1. Egypt

2. Cities: “The Gift of the Nile”
Cities formed around the Nile River Valley
Yearly floods
Silt = fine soil found in rivers
Irrigation = supplying land with water from a river using network of canals
Shaduf = bucket w/ a counterweight used to transfer water into irrigation ditches

3. Central Government: Pharaohs

4. Writing: Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphics = picture-like symbols that stand for ideas, things, or sounds.
Papyrus = an early form of paper made from a reed found in the marshy areas of the Nile delta.

5. Social Classes: Egyptian Social Pyramid
Pharaohs = absolute power
Vizier = 2nd in command; “Alfred” of Egypt
Priests = religious leaders
Nobles = family connections; “Kardashians” of Egypt
Scribes = writers for gov’t
Peasants = farmers; majority of population; “sharecroppers”
Slaves = lowest spot; can sell self into or buy out of slavery
Pharaoh
Vizier
Priests
Nobles
Scribes
Peasants
Slaves

6. Job Specialization: Priests

7. Technology: The Great Pyramids of Giza
Pyramids = a huge building with four sloping triangle-shaped sides; built as royal tombs

8. Organized Religion: Mummification