1. The Nile Valley
Chapter 2
Section 1

2. Did You Know?
After developing their method of papermaking using papyrus, the Egyptians kept the process secret, so others could not make paper. In this way, papyrus became even more valuable.

3. Settling the Nile
The earliest Egyptians moved into the Nile River valley from less fertile areas.
They farmed and built villages along riverbanks.
Nile River is the longest river in the world.
4,000 miles long
Begins as two separate rivers that converge to make the Nile
Cliffs & boulders create rapids called cataracts
Used Nile to drink, clean, farm, fish, and cook.
Nile Valley is a narrow, green valley
Northern end is a fertile area of land called: delta.

4. Settling the Nile cont. The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
Lies west of the Nile Valley.
Eastern Desert lies east of the valley.
Egypt has natural boundaries to protect it:
Deserts, rapids, and marshes in the delta kept enemies from entering.
Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east allowed trade with other peoples.
Within Egypt, people traveled on the Nile to trade with each other.

5. Discussion Question How did natural protection help Egypt?
Enemies had difficulty attacking the country.
Keeping people safe helped the population grow.

6. The River People
Floods along the Nile were predictable and were not devastating.
Each spring Nile would flood and leave a dark, fertile mud along its banks.
Farmers learned about the waters of the Nile.
They used the soil left behind by the floods to grow wheat, barley, and flax.
Farmers learned about irrigation.
They dug basins to trap floodwaters, dug canals to channel water to the fields, and built dikes to strengthen the basin walls.
Papyrus: a reed plant that grew along the Nile
Used to make baskets, sandals, and river rafts.
Later, used to make paper.
Hieroglyphics: Egyptian system of writing.
System consisted of thousands of picture symbols.
Scribes: Some Egyptian men learned to read and write. They attended school to learn to be scribes.

7. Discussion Question
Why might scribes be important to Egyptian civilization?
Rulers and other people in power, such as priests and priestesses, needed scribes for record keeping.
Few people could go to school to be scribes, so there were not many people the rulers could hire to work as scribes.

8. A United Egypt
Because the people in Egypt had surplus food, some people became artisans instead of farmers.
Artisans wove cloth, made pottery, carved statues, and crafted weapons & tools.
Egyptians traded with each other and with others in Mesopotamia.
A few strong chiefs united groups of villages into kingdoms.
Eventually, the strongest kingdoms overpowered the weaker ones.
In this way, two large kingdoms emerged:
Lower Egypt & Upper Egypt.
Narmer united the two kingdoms.
He ruled from the city of Memphis, and his kingdom lasted long after his death.
Narmer’s descendants passed the fueling power on from father to son to grandson, forming a dynasty.
Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties that historians have grouped into 3 time periods:
Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom

9. Discussion Question In what ways was ancient Egypt like Mesopotamia?
Both had access to powerful rivers, economies based on farming and trade, government to help the people, artisans to create products, and technological advances.

10. Early Egyptian Life Ancient Egypt had social classes.
Pharaoh was highest.
Upper Class: nobles, priests, government officials
Middle Class: Merchants, artisans, scribes
Lower Class: Unskilled workers and farmers.
Although men were the heads of the households, women had more rights in Egypt than in other ancient civilizations.
They could own and pass property, buy and sell goods, make wills, and obtain divorce.
Children: Few went to school; had time to play games and had toys.
Girls: Learned to sew, cook, and run a household.
Boys: Learned farming or a skilled trade.

11. Discussion Question
How are children today like children of ancient Egypt?
Both can play with toys and games.
All children required by law to go to school in U.S.
Egypt had few children going to school.
U.S. girls today can learn to farm or a trade skill & boys can learn to sew and cook.