Download Section 1 Lectur

Chapter 4:
Ancient Egypt &
Kush
Chapter 4 Section 1
Geography and
Ancient Egypt
Geography and Ancient Egypt
The Big Idea
The water, fertile soils, and protected setting of the
Nile Valley allowed a great civilization to arise in
Egypt around 3200 BC.
Main Ideas
• Egypt was called the gift of the Nile because the
Nile River gave life to the desert.
• Civilization developed along the Nile after people
began farming in this region.
• Strong kings unified all of Egypt.
The Gift of the Nile
• Geography played a key role in Egyptian
history and development.
• Egypt was called the gift of the Nile because
the Nile River gave life to the desert.
Location and Physical
features
• The Nile is the longest
river in the world.
• It begins in central Africa
and runs 4,000 miles north
to the Mediterranean Sea.
• Ancient Egypt included
two regions, the southern
region was called Upper
Egypt and the northern
region was called Lower
Egypt.
• That were given their names
by their relation to the Nile.
Ancient Egypt page 87
Desert
• The Nile sliced
through the desert
creating a 13 mile
wide fertile river
valley. On either
side, however, lay
hundreds of miles
of empty desert.
• At several points, the rough terrain caused
cataracts, or rapids, to form and made
sailing that portion of the Nile very difficult.
• There are seven cataracts in total, and the first
one is 720 miles south of the Mediterranean. It
marked the southern border of Upper Egypt.
• In Lower Egypt, the Nile divided into several
branches that fanned out and flowed into
the Mediterranean Sea.
• These several branches formed a delta, a
triangular area of land made from soil
deposited by a river
• Two Thirds of Egypt's fertile farmland was
located in the Nile Delta.
• Little rain fell in the Egyptian desert, but the
Nile flooded every year in the summer and
fall.
• The floods of the Nile was easier to predict
than those of the Tigris and Euphrates River.
• Each year, the Egyptians eagerly awaited
the flooding of the Nile.
• Without the floods, people could never
have farmed in Egypt.
• The Nile floods provided a bountiful
growing season every year, and people
knew they could count on a food supply in
the future.
• The rich silt made the soil ideal for farming.
• The silt made the land a dark color.
• The Egyptians called their country the
black land, and the desert the red land.
Civilization Develops Along the
Nile
• Hunter-Gatherers settled in Egypt more
than 12,000 years ago.
• They found the land flowing with flora and
fauna.
• In time they learned how to farm and they
settled along the Nile River in small villages.
• Like Mesopotamia,
Egyptians developed an
irrigation system.
• They built basins to collect
water during the yearly
floods and to store
precious resources long
afterwards.
• They built canals that
could be used to direct
water from the Nile River
to the fields.
• The Nile provided early Egyptian farmers
with an abundance of food.
• They grew wheat, barely, fruits, and
vegetables, and raised livestock.
• They eat fish and different wild birds.
• Egypt’s location offered another
advantage because it had natural barriers
that made it hard to invade.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The desert to the west
the Mediterranean Sea to the North,
the Red Sea to the east
the cataracts along the river
• Protected from invaders, the villages grew
into two kingdoms in 3200 BC, one in the
Lower and Upper Egypt.
Strong Kings Unify Egypt
• The Kings of Lower Egypt ruled from Pe,
and had a red crown.
• The Kings of Upper Egypt ruled from
Nekhen, and wore a white crown.
• Around 3100 BC, Menes (Narmer) rose to
power in Upper Egypt and he wanted to
unify the nation, like an early King Scorpion
wanted to do.
• He unified the two kingdoms by taking
control of Lower Egypt and by marrying a
Lower Egyptian princess.
• Menes wore both the red and white crowns
together, this symbolized leadership over
the two kingdoms.
• Menes was probably
Egypt’s first pharaoh,
the title used by the
rulers of Egypt.
• Pharaoh means great
house
• Menes founded
Egypt’s first dynasty, or
series of rulers from
the same family.
• Menes built the first capital of Egypt called
Memphis.
• It became the cultural and political center
of Egypt.
• The First Dynasty lasted for about 200 years
and extended Egyptian territory southward
along the Nile.
• Eventually, rivals would appear and
overthrow the dynasty and establish the
Second Dynasty.
Geography Link
List three ways how did
Civilization Develop in the
Nile River Valley?
How did Civilization Develop in the
Nile River Valley
Canals were built
to carry water to
fields of wheat,
barley, fruits,
and vegetables.
• The Nile allowed
farmers to raise
animals such as
cattle and sheep.
• The river also
provided many
types of fish to
eat, and hunters
trapped ducks
and geese.
• Natural barriers made
Egypt hard to invade.
• Desert in the west
was too big and
harsh to cross.
• Mediterranean and
Red Sea provided
protection from
invasion.
• Cataracts in the Nile
made it difficult to
invade from the
south.
Questions pages 86-89
Cambridge answer in complete sentences
1. Where were Upper Egypt and Lower
Egypt located?
2. Why was it important to the Egyptians
that Niles flooding was consistent?
3. How did farmers use the Nile to grow their
crops
4. What does the title pharaoh mean?
5. How did the pharaohs crown display the
unification of Egypt?