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ANCIENT EGYPT
A Techno-Buffet of Hands-On Learning Activities
(Tiered Learning; Student Choices; Technology & Hands-On Emphasis)
~TOP ‘100’ FACTS~
EGYPT: GENERAL INFORMATION
1.
The early Egyptians learned to predict the flooding of the Nile by charting
the patterns of the flooding and by developing a 365-day calendar based on
the sun.
2.
Villages in the northern region of Egypt located on the Nile delta, were said
to be in LOWER Egypt (not Upper Egypt) due to the descending land
elevation.
3.
Modern Egypt experts trace the beginning of Egyptian civilizations to the
rule of King Narmer.
4.
Because the pharaoh had absolute power over the people of Egypt, he was
very important to them.
5.
According to legend, it was King Menes that united Upper Egypt with Lower
Egypt.
6.
It was very important for the two Egypts (Upper and Lower) to be united
because a “united Egypt” was better able to protect itself from enemies.
(Egypt was first united under the Pharaoh Menes around 3100 BC.)
7.
The history of ancient Egypt is usually divided into three time periods called
Kingdoms: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom.
8.
The ancient Egyptian form of writing is called hieroglyphics.
9.
Papyrus is a type of plant from which ‘paper’ is made.
10.
About 33 dynasties ruled Egypt over some 3000 years making the Egyptian
civilization one of the longest-lasting in world history.
11.
The ancient Egyptian people maintained their civilization for centuries while
making only some changes.
EGYPTIAN RELIGION
12.
To the early Egyptians, it was the sun god, Re (later Amon-Re), that was the
most important of their false gods.
13.
The Egyptians believed in another life after death which was the reason for
the mummification process and the many different items found in the
Egyptian tombs.
14.
Ancient Egyptians place the pharaohs favorite clothes, foods, and other
treasures in his tomb to be used in the afterlife.
15.
The Egyptians did not want to be on the west bank of the Nile River after
dark because they thought the spirits of the dead lived there.
16.
The pyramids were so important to the ancient Egyptians because it made
sure the pharaoh had a place to live in the afterlife.
17.
The planning for the pharaoh’s tomb began as soon as he was crowned.
18.
The Egyptians believed in an afterlife----a life after death.
19.
After a pharaoh died, the body was mummified, or preserved, placed in
decorated coffins, and then placed in a tomb---usually a pyramid.
20.
Egyptians believed that gods controlled the whole universe—polytheism.
21.
When the Egyptians talked about the Ka, they were discussing an
individual’s spirit or soul.
22.
The reason why the Egyptians preserved (mummified) the bodies of their
dead was to achieve happiness in life after death.
23.
Ancient Egyptians believed that their rulers (pharaohs) were actually gods.
24.
The Egyptians believed in two separate spirits that were housed inside the
body---the ‘ba’ and the ‘ka’. The ‘ba’ continued to live on the earth after
death, but the ‘ka’ would travel back and forth from the afterlife.
25.
The corpses were mummified (preserved) because eternal life depended on
the ‘ba’ and the ‘ka’ being able to identify the body.
26.
During the mummification process the brain was dissolved with a special
liquid and then pulled through the nose with hooks. The liver, lungs, and
stomach were embalmed and placed in canopic jars. (The heart was the only
body organ to stay in the preserved body of a mummy.)
(EGYPTIAN RELIGION)
27.
An Egyptian leader named Amenhotep IV wanted the people to worship only
the god Aton.
28.
Re (Amon-Re): Sun god that was born each day and died each night; the
most important of all gods.
Osiris: God of the dead --- also Anubis (shown as the head of a jackal)
Isis: Mother of Horus; ruled the sky; wife of Osiris and goddess of weaving
Horus: Son of Osiris; ruled sky and took form of a falcon; eyes were the sun
and moon.
Amon: God of wind who late joined with Re---king of gods.
29.
Egyptian religion explained nature; people tried to please the gods so that the
gods would not harm them.
30.
Anubis, god of the dead, according to myth invented mummification.
NILE RIVER
31.
For thousands of years, the Nile’s yearly floods brought rich, fertile silt to
the land, allowing the ancient civilizations to grow and flourish.
32.
The Nile is the world’s longest river. It flows from Central Africa to the
Mediterranean Sea.
33.
The Nile River was used in building a pyramid by loading the heavy stones
On barges and floating them down to where the pyramid was being built.
34.
Egyptian astronomers predicted when the Nile River would probably flood.
