Download silt. - SWR Global History

Egypt
“The Black Land”
A historical survey
Land of the Nile
Notice the fertility of
the River! Its in the
middle of the desert!
The Nile is as important to Egypt
as the Tigris and Euphrates were
to Mesopotamia.
Without the Nile river THERE
WOULD BE NO EGYPT!
The Egyptians themselves called
their land “Khemet”. This
translates into roughly, the
“Black Land”.
Once a year, the Nile would
flood. This flood was a great
blessing to the Egyptian people
because it brought with it silt.
Silt is a black soil that is found
on the bottom of the Nile. When
the Nile floods, this silt washes
upon the land, fertilizing the dry
desert and making it possible for
crops to grow.
Like in Mesopotamia, irrigation
was used to help control the
river
What did the Nile do?
Most importantly, was the annual floods that left behind the fertile silt.
But the Nile has other important features and effects to consider:
1. The Nile actually flows from the south TO the North. (see map on page 6).
2. The Nile has small waterfalls along its length, called cataracts.
3. At its northern most point, was the extremely fertile Nile delta.
–
A delta is a region of triangular marshland
4. The Nile was also the major route for trade and communication in Egypt.
Sunset over the Nile
A Timeline of Egyptian History
For nearly 1000 years, Egypt was divided
into two kingdoms, Upper and Lower
Egypt.
Around 3100 BC, the King of Upper Egypt
(the exact name of this king is disputed. It
is either Narmer or Menes), conquered
Lower Egypt.
In either case, Egypt became a united
kingdom, with a capital city of Memphis.
After this unification, Egyptian history is
divided by modern historians into three
time periods, which we today call
“kingdoms”.
– The Old Kingdom
• (2700-2200 BC)
– The Middle Kingdom
• (2050 -1800 BC)
– The New Kingdom
• (1550 – 1100 BC)
The Narmer
Palette
Specific Histories : The Old Kingdom
Egyptian rulers, called pharaohs, rule Egypt
– A pharaoh was considered to be the son of Amon-Re, the sun god.
Therefore, the pharaoh was also a god.
– The pharaoh was the chief politician, meaning, like a king, he controlled all
decisions of law and the military.
– However, he was also the chief priest of Egypt.
– A government ruled by such religious leaders is called a theocracy.
 To help him rule, the pharaoh
had a chief official, called a vizier.
•The vizier organized
government and saw to the
day-to-day affairs of
rulership.
•It was during the Old
Kingdom that the pyramids
were built.
•The pyramids were tombs
for the pharaohs, but tomb
robbers eventually brought
an end to their construction.
Specific Histories: The Middle Kingdom
The Middle Kingdom represents the time when the power of Egypt had
grown weak.
– The Nile did not flood as regularly as it had.
• This created crop shortages
– Many government officials were corrupt.
– Rebellions began because of these problems.
On the positive side, Egypt did conquer parts of Nubia.
Egypt reaches a disaster around 1700 BC when foreign invaders, called
the Hyksos, attack and conquer Egypt.
– The Hyksos had superior technology, especially the chariot.
After 100 years of occupation, the Egyptians learned the Hyksos style of
warfare, including the use of chariots, and a successful rebellion drove
the Hyksos out of Egypt.
Specific Histories: The New Kingdom
The New Kingdom was the
Golden Age of Egyptian
Society
The Empire was extended to
its farthest reaches ever.
Several powerful rulers
characterized the New
Kingdom
– Ramses II – Ramses the
Great
– Conquered all the way
north to Syria and finished
the conquest of Nubia
– He used Nubian gold to
help make Egypt rich.
– He had many monuments
erected to his military
victories. He always
claimed the credit for
himself.
The End of an Ancient Legacy
After Ramses died, Egypt existed for centuries more, but its power declined.
– Egypt would be conquered by the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.
Despite this end, Egypt remains a vibrant example of a river valley civilization.
Remember, Egyptian society dates from 2700 BC – 1100BC (And after, really)
– That is 1600 years!
– By contrast the United States has been in existence for about 300 years
The soul of an
Egyptian noble,
standing judgement
before Anubis, god of
the dead and the
feather of truth.