1.Why did people settle in the land that is Egypt? 2.What is a river delta and why is it important? 3.What are examples of natural walls and why are they important? 4.What did ancient Egyptians call their kings? 5.What is a dynasty? 6.What does “The Gift of the Nile” mean?

 Egyptians believe that the land belonged to the gods.  They believed that the pharaoh had come to Earth to manage it for the rest of the gods.  Because of this, he had ABSOLUTE POWER over all the land and the people!  His job was complex because he was praised when things were good and blamed when things were bad.  By the Old Kingdom, his duties were vast and his family members became involved in governing too.

People who belong to rich and powerful families

In the Egyptian kingdom, the vizier was the second most powerful official. Usually picked from the ranks of the scribes, the vizier was the pharaoh’s most trusted advisor. He oversaw many of the key functions of government including building projects, the state archives, and the state judiciary system.

Nobles in Egyptian society were related to the pharaoh, priests, scribes, doctors, lawyers, or important military personnel. Many of the nobles were overseers of the lands worked by peasants. Taxes from these lands were paid to the government in the form of crops or cattle. These crops in turn were used to pay skilled workers and peasants for their labor on governmental projects.