Egypt

Settling the Nile When: From 6000 B.C. – 5000 B.C., the earliest hunter gatherers settled villages along the Nile River valley.

Nile World’s longest river Egyptians drank from it, bathed in it, and used it for trade, transportation, farming, cooking, and cleaning. The Nile really began as two separate rivers – the Blue Nile and the White Nile.

A Mighty River II Narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile form wild rapids, called cataracts. Because of cataracts, large ships can only use the Nile for its last 650 miles, where it flows through Eygpt.

A Sheltered Land From the air, the looks like the stem of a flower that blooms just as it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. These “blooms” are the branches of the Nile that fan out over an area of fertile soil called a delta. The Sahara, which is the largest desert in the world, lies to the west of the Nile, and the Eastern Desert lies to the east.

A Sheltered Land II Egypt was rarely faced with invasions because of the natural barriers: “The Red Land” helped keep outside armies away from Egypt’s territory. The Nile’s dangerous cataracts blocked enemy boats from reaching Egypt to the south. To the north, the delta marshes

A Sheltered Land The Egyptians used the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea to trade with people outside of Egypt. Within Egypt, the Egyptians used the Nile for trade and transportation. Winds from the north pushed sailboats south, and the flow from the Nile carried them north. Because of this, Egyptians had a good relationship with the villages within the country.

The River People Regular Flooding The Nile floods were much more dependable than the rivers in Mesopotamia, so the Egyptians were able to farm and live securely. They farmed crops and grew enough food for themselves and the animals they raised. Developed tools and methods to improve farming and lifestyle [ex- shadoof (p. 41), surveying, papyrus]

The River People How Did Egyptians Use the Nile? Papyrus is a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile. They used papyrus to make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and later, paper.

The River People What were Hieroglyphics? They Egyptians used papyrus rolls as writing paper. Their writing was called hieroglyphics, which was made up of hundreds of picture symbols. Some objects stood for objects and idea, some stood for sounds, others just letters. Scribes would carve hieroglyphics into stone walls and monuments, but there was a simpler script for use on papyrus Few people in ancient Egypt could read and write, except for some Egyptian men who became scribes..

How Did We Decipher the Egyptian Alphabet? The Rosetta Stone History Mystery, p. 42

United Egypt Surplus of food led ancient Egyptians to work as artisans instead of farmers. The advances in farming and trade created a need for a government in Egypt. The government oversaw the building of irrigation systems, surplus food had to be stored, and land ownership disputes had to be resolved.

United Egypt Villages united to form small kingdoms, which later formed into larger kingdoms. By 4000 BC, Egypt was made up of two large kingdoms: Lower and Upper Egypt 3100 BC, Narmer united the two kingdoms. Egypt would be ruled by 31 dynasties over a period of 2800 years 3 main time periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom

A United Egypt Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt and wore a double crown to symbolize Egypt’s unit.

Early Egyptian Life

Ancient Egypt had social classes. The pharaoh was the highest power. The upper class consisted of nobles, priests, and government officials. The middle class included merchants, artisans, shopkeepers, and scribes. Farmers were the largest group of people and were in a lower class than the middle class.

Early Egyptian Life Men: head of the family Women: could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills, and obtain divorces (upper class women were in charge of temples and could perform religious ceremonies) Few children went to school (daughters were taught household duties and boys learned farming or skilled trades)

Early Egyptian Life Few children went to school in ancient Egypt Children had time to play games and had toys. Egyptian girls learned to sew, cook, and run a household Boys learned farming or a skilled trade

Review How are U.S. children today like children of ancient Egypt? How are they different? Both can play with toys and games. However, all children are required by law to go to school in the United States. In ancient Egypt, few children went to school. Also, U.S. girls today can learn farming or a trade skill, and boys can learn to sew and cook.

Review What is papyrus and how did the Egyptians use it? It is a reed plant that was used to make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and paper.

Review What rights did women have in ancient Egypt? Women could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills, obtain divorces, and take part in religious ceremonies.

Review How did the geography of the Nile River valley lead to the growth of a civilization there? The Nile River valley had natural barriers for protection, enriched soil for farming, and the river and seas for trade.

Review Describe the Egyptian writing system. Picture symbols, called hieroglyphics, stood for objects, ideas, and sounds.

Review What was the significance of Narmer’s double crown? It symbolized the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt.