Download Egypt Lesson 1

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Lesson Objectives
 the location of ancient Egypt on the
world map
 why Egyptian civilisation developed
around the Nile River the climate of
Egypt
 key features of ancient Egyptian
civilisation
 the creativity of the people of ancient
Egypt that is reflected in our world
 achievements from ancient Egypt
continue to benefit us today
Fun Facts
•Do you think it rains in Egypt?
Singapore’s Average Monthly
Rainfall
Look at the data for Singapore’s average rainfall in
MARCH (measured in mm), from 1869-2013 (145 yrs)
How much rain do you think Egypt receives in March?
Rainfall in Egypt
http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Cairo-weather-averages/Al-Qahirah/EG.aspx
• In other words,
what is unusual
in Singapore is
normal in Egypt!
Why did Ancient Egyptians settle
around Nile River?
Where would you want to live?
Nile River
• The Nile River is
one of the longest
rivers in the world
• How has the Nile
River helped
Ancient Egypt to
develop her
greatness?
Life along the Nile River (TB 5A p.68)
The Nile River provided the Egyptians with:
• Water for:
• Drinking
• Bathing
• Farming
• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Fish
• Useful plants (e.g papyrus)
• Trade routes between Egyptian villages
• Raw materials such as mud to make bricks
Since rainfall is very rare in Egypt, the annual floods provided the
only source of moisture to sustain crops.
Key Features of Egyptian
Civilisation
•
•
•
•
The Egyptians worshipped over 2,000 gods
These gods were believed to control every aspect of nature
These gods were often linked to animals
Can you guess which animal was associated with these gods?
Ra –
Sun
god
Sobek –
god of
the Nile
Thoth –
god of
writing
Anubis –
god of
the dead
Horus –
god of
the sky
Bastet – a
protective
goddess
Deciphering the Ankh
• Which four hieroglyphs do you see
in the Ankh on the right?
• What do you think the Ankh
means?
Mummification
• Egyptians were particularly
obsessed with the afterlife
• The king (Pharaoh) was seen as
divine, and became one with the
gods after death
• Elaborate steps were taken to
preserve the bodies of rulers
• Lungs, liver, stomach and large
intestines were first removed
and preserved in these jars
Tombs
• After mummification, the body would be
placed in an underground tomb
• Pharaohs built increasingly elaborate tombs
for themselves, culminating in the Pyramids
of Giza.
• There are many pyramids found across Egypt
Have you seen this before?
http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/history/egypt/egyptian
numbersystem/
Writing
• The Egyptian form of writing is
known as hieroglyphics.
• It can be carved on stone or other
hard materials.
• Later, the ancient Egyptians wrote
on sheets made from papyrus.
How did we learn how to read
hieroglyphics?
• In 1799 this stone was
discovered near the village of
Rosetta
• As it contained both Greek
and Egyptian writing,
scholars were able to
understand hieroglyphics
after much study
Egyptology
Do you know that there are people who dedicate their
lives to examining the art, archaeology, religion and
history of Egypt?
A Famous Egyptologist
• Howard Carter was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist
who became world famous after discovering the intact tomb
of 14th-century BC Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Howard Carter and Tutankhamun's
Tomb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?g
l=SG&hl=en-GB&v=7ZWB5-aXMXQ
(00.00 – 04:00)
What qualities of
an archaeologist
did Carter display?
What comes to mind when you
think of the words ‘empire’ or
‘dynasty’?
• Powerful
• Grandeur
• Rulers, Kings, Emperors
• Achievements
• Lineage
Definition of Empire & Dynasty
Empire
•a group of nations ruled over by an emperor, empress
or any kind of government
•usually a territory larger than a kingdom
Dynasty
• a family of rulers who rule over a country for a long
period of time;
• also : the period of time when a particular dynasty is
in power
Can you name an empire you know?
• Roman Empire
• British Empire
• Large
international
businesses are
known as
“Empires”
• e.g Google
corporation
Empires in
History
Empires
Today
How did empire and
dynasty come about?
A powerful person who
became the ruler!
Egypt Timeline at a glance
• Ancient Egyptian history is divided into 31 dynasties over 3500
years.
End of Egyptian Civilisation
• Over time, ancient Egypt was weakened by foreign
invasions and internal rivalry
• In 332 BC, Egypt was briefly under the control of Greece
– Alexander the Great conquered it
• In 30 BC, Rome conquered Egypt. Its last ruler, Cleopatra
VII, committed suicide. Egypt was now part of the Roman
Empire
• The last known hieroglyphics were written in 394 AD
• The last temples for Egyptian gods closed in 553 AD
• So Egypt lost its political independence, then its culture
and language faded away
• It could no longer be considered a distinct civilisation
Rise of Egypt
Let us find out how unification in Egypt started.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAe4GHoX_zo (00:00 –
10:10)
• If you were King Narmer, what are the first things you will do
after unification of Egypt? Explain why.
Greece and Rome
• Who were these powerful civilisations
which ended the era of ancient
Egypt?
• You will learn about them soon!
Homework
• Read up on Features of Egyptian Civilisation in your Textbook
from pages 69 to 72.
See you in
Egypt Lesson 2