Download DELTA RED LAND BLACK LAND MEDITERRANEAN SEA RED

MEDITERRANEAN SEA
DELTA
LOWER EGYPT
SINAI PENINSULA
BLACK LAND
RED LAND
UPPER EGYPT
RED SEA
SAHARA DESERT
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The Geography of the Nile
Why was Egypt the gift of the Nile?
1. The Nile River is the longest river in the world and in fact is
longer than the United States is wide!
2. The Nile River flows north and begins in the mountains of
Ethiopia and Sudan. The main sources are the White Nile and the
Blue Nile.
3. There are six cataracts or (rock filled rapids) along the river that
make it unnavigable.
4. Egypt is divided into "Upper Egypt" or Southern Egypt and
"Lower Egypt" or Northern Egypt. These two areas get their names
based on elevation. *Remember that ALL rivers flow from higher
elevations to lower elevations!
5. The Nile empties into the Mediterranean Sea by way of it's
delta or marshy area that splits into smaller streams to form a
triangular area.
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5. Egypt is divided into "Upper Egypt" or Southern Egypt and
"Lower Egypt" or Northern Egypt. These two areas get their
names based on elevation. *Remember that ALL rivers flow
from higher elevations to lower elevations!
6. The Nile River floods its banks and leaves silt or rich fertile
soil on its banks for farming.
7. The rich fertile land is known as "Kemet" or the "Black Land"
while the desert beyond is known as the "Red Land."
8. The Nile provided water to drink, flooding for fertile soil, fish
to eat, attracted animals to kill, and transportation.
9. The vast desert outside of the Black Land provided protection
from invaders.
10. EGYPT WOULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT THE NILE!
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Egypt's Powerful Kings and Queens
Pharaoh - an egyptian God / King
Dynasty - rulers that are in the same family. EX: Thutmose,
Thutmose II, Thutmose III
Regent - someone who rules for a child/pharaoh until they are old
enough to rule for himself
Hatshepsut - female pharaoh, regent to Thutmose III. She was very
fair and strong in her rule.
Menes - united Upper and Lower Egypt. Stabilized and brought
peace. This lasted for 2,500 years. He brought the red and
the white crown together as one!
Thutmose III - greatest pharaoh of the New Kingdom. Hatshepsut's stepson
who had all statues of Hatshepsut destroyed. He was fair to the
people that he conquered.
Tutankhamun - (King Tut) He is most well known for being the only pharaoh
found in his pyramid all intact. He ruled from the age of 9 - 18 and is so well
preserved because his pyramid was burried in a sand storm. His pyramid was
small because they start building it after the pharaoh starts his reign.
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Old Kingdom - (c. 2700 B.C. - 2200 B.C) Menes was the first pharaoh during this time
period. The period had very capable rulers who kept peace and traded with Nubia. Lumber
from the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea was used to build home and furniture. Work
on the Great Pyramid was begun and the Sphinx was built at Giza. Egypt's unity crumbled
near the end and the pharaoh grew weak.
Middle Kingdom - (2040 B.C. - 1786 B.C.) Strong pharaohs restored order and united all
of Egypt. Canals were built to complete irrigation projects. Literature and art flourished. In
time, weaker rulers lost Egypt to foreign invaders.
New Kingdom - began with the driving out of foreign invaders. Strong pharaohs created
huge armies and began building an empire. It was during the New Kingdom that Hatshepsut
ruled. She was followed by King Tut and then Ramses II.
In 332 B.C., Egypt, weakened by civil war, was conquered by Alexander the
Great. In 32 B.C. the Romans took control of Egypt.
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Egyptian Religion
afterlife - the belief in life after death
mummy - a preserved dead body
pyramid - royal tombs with a square base and triangular sides
Giza - an ancient capital city of Upper Egypt. It is the site of the Great Pyramids.
Egyptians used religion to explain how nature worked. They believed in may gods
(polytheism)
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The Culture of the Ancient Egyptians
hieroglyphics - Ancient Egyptian picture writing where the pictures stood for things,
sounds, or ideas.
papyrus - an early for of paper made from a reed-like plant
astronomers - scientists that study the stars and space
Jean Francois Champolion - a French scholar in the (1820's). He was the first to
decode Egyptian Hieroglyphics using the Rosetta Stone.
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Achievements of the Ancient Egyptians
1. Medicine
* very knowledgeable of the human body (mummification)
* performed surgery and set broken bones
* used natural medicines (herbs) for stomach aches and headaches
2. Astronomy and Time
* needed a way to predict when the Nile would flood
* studied the positions of the stars and noticed a pattern (Sirius the Dog Star)
* developed a calendar with 365 days
3. Writing System
* called hieroglyphics (picture-like symbols)
* wrote on clay tablets and papyrus (a reed-like plant pounded flat)
* Rosetta Stone - was a discovery that unlocked the mystery of hieroglyphics
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4. Social Class
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