Download Egypt - Teacher Pages

Egypt
Settling the Nile
• When: From 6000 B.C. – 5000 B.C., the
earliest hunter gatherers settled villages
along the Nile River valley.
Nile
• World’s longest river
• Egyptians drank from it,
bathed in it, and used it
farming, cooking, and
cleaning.
• The Nile really began as two
separate rivers – the Blue
Nile and the White Nile.
A Mighty River II
• Narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile form
wild rapids, called cataracts.
• Because of cataracts, large ships can
only use the Nile for its last 650 miles,
where it flows through Eygpt.
A Sheltered Land
• From the air, the looks
like the stem of a flower
that blooms just as it
reaches the
Mediterranean Sea.
• These “blooms” are the
branches of the Nile that
fan out over an area of
fertile soil called a delta.
• On both sides of the Nile,
the land stretches into a
vast desert that forms
part of the Sahara, the
largest desert in the
world, to the west.
• On the eastern side,
stretching to the Red
Sea, is the Eastern
Desert.
A Sheltered Land II
• “The Red Land” helped keep outside armies
away from Egypt’s territory.
• The Nile’s dangerous cataracts blocked enemy
boats from reaching Egypt to the south.
• To the north, the delta marshes did not offer any
safe harbors for invaders approaching from the
sea.
• Because of these natural barriers, Egypt was
rarely faced with invasions and the Egyptians
were able to grow and prosper.
A Sheltered Land
• The Mediterranean
Sea and the Red Sea
gave the Egyptians a
way to trade with
people outside of
Egypt.
• Within Egypt, the
Egyptians used the
Nile for trade and
transportation.
• Winds from the north
pushed sailboats
south, and the flow
from the Nile carried
them north.
• Because of this,
Egyptians had a good
relationship with the
villages within the
country.
The River People
Regular Flooding
• The Nile floods were much more dependable than the
rivers in Mesopotamia, so the Egyptians were able to
farm and live securely.
• From July to October, the Nile spilled over its banks as
the heavy rains from central Africa and melting snows
from the highlands of Africa added to the waters from the
Nile.
• When the waters went down, they left behind a layer of
dark, fertile mud called Kemet (KEH-met), which means
the “Black Land”.
The River People
How Did they Egyptians Use the
Nile?
• They farmed crops and grew enough food
for themselves and the animals they
raised.
• Used irrigation by digging bowl shaped
holes and canals to carry water from the
basins to fields beyond the river’s reach.
• Egyptians also built dikes, or earthen
banks to strengthen basin walls.
The River People
How Did Egyptians Use the Nile?
• Egyptians found a way to measure land, or
survey.
• Papyrus is a reed plant that grew along
the shores of the Nile. They used it to
make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and
later, paper.
The River People
What were Hieroglyphics?
• They Egyptians used
papyrus rolls as writing
paper.
• Their writing was called
hieroglyphics, which was
made up of hundreds of
picture symbols. Some
objects stood for objects
and idea, some stood for
sounds, others just
letters.
• Scribes would carve
hieroglyphics into stone
walls and monuments,
but there was a simpler
script for use on papyrus
• Few people in ancient
Egypt could read and
write.
• Egyptian men went to
special schools to learn
how to read and write and
become scribes.
How Did We Decipher the Egyptian
Alphabet? The Rosetta Stone
History Mystery, p. 42
United Egypt
• Surplus of food led ancient Egyptians to
work as artisans instead of farmers.
• The advances in farming and trade
created a need for a government in Egypt.
• The government oversaw the building of
irrigation systems, surplus food had to be
stored, and land ownership disputes had
to be resolved.
A United Egypt
Egypt’s Ruling Families
• Groups of villages formed smaller
kingdoms that ultimately formed Upper
and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt was in the
Nile delta; while to the south lay Upper
Egypt.
• Narmer (also known as Meneez) was
credited with bringing these two kingdoms
together in 3100 B.C.
A United Egypt
• Narmer wore a
double crown to
symbolize Egypt’s
unity – the helmet like
white crown
represented Upper
Egypt, the red open
crown represented
Lower Egypt.
A United Egypt
• Narmer’s empire held
together and the
ruling power was
passed down from
father to son to
grandson.
• A line of rulers from
one family is called a
dynasty.
• Over time, ancient
Egypt was ruled by 31
dynasties. Historians
group Egypt’s
dynasties into three
main time periods: the
Old Kingdom, the
Middle Kingdom, and
the new Kingdom.
Early Egyptian Life
Early Egyptian Life
• Ancient Egypt had social classes.
• The pharaoh was the highest power.
• The upper class consisted of nobles,
priests, and government officials.
• The middle class included merchants,
artisans, shopkeepers, and scribes.
• Farmers were the largest group of people
and were in a lower class than the middle
class.
Early Egyptian Life
• Although men were the heads of
households, women had more rights in
Egypt than in other ancient civilizations
• They could own and pass on property, buy
and sell goods, make wills, and obtain
divorces.
Early Egyptian Life
• Few children went to school in ancient
Egypt
• Children had time to play games and had
toys.
• Egyptian girls learned to sew, cook, and
run a household
• Boys learned farming or a skilled trade
Review
How are U.S. children today like children of
ancient Egypt? How are they different?
Both can play with toys and games. However,
all children are required by law to go to school in
the United States. In ancient Egypt, few children
went to school. Also, U.S. girls today can learn
farming or a trade skill, and boys can learn to
sew and cook.
Review
What is papyrus and how did the
Egyptians use it?
• It is a reed plant that was used to make
baskets, sandals, river rafts, and paper.
Review
What rights did women have in ancient
Egypt?
• Women could own and pass on property,
buy and sell goods, make wills, obtain
divorces, and take part in religious
ceremonies.
Review
How did the geography of the Nile River
valley lead to the growth of a civilization
there?
The Nile River valley had natural barriers
for protection, enriched soil for farming,
and the river and seas for trade.
Review
• Describe the Egyptian writing system.
Picture symbols, called hieroglyphics,
stood for objects, ideas, and sounds.
Review
What was the significance of Narmer’s
double crown?
• It symbolized the unity of Upper and Lower
Egypt.