Download File - Ms. Pflug`s Social Studies Class

Ancient Egypt Vocabulary
Definitions & Connections
delta
A very fertile area where one body of
water deposits silt as it drains into
a larger body of water
Connect: The Nile delta area of
Lower Egypt was great for farming
because it was very fertile.
pharaoh
Ruler of Egypt – controlled
government, army, and religion
Connect: At first, pharaohs were
considered gods; later, Egyptians
believed that the pharaoh was a
link between the gods and the
people of Egypt. (They believed that the
pharaoh was the child of Ra, the Sun God. They
believed that Ra gave life to Earth, and the pharaoh gave
life to Egypt.)
dynasty
A ruling family for generations (when the
pharaoh died, his son or other member of his family
would take over the throne, and this would continue for
many years, decades, and sometimes even centuries)
Connect: Several different dynasties
ruled ancient Egypt
hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptian system of writing
using pictures or symbols to stand
for objects, ideas, or sounds
Connect: The Rosetta Stone
helped archaeologist crack the
code of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
papyrus
Reed plant growing along the
banks of the Nile used to make
paper; or simply the paper itself
Connect: Papyrus was a major
export of Egypt.
(Papyrus reeds could be used to make other things
besides paper, such as baskets, sandals, etc.)
civilization
A group of people with Government,
Religion, Economy & Education,
Artisans & Agriculture, Technology,
and Social classes
Connect: Like Mesopotamia, Ancient
Egypt was an early river civilization.
import
To bring goods in from somewhere
else
Connect: Ancient Egyptians
imported wood because they did
not have enough wood to build
boats, furniture, etc.
export
To send goods out to somewhere else
Connect: Ancient Egyptians would export
grain and papyrus to other places, since
they had plenty of it
interdependent
One country or region is dependent on another
country or region to provide for their own
needs (need to use their resources)
Connect: Lebanon was a country Ancient
Egypt was interdependent on, because the
Egyptians depended on Lebanon’s wood for
their homes, boats, furniture, etc.
Trade Barriers (Obstacles)
Problems that keep people from trading
Examples: War, Geography/Landforms (like
mountains, deserts, large bodies of water, etc.),
Distance (too far away), or Lack of Resources
Connect: Ancient Egypt didn’t always trade with
Nubia due to war; and also, getting across the
Nile cataracts was dangerous
Rosetta Stone
A stone found by French soldiers near the
city of Rosetta, Egypt with a passage
written in three different languages
(hieroglyphics, a late Egyptian form of
writing called demotic, and Greek)
Connect: Important tool used to crack the
code to translating (figuring out)
hieroglyphics
Primary Source
Document, artifact, eye
witness or architecture
from the time period
or event (happened
AT THAT TIME IN
HISTORY)
Egyptian papyrus with
hieroglyphics, Rosetta
Stone, mummies, King
Tut’s golden mask,
Howard Carter…
Secondary Source
A retelling or
reproduction of an
artifact, not actually at
the event or time
period
Textbooks about Egypt
Economics
Imports
Exports
Wood
Grain
Glass
Papyrus
Horses
Gold and Copper
Note: People paid taxes, but not in the form of
money. A portion (part) of the things people
made, grew, or produced would go to the
pharaoh. Farmers paid with the crops they
grew, as well as by working on irrigation,
serving in the army, and by building pyramids
Religion Impacts
• Pharaoh was considered a god or link between
gods and people, so he had lots of power over
the people
• Polytheism – belief in many gods – so artwork
and festivals were about gods/goddesses
• Believed in afterlife – needed body for the
afterlife so pharaohs were mummified
• Believed in the afterlife so pyramids were
tombs and filled with things they’d need, like
their treasures, food, jewelry, board games,
pets and servants (statues)
Religion Impacts (Continued)
• West of Nile – believed everything died with
the sun in the west – so people were buried on
the west side
• Book of the Dead – a guide of spells believed
to help you make it through the underworld and
to the afterlife – so people were buried with the
Book of the Dead
Irrigation
• Water crops
• Provide drinking water
• Led to a surplus of food
Shadoof
• Used to easily and safely get water out of the
Nile
Mummification • Preserved bodies, usually pharaohs
• Learned about the human body and medical
information
Hieroglyphics • Write laws, business records, religious
practices
Papyrus
• Easier than clay tablets
• Major export
Pyramids
• Burial for pharaohs
• Challenged their architectual
skills
• Gave farmers a job during
the non-farming season (flood)
• Square base with triangle
shaped sides/faces
•
•
•
•
•
Social Pyramid
pharaoh
nobles and priests
merchants and skilled workers
farmers and common workers
slaves
GEOGRAPHY
Nile
Only resource for water;
Could be used for transportation
Flooding
Provided silt (good dirt)
Desert
Blocked enemies
Mediterranean
Sea
Trade route;
Helped to block enemies
Delta
Fertile area for farming
Wind
Allowed boats to travel south along the Nile
Cataracts
Rapid, rocky area that made travel on Nile
difficult
MAP
Review
1. What geographical feature did most civilizations develop by?
water
2.
What was Hammurabi’s Code and why was it important?
First set of laws to be
written and posted; helped
unite everyone under the
same set of rules/laws