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The river flows to the Mediterranean
Sea where the Nile Delta is formed.
The land around the river is higher at the
beginning of the river and lower near the
mouth of the river.
The ancient people called the higher land
in the south “Upper Egypt.”
The land in the north, the delta area, was
called “Lower Egypt.”
Each year heavy rains in central
Africa caused the river to overflow
its banks. When the floodwaters
drained away, a rich silt remained.
The silt was a natural fertilizer.
The dark soil was called “Kemet”
meaning “black land.”
The Ancient Egyptians believed in many
gods and used stories about them
to explain events in nature.
They believed the sun was a god
that was born each day and died
each night.
They believed religion was important to
their survival in the Nile River Valley.
The Egyptians prayed to their gods
and believed in life after death.
A book of prayers called The Book
of the Dead was placed in their tombs
to be used as a guide in the afterlife.
By around 3,500 B.C. city-states
joined together forming two large kingdoms.
The kingdoms were known as the “Two
Lands.” (Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt)
Around 3000 B.C. the Upper Egyptian
Kings had gained control of Lower
Egypt. Uniting Egypt marked the
beginning of the world’s first nation-state,
which lasted for 3,000 years.
 Egyptians called their kings “pharaoh.”
 The word pharaoh means “great house”
and referred to the ruler’s palace.
 Pharaoh had total authority and was
believed to be the son of Re, the sun
god.
 Pharaoh was believed to be a link
between man and the gods.
 Egyptians left written records.
 They developed hieroglyphics, a
system of writing.
more than 700 symbols
most stood for sounds
some stood for whole
words or ideas
The Old Kingdom
2625 to 2130 B.C.
Great achievements in building
Intermediate period
The Middle Kingdom 1980 to 1630 B.C.
Changes in government, trade expanded,
changes in society
Intermediate period
1539 to 1075 B.C.
The New Kingdom
First full time army, empire expanded
Preserving a body took about 70 days
Everything that a person might need
was placed in the tomb with the body.
All internal organs removed except the
heart (believed to be the home of the
soul)
Body covered with natron –a kind of
salt to absorb water in the body
The Egyptians believed the soul
appeared before the god Osiris and
a group of judges.
The dead person’s heart was
placed on one side of a
scale and a feather (the
feather of truth) was placed
on the other side.
Egyptians believed that pharaoh went to live
with Amon-Re, their most powerful god.
The step pyramid (the first form) may have
been a way to help the king “climb the stairway
to heaven.”
Workers cut /moved more than 2 million blocks
Each block weighed about 5,000 pounds.
The blocks were probably moved on sleds.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu is about
480 feet high and covers 13 acres.