Download Chapter 4, Lesson 1 – Geography of Ancient Egypt

World History - Mr. Thompson
First & Last Name
Vocabulary Definitions
Class Hour (Circle) 1st
Chapter 4, Lesson 1
Date
2nd
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4th 5th 6th 7th
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1. Nile River Valley - Located in the northeastern corner of Africa. Set in the middle of the Sahara desert,
it was the home of one the world's first great civilizations, Ancient Egypt.
2. The Mediterranean Sea – This large body of water is at the mouth, or end, of the Nile River. Its name
is a compound Greek word that means “Middle Earth Sea.”
3. Lake Victoria – The source, or beginning, of the Nile River. It is located 4,000 miles south of the
Mediterranean in Africa’s highlands.
4. Silt - A mixture of tiny bits of black soil and rocks and was excellent for farming. It was deposited in
the Nile River Valley and in the delta every year when the river overflowed. Silt allowed farmers to raise
crops in the desert.
5. Delta – This triangle-shaped area is flat, fertile land made of silt left behind when the Nile empties into
the Mediterranean. It is named for the triangle-shaped fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.
6. Lower and Upper Egypt - When Ancient Egyptians drew maps of their country they drew it as a lotus
flower with a long stem. Lower Egypt is the flower part of the map, but is actually the “downstream” part
of the Nile River; the part called the Nile Delta. Upper Egypt, the long stem part of the flower, is actually
south of the delta, but is the “upriver” part of the Nile in the highlands. The names “lower” and “upper”
have nothing to do with North and South on the map.
7. Flax - A plant that grew well in the Nile River Valley. When spun into thread and woven, it made a
lightweight fabric called linen.
8. Irrigation - The watering of dry lands by means of streams, canals, pipes, and other human-made
devices. Egyptians brought water from the Nile River directly to their farmlands.
9. Shadouf – This stone-and-wood bucket-lifting device that scooped water out of the Nile. It was another
part of irrigation technology.
10. Nilometer – This invention looked like a staircase on the riverbanks, but it was actually a device for
measuring the steady and predictable rise of the annual floodwaters of the Nile river.
Irrigation: Farming in the desert
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