Ancient Egypt The Nile River Valley

Map

A View of Egypt by Satellite

The Fertile Nile Valley

Scenes of Ancient Egyptian Daily Life

Egyptian Social Hierarchy

Hieroglyphics “Alphabet” 24 “letters” + 700 phonetic symbols

Champollion & the Rosetta Stone

Preparation for the Afterlife

Giza Pyramid Complex

A River Valley and its People The Egyptian civilization in the NRV is probably the most well-known of the 4 early RV civilizations Egypt receives little rainfall, so its people relied on the Nile’s predictable yearly floods to bring them water Around 3000 BC king Narmer of upper Egypt invaded and conquered Lower Egypt, setting up the first government that ruled an entire country. Historians have organized ancient Egypt into 3 periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom.

The Old Kingdom 2700 BC-2200BC Developed the basic features of Egyptian civilization Theocracy: same person serves as both the religious and political leader. Bureaucracy: delegated people to serve gov’t—control trade, collect taxes, build infrastructure. To honor their god-kings and provide them with an eternal resting place, the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom built the Pyramids.

Middle Kingdom 2200-1800 BC A period of upheaval and violence against the Old Kingdom Capital moved to Thebes Theban kings faced challenges to their authority from local leaders and were eventually conquered by the Hyksos—a people from western Africa. The Hyksos ruled for 110 years.

New Kingdom An Egyptian prince named Ahmose overthrew the Hyksos (1600 BC) Queen Hatshepsut (1480 BC) carried out an extensive building program Her son, Thutmose III established an empire by conquering Syria and extending the Egyptian frontier to the northern part of the Euphrates river. The empire grew rich from trade, tribute and cultural diffusion. Ramses II (1200’s BC) erected large statues of himself and built many temples and tombs.

Seasons of the Nile Answers to reading questions 1. The effect of the Nile on Egyptian civilization/agriculture. 2. Massive cooperative effort was required for irrigation, dams, canals. 3. If the king could predict the floods accurately the economy would thrive and the people would love him, increasing his power. 4. Easier access to water, less work (possibly more vulnerable to floods) 5. Water brings life!

Life in Ancient Egypt Stratified society: Royalty, nobles, and priests formed the top of the social order. Warriors , merchants, and artisans made up the middle class, and the majority of Egyptians, farmers and slaves belonged to the lower class. The status of women improved somewhat as centuries passed. Worship of multiple deities. Belief in an afterlife. Practiced mummification. Earliest writing system was hieroglyphics—carved picture symbols, also written on plant fiber called papyrus.