Download Nile River Valley Civilization

Nile River Valley
Civilization
Egypt: “Gift of the Nile”
Geography
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Developed along the Nile River
• Longest river in the world
• Flood, plant, harvest, flood
• Silt: rich, fertile soil
• Worshipped as a god
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Deserts
• Protected from invasions
• Reduced interaction with other peoples
Geography
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Upper Egypt
• South
• 1st cataract (rapids) to where river fans
out
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Lower Egypt
• North near the sea
• Nile delta region
• Broad, marshy area formed by silt
deposits at mouth of river
Lower Egypt
Geography
ADVANTAGE
Advantage over Mesopotamian
civilizations: Nile River very
predictable in flooding.
Tigris/Euphrates Rivers very
unpredictable.
Geography
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Flooding
• Yearly flodding in July
• Rain and melted snow traveled from
central-east Africa
Navigation
• Drift North towards the delta
• Sail south with the wind
Geography
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Natural Barriers
• The desert surroundings reduced
contact with other civilizations
• The desert also provided a natural
barrier that shut out invaders
History
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Menes – first ruler of a united Egypt
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The Old Kingdom 2660-2180 B.C.
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The Middle Kingdom 2080-1640 B.C.
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The New Kingdom 1640-1075 B.C.
United EGYPT
OLD Kingdom
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Social Cultural
• Polytheistic- deities associated with
objects and emotions
• Pyramids-final resting place for
pharaohs
• Hierarchy-royal family and nobles,
middle class, and lower class
• Afterlife-soul weighed against a feather
Social Hierarchy
OLD Kingdom
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Political
• God-Kings- success depended on his
ability to fulfill his religious obligations
and believe to be divine
• THEOCRACY- government where the
ruler is seen as divine
• Capital at Memphis
OLD Kingdom
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Economic
• Massive Public Works-building of the
pyramids
• Pyramids at Giza
• Papyrus-record keeping on first paper
disadvantage: decomposes
Giza
Middle Kingdom
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Social
• Hierarchy continues- strong central
authority established by nobles and
pharaohs power diminished
Middle Kingdom
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Political
• Hyksos-asian nomads swept into Egypt
with horse drawn chariots
Middle Kingdom
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Economic
• Trade and Transportation- canal dug
from Nile to Red Sea
• MODERN day Suez canal
New Kingdom
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Social
• Valley of the Kings
• Hierarchy continues
New Kingdom
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Political
• Hatshepsut-encouraged trade instead of
war
since queen was not accepted even she
is depicted as having a beard
• Term “Pharaoh” is first used
• Capital moved to Thebes
• KING TUT-unimportant rule, but famous
King Tut
New Kingdom
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Economic
• First time trade is encouraged
General Political/Rulers
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God-Kings
Pharaohs = divine
Theocracy = ruler a divine figure
Responsible for Kingdom’s well being
Dynasties = ruling families
Social/Cultural
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Religion = polytheistic (many gods)
• Believed in after-life and judgment
• Pyramids = tombs after death
• The Old Kingdom was great age of
pyramid building
• Mummification: preserve body by
embalming and drying
• Consumed with the after-life
What happened when a Pharaoh
died?
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When a pharaoh died, the body was
preserved by people called embalmers.
Embalmers took the body to the Beautiful
House- the name of where they worked.
They removed some of the inner parts of
the body first. The organs were taken out
and stored in special containers called
canopic jars.
The heart was left in the body however, so
that it could be weighed in the afterlife.
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Then they rubbed the body with special
ointments and wrapped it tightly with
bandages.
When a body had been treated in this way
it was called a mummy.
The mummy was put in a coffin. The coffin
was the same shape as the body, and had
a carved , painted face on it.
A funeral was held by a Priest in the
temple.
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The coffin was then taken to the
pharaoh’s tomb.
The pharaoh was buried with all their
possessions, for use on the journey
to the next world.
The Egyptians believed that
mummification preserved the body of
the deceased and ensured their
survival forever.
Pyramid
Great Sphinx
Social/Cultural
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Society structured like a pyramid
• Royalty at top
• Upper Class = wealthy landowners,
government officials, priests, etc.
• Middle Class = merchants and artisans
• Lower Class = peasants, etc.
• Women had many of same rights as
men
Pharaohs and Queens
Who were the Pharaohs?
They were the kings or
Queens of Egypt. They
were the head of the
government and high priest
of every temple. The
pharaoh owned all of
Egypt. He or she decided
what was right or wrong
and their word was law.
The people of Egypt
considered the pharaoh to
be a half-human and halfgod.
Priests
Priests were very
important people in
Egyptian times. Besides
serving the gods, priests
did many other jobs,
such as teaching, or even
helping with the harvest.
Priests had to be pure
and clean. They shaved
their heads and bodies
and washed four times a
day.
This statue of a
priest has a bald
head, a fake beard
and he is in the
praying position
Nobles
Court Officials and
Noblemen held high office
in Ancient Egypt and helped
the Pharaoh to rule the
country. The Pharaoh would
often reward loyal nobles
with gifts of land, so that
they would earn their own
money from taxes.
Being a noble was one of
the best jobs in Egypt.
Nobles were rich and could
enjoy themselves hunting
and having banquets.
Noble on a hunting
trip with his family
Scribes
What is a Scribe?
Scribes were the few
Egyptians who knew how to
read and write. Being a scribe
was an extremely difficult job
because in total, there were
hundreds of different
hieroglyphs to remember.
Scribes were very
wise
A scribe's job was highly
regarded in Ancient Egypt.
Although being a scribe was
rewarding, the training could
take as long as twelve years.
This statue of a
Scribe was found in
his tomb
A peasant
making
papyrus
Craftsmen
Egyptian craftsmen
were highly skilled.
They learned their
trade from their
fathers and, in turn,
taught their sons.
They used simple
techniques and tools
to make all sorts of
useful things. The
Pharaoh, government
or temples often
employed them.
Craftsmen carving
statues and ornaments
Carpenters
using a bow
drill
Metal
workers
making
precious
objects
Peasants
The most important
business in Egypt was
farming. Most of the
people who worked in
the fields and barns
were peasants.
During the flood
season when no
farming could be
done the peasants
did building work on
temples and palaces.
Peasants
herding
cattle for the
Pharaoh
Peasants
preparing
food for a
banquet
Social/Cultural
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Writing
• Hieroglyphics
• Papyrus – writing surface (paper)
• Rosetta Stone
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Discovered in 1799
Clue to deciphering hieroglyphics
Economic
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Nile River helped unify Egypt and
promote trade
Reliable transportation between
Upper and Lower Egypt
During Middle Kingdom, dug canals
from Nile to Red Sea
Trade with Mesopotamia and Indus
river valley civilizations
Economic
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Wealth from new trade used for
public works projects
Dikes and irrigation
Accomplishments
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Hieroglyphics
Papyrus
Geometry-property boundries
Mathematics and Engineeringbuilding of pyramids
Solar calendar
Advances in medicine-pulse, surgery
Use of bronze-two wheeled chariots