Egyptians were polytheistic, they believed in many gods or deities. These deities controlled every human activity and all
natural forces. The major god was Re, the sun god. Another major god was Hapi, who ruled the Nile River. Isis was the
most important goddess. Egyptians believed in life after death. The Book of the Dead contained a collection of spells
that Egyptians believed they needed to enter the afterlife. To protect the pharaoh’s body after death, Egyptians
developed an embalming process. During the process, the body’s organs were removed. The body was treated with
spices and oils and then wrapped with strips of linen. The wrapped body was called a mummy.
Medicine
Egyptians doctors used herbs and drugs to treat illnesses. They also set broken bones and stitched cuts. Egyptian doctors
were the first doctors to specialize in different areas of medicine, and they wrote the world’s first medical book.
Pyramids
Egyptians build pyramids to protect the bodies of dead pharaohs. The pyramids also contained items the pharaohs might
need in the afterlife. A pyramid took thousands of people and years of labor to build. Egyptians used astronomy and
mathematics to create the pyramids. To build a pyramid, Egyptians first selected a site. Then, they searched for stone.
The artisans cut the stone into blocks, and other workers tied the stone to sleds and pulled them to the Nile. At the river,
workers loaded the stones onto barges and floated them to the site. There, the blocks were unloaded and dragged or
pushed up ramps. While studying the skies to create pyramids, Egyptians created the 365-day calendar that became the
basis for our calendar today. The Great Pyramid is the largest pyramid in Egypt. It was built for King Khufu and is located
near the city of Cairo.
Trade and Slavery
Trade grew during Hatshepsut’s reign. Traders exchanged beads, tools,, and weapons for ivory, wood, leopard skins, and
incense. Trade made Egypt wealthier. After Hatshepsut’s death, Thutmose III became pharaoh. He conquered more
lands, and Egypt grew richer from tributes. Slavery became common during his reign. Slaves had some rights. They
could own land, marry, and eventually obtain freedom.
A Comparison between Egypt and Mesopotamia
Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar in several ways include:
 Both used specialization/division of labor.
 Both developed a form of writing
(Mesopotamia: Cuneiform –pictures for
words. Egypt: Hieroglyphics – pictures
for words and sounds).
 Both worshipped many gods.
 Both had Rivers.
 Both build Pyramids or Ziggurats.
The flooding of the rivers was different in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Egypt’s floods were dependable and regular while
Mesopotamia’s floods were unpredictable. The governments of Egypt and Mesopotamia were different. Mesopotamia
had city-states ruled by kings and priests and Egypt had kingdoms ruled by pharaohs. The Mesopotamian written
language was different from Egypt’s written language. Hieroglyphics and Cuneiform were symbols and pictographs, but
Hieroglyphics included sounds. There were religious differences in early Mesopotamian and early Egyptian civilizations.
Egyptians saw their gods as more protective, while people of ancient Mesopotamia viewed their gods as more
threatening.