35.
The fields were planted in ancient Egypt as soon as the Nile stopped flooding.
36.
Rock-filled rapids, called cataracts, are the only feature of the Nubian section
Of the Nile not found in the Egyptian section.
37.
The ancient Egyptians called their land Kemet, which means “the black
land” because the soil left by the Nile’s floods was dark.
38.
Due to the land being very fertile, is the most likely reason why the Egyptians
in the Nile River valley often had crop surpluses.
39.
The people of Egypt could travel both upstream and downstream on the Nile.
(NILE RIVER)
40.
The Nile River has two main sources---the Blue Nile and the White Nile. Due
to the land’s elevation, the Nile flows north and ends in a rich, triangleshaped delta at the Mediterranean Sea.
41.
The Nile River has provided Egypt with rich farmland due to silt being
deposited each year when the river floods --- makes the soil moist and fertile.
42.
Most of Egypt’s farmland was located on the broad delta where the Nile
flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Truly, the land of Egypt is the “gift of the
Nile”.
43.
During the annual inundation (flooding) between July and November, the
Nile rose over its banks and flooded the land.
44.
The Blue Nile and the White Nile meet at the city of Khartoum, in the
present-day African country of Sudan.
45.
The physical setting of the Nile Valley affected the development of
civilization in northern Africa.
46.
The ancient Egyptians called the Nile River the “giver of life”.
47.
The Egyptians divided a year into three parts, all based on the activities of
the Nile with each one lasting several months.
Inundation = flooding; begins in late spring when the floods come
Emergence = appearing of land by disappearing water; begins in the late
summer when the flood waters reach their peak and begin
to leave the fields so that farmers can begin to plant their
crops
Harvest = caring for and harvesting of crops; begins in the middle of winter
and was a dry time when farmers cared for and picked their
crops
ARCHAEOLOGY
48.
Mastabas were early Egyptian tombs constructed of mud brick—they were
flat-topped and boxlike in appearance.
49.
A sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a
person, a hawk, or a ram.
50.
Ancient Egyptian sculptors made statues of sphinxes to honor kings and
queens.
51.
In Egyptian art, kings are often shown as lions defeating their enemies.
(ARCHAELOGY)
52.
The Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt (4500 years old), lies near the pyramid of
King Khafre --- the face of the sphinx is thought to be the face of King
Khafre.
53.
Pyramids were great structures built some 4500 years ago as tombs for
ancient Egyptian rulers, or pharaohs. Each pyramid was build from huge
blocks of stone placed in position using only human (slave) power.
54.
Egyptian pyramids served as burial places for dead rulers (pharaohs).
55.
In 1922, British archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered Tutankhamen’s
(King Tut) tomb.
56.
In 1798, a French army officer found a large black stone near the city of
Rosetta in the Nile delta. On the stone’s surface, the same message appeared
in three kinds of writing. In 1822, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were
translated using the Greek writing on the stone. The discovery of the Rosetta
Stone was important because it enabled archaeologists to decipher (figure
out—or unlock) Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.
57.
The pharaoh’s outer coffin was called a ‘sarcophagus’.
58.
The Great Pyramid is one of ten located in Giza, Egypt, and stands about
450 feet tall.
PHARAOHS
59.
Hatshepsut was a woman ruler who took the title of ‘pharaoh’ and ruled in
place or her young son, Thutmose III.
60.
Hatshepsut declared herself ‘pharaoh’ of Egypt in 1503 BC and ruled with
shrewdness and skill until her death.
61.
Hatshepsut’s step son, Thutmose III, became the next pharaoh after the
death of Hatshepsut. He had many of her statues destroyed which caused
her existence to be ‘lost’ for many centuries.
62.
Thutmose III was one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt because he was a
great military leader who conquered many lands.
63.
Tutankhamen reigned as pharaoh from the age of 9 until his death around
the age of 18. This boy king was worshiped as the living form of Amon-Re.
(King Tut was probably murdered by those seeking to replace him.)
64.
Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 69 BC to 30 BC and was commonly called the
“Queen of the Nile”. She was not content on ruling just Egypt, she wanted to
rule the Roman Empire and almost succeeded.
EGYPTIAN SOCIETY & DAILY LIFE:
65.
Women in ancient Egypt shared with men the right to own property and run
a business. Some even took part in government---one became a pharaoh.
66.
We know about the everyday life of the Egyptians because it was pictured on
the walls of tombs and temples.
