Download 2:1 “The Nile Valley” p. 38-46 1. 1. The Nile River *The Nile flows

2:1 “The Nile Valley” p. 38-46
1.
1. The Nile River
*The Nile flows north to Mediterranean Sea.
*the world’s longest river
*2 rivers meet to form Nile River
1. Blue Nile River
2. White Nile River
*Water rapids called cataracts form where 2 rivers meet.
-large ships can’t navigate & must stay in
last 650 miles of northern part of the Nile.
2. Geographic
barriers
*The Nile runs through a narrow valley.
*The river fans out into a delta before reaching the
Mediterranean Sea.
*Deserts lie on both sides of Nile Valley.
*The cataracts (rapids) on the river prevented blocked
enemy boats from the south.
3. Flooding
*The Nile flooded regularly.
*Regular flooding prevented farmers fields from drying out.
*When waters lowered, they left behind a layer of dark,
rich mud.
* Farmers used water from Nile for irrigation.
4. Hieroglyphics
*Egyptian system of writing.
*made up of thousands of picture symbols.
*Some symbols stood for objects and ideas.
*Other symbols stood for sounds.
5. Early Rulers
*Earliest rulers were village chiefs.
*Egypt was made up of 2 kingdoms.
1. Lower Egypt (at Nile delta)
2. Upper Egypt (in the south)
*Narmer was first king of Upper Egypt and united
Upper Egypt with Lower Egypt.
*Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties for about 2,800 years.
*Egypt’s dynasties divided into 3 main time periods:
1. Old Kingdom
2. Middle Kingdom
3. New Kingdom
*Each kingdom had a long period of strong leadership
and stability.
2.
6. Social Classes
*Top of classes: Pharaoh
*Upper Class: nobles, army commanders, priests
-lived in cities and large estates along the Nile
-servants waited on them
-dressed in linen and wore make-up and jewelry
*middle class: traders, artisans, shopkeepers
-ran businesses and produced goods
-lived in smaller homes
-dressed more simply
*Lower classes: farmers, herders
-majority of Egypt’s population
-most worked the land of wealthy nobles
-lived in villages along the Nile
-lived in one-room huts
*Unskilled workers: city dwellers who did physical labor
-lived in small mud-brick homes with dirt floors
7. Areas of deserts
*Weakness: could not support human life
*Strength: kept outside armies away from Egypt
8. irrigating fields
*The Mesopotamians used flood water from the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers to irrigate fields, but the flooding was
not regular.
*Egyptians had an easier time using the flood waters of
the Nile River to irrigate fields because the Nile flooded
more regularly.
9. dynasty
*In a dynasty, when rulers died power was passed from
father to son to grandson.
10. 2 kinds of
farmers
*1 kind of farmer rented land and paid the rent with crops.
*Most farmers worked the land of wealthy nobles.