The Nile Valley

Settling the Nile Between 6000 and 5000 BC, hunters and gatherers moved into the Nile River Valley They settled down and created dozens of villages along the river banks These people became the earliest Egyptians

A Mighty River Egypt received little rain The Nile River was the only water source for bathing, drinking, farming, etc. Longest river in the world

A Mighty River The Nile actually begins as two separate rivers (Blue and White Nile) The meet and form the Nile just south of Egypt There are narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile that form wild rapids called cataracts

A Mighty River The river runs through a narrow green valley and splits into branches shortly before reaching the Mediterranean Sea These branches fan out over an area of fertile soil called a delta.

A Sheltered Land There are vast deserts on both sides of the Nile To the west is the Sahara The largest desert in the world To the east is the Eastern Desert

A Sheltered Land these deserts served as protection against outside armies

A Sheltered Land Egypt had even more protective features in their geography. To the south were the dangerous cataracts in the Nile Blocked enemy boats

A Sheltered Land In the north, delta marshes provided no harbor for invaders approaching from the Mediterranean Sea.

A Sheltered Land In Mesopotamia there were few natural barriers to protect the cities Constantly had to fight off attackers Egypt rarely faced threat because of their geography Allowed them to grow and prosper

A Sheltered Land Egyptians were not completely closed to the outside world The Mediterranean and the Red Sea gave Egyptians a way to trade with people outside Egypt

A Sheltered Land Within Egypt, people used the Nile for trade and transportation  As a result Egyptian villages had frequent friendly contact with one another. Unlike the hostile relations between Mesopotamian city-states

Regular Flooding Like the Mesopotamians the Egyptians also had to cope with river floods The Nile floods were much more dependable though Allowed Egyptians to farm and live securely

How Did the Egyptians Use the Nile? Through wise irrigation, Egyptians grew more than enough food to feed themselves and the animals they raised 

Importance of Papyrus Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile, became a useful resource Used to make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and later paper

What were Hieroglyphics? Egyptians system of writing made up of hundreds of picture symbols some symbols stood for objects and ideas Other symbols stood for sounds 

A United Egypt Egypt's skillful farming led to surpluses Extra amounts of food This freed some people to work as artisans instead of farmers

The Rise of Government Governments eventually emerged due to the need of organization Egypt was made of two kingdoms Lower Egypt (in the Nile delta) Upper Egypt (up river)

Egypt’s Ruling Families The two kingdoms were untied around 3100 BC, thanks to Narmer (King of Upper Egypt). Members of his family passed on the ruling power from father to son to grandson A line of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty

Egypt’s Ruling Families Ancient Egypt would be ruled by 31 dynasties across 2,800 years The dynasties are grouped into 3 Kingdoms Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom

Egypt's Social Classes