Egypt The Land of the Nile

The Nile river The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching 4,160 miles. Main sources are the White Nile and the Blue Nile and flows South to North Egyptians built their civilization on a 750 mile stretch of the river Annual flood cycle during the summer months allows farmers to plan their crops Sunny, frost-free climate made it easy to grow crops

Nile River Cont. Boats were able to travel up and down the river. This helped unite the region into one kingdom Contained deposits of granite, sandstone and limestone which were used as building materials. The deserts and seas that surrounded the Nile provided natural protection against invaders.

Steps toward civilization Hunter-gatherer groups moved into the valley by 12,000 BCE or earlier and formed farming settlements Around 6000 BCE Neolithic culture developed By 3800 BCE started mining copper, making bronze, and learned how to glaze pottery By 3000 BCE developed WRITING!!!!!!

Writing AGAIN!!!!! Writing was known as hieroglyphics and was pictographic Used more than 600 different signs At first they were carved into stone, but this took to long They developed papyrus and wrote using soot, water and plant juice We are able to read the hieroglyphics because of the Rosetta Stone

Kingdom of Egypt Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt Menes, a king of Upper Egypt, united both kingdoms and created a dynasty Menes and his successors gained more territory and improved irrigation. People regarded kings as gods and built great temples and tombs to honor them. The rulers eventually took the title of pharaoh, meaning “great house”

Kingdom continued Pharaohs held absolute power Rulers were religious and political leaders Also served as judges, high priests and generals of the armies By 300 BCE, some 30 dynasties ruled Egypt The time period has been divided into 3 periods, The Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom

Old kingdom The Old Kingdom existed from about 2600 BCE to 2180 BCE. The Great Sphinx was built during this time as well as the largest pyramids. Two classes: lower class-peasants and farmers. Upper class- Pharaoh, royal family, priests, scribes and government officials Lower class served in the army and worked on building projects For more than 100 years after the Old Kingdom, civil war divided Egypt as rivals battled for control.

Middle kingdom (Golden age) Around 2050 BCE a new line of pharaohs reunited Egypt and brought stability and prosperity This is also known as the “golden age” Nobles and priests began to weaken the power of the pharaoh and by 1780 BCE the Middle Kingdom was unstable This unstable period helped the Hyksos take over

Hyksos meaning foreigner The Hyksos introduced new war tools to the region, such as the chariot and compound bow and historians disagree about their history One account says the Hyksos invaded and conquered Egypt, murdering and enslaving the people Others believe the nomadic Hyksos migrated in the 1700s BCE and became powerful after the fall of the Middle Kingdom. They ruled Lower Egypt for more than 100 years

New kingdom The Hyksos remained outsiders to Egyptians Leaders in Upper Egypt drove the Hyksos out of the country and established a new line of Pharaoh Their base city was Thebes and they ruled from about 1570 to 1080 BCE The new pharaohs incorporated the chariots and created a stronger army gaining more land Established an empire

New Kingdom cont. Only the strong pharaohs could hold the empire together Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh built trade with other lands and Thutmose III brought Egypt to the height of its power. Amenhotep IV ruled from about 1380 to 1362 BCE and tried to bring about social and religious change He changed is name to Akhenaton After his death the priests regained power and returned Egypt to the old ways

Egypt’s decline After Akhenaton, few pharaohs were strong The last great pharaoh was Ramses II The following pharaohs were not as successful Series of invasions from the Sea Peoples weakened Egypt Attacked by foreign empires, like the Assyrians By 300 BCE, rule in Egyptian rule came to an end

Egyptian achievements Pyramids, 80 still stand Great Pyramid of Giza Perfected other art forms Small, lifelike statutes Paintings of every day life Developed a calendar with 12 months Had a number system based on ten Knew a great deal about the human body Treated illness and preserved bodies

Education and religion Education focused mainly on an elite group called scribes or clerks Scribes learned to read and write so they could work for the government Religious instruction was important to education Egypt was polytheistic and their gods often had an animal symbol The cat, the bull, the crocodile, the beetle, etc Main gods were Amon, or Amon-Ra who was the creator. Osiris who judged the dead and Isis was the goddess of the royal throne

Religion continued At first, only the pharaoh had an afterlife. Eventually, EVERYONE had an afterlife The person’s heart was weighed against the feather of truth If it balanced, then the person would move on to eternal happiness If unbalanced, the heart was thrown to Ammit - Eater of the Dead Mummification-preserving the body to make life easier after death