67.
Here is the order of Egyptian society from highest to lowest:
Pharaoh; nobles; merchants; peasants
68.
Egyptian society has several levels. At the top was the king, called a pharaoh
(which literally means “great house”). He had absolute power over the
people.
69.
Each person in ancient Egypt belonged to one of three classes of society:
ruling class; middle class; peasants/slaves
70.
The pharaoh was the highest-ranked person in Egypt. Next, were the ruling
class of nobles and priests, followed by the middle class of merchants,
artisans, physicians, scribes, soldiers, and other skilled workers. The lowest
class was that of the farmers (peasants) and slaves.
71.
Ancient Egyptian farmers paid for the use of their farmland by giving crops
to the ruler.
72.
Priests were also considered part of the ancient Egyptian ruling class.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
73.
Ancient Egyptians knew a lot about the body because of their work on
‘mummies’.
74.
Egyptians made paper from ‘papyrus’—reeds found near the Nile River.
They wrote on this paper in hieroglyphics, a kind of picture writing.
75.
Egyptians also studied astronomy, geometry, and medicine.
76.
Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh who built temples and monuments, and
sent trading expeditions to the east coast of Africa.
77.
A form of geometry was developed by ancient Egyptian mathematicians
which allowed them to design and build huge structures like the pyramids
and free-standing obelisks.
78.
The Egyptians knowledge about the stars helped them to develop a calendar
based on the sun.
NUBIA
79.
Several civilizations rose and fell in Nubia between 1600 BC and AD 200.
Powerful kingdoms were centered in the Nubian cities of Kerma, Napata,
and Meroe. Napata ruled Egypt for a time.
80.
Meroe was near large deposits of iron ore. Its people made iron weapons,
tools, and created their own hieroglyphic writing.
81.
The people of Nubia and the people of Egypt influenced each other.
82.
During Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, Egyptians and the people of Nubia often
cooperated with each other to conduct trade.
83.
Scholars think that the reason the Egyptians called Nubia the “land of the
bow” was because the people of Nubia were famous for their skill as archers.
84.
The kingdom of Kerma was known for its fine pottery.
85.
The kingdom of Napata was known for building pyramids in which to bury
their kings.
86.
The kingdom of Meroe was known for its skill in making iron weapons.
87.
One reason why the Nubian kingdoms of Kerma and Napata were able to
defeat Egypt is that Egypt was a weak empire when they were strong.
88.
Meroe was one of the earliest centers for iron working in Africa.
89.
Merchants in Meroe developed trading networks to sell their iron products.
90.
The land of Nubia was an ancient civilization that had many natural
resources that the people of Egypt wanted so they took over the Nubian lands
through ‘annexation’—or taking over.
KUSH
91.
The Kushites exported some valuable items to Egypt: ivory, ebony, vegetable
oils, animal hides, ostrich plumes, and slaves.
92.
The Kushites were greatly influenced by the ancient Egyptians due to the fact
that they were conquered by Egyptian art, language, and religion.
93.
The kingdom of Kush was located in the present countries of Sudan and
Ethiopia.
(KUSH)
94.
The Kushite armies invaded the lands of Egypt, and were successful in
defeating the Egyptian empire for almost 100 years.
95.
Piye and Kashta were Kushite rulers who conquered and governed Egypt.
96.
A group of buyers and sellers is call a ‘trading network’.
97.
There are some historical records that show that women in Kush actually
held positions of authority.
98.
The Egyptians named the northern region of Nubia – Wawat, and the
southern region of Nubia became known as Kush.
MISCELLANEOUS
99.
A type of snake icon that was used to adorn the crowns of the Egyptian kings
was the ‘cobra’. (It was believed by many that this snake would spit poisonous
fire at anyone venturing too near to Pharaoh.)
100.
The correct order of rule by each of the Egyptian kingdoms that tells when in
history it occurred is as follows:
1) Old Kingdom 2) Middle Kingdom 3) New Kingdom
“Know-It or Owe-It”
Use these FACTS in a variety of ways; use the information in the creation of your
‘hands-on’ products and your review game activities. Study some of them EACH
and EVERY day! (Study a set of ‘10’ every day!) You can do it! Just remember, if
I take the majority of the TEST questions from these facts, and you do not study
them very much at home, will you do really well on the TEST? Probably not!!!
Just remember this little saying:
“Don’t let it REST until your GOOD gets BETTER
and your BETTER becomes your BEST!”