1. Please get into groups of 5 people
Please get into groups of 5 people. Have your pens/pencils out and put everything else in your backpack.

2. Ancient Egypt

3. Ancient Egypt: The Gift of the Nile
Egypt is located in Africa and was built along the Nile River
The Nile River is the world’s longest river at 4,100 miles
Unlike the Tigris & Euphrates rivers of Mesopotamia, the flooding of the Nile river was predictable
Every July the river would flood and leave silt deposits
Farmers would plan ahead to make the most of the fertile silt

5. Environmental Challenges
Sometimes the Nile would flood too much or too little
Too much: destroy homes and other buildings
Too little: reduce the number of crops that could be grown which led to starvation
The deserts surrounding Egypt kept them isolated from other civilizations, but also acted as a barrier against invasions

6. Egyptian Pharaohs Egyptian kings were called pharaohs
Pharaohs were considered to be gods
Ancient Egypt’s government was considered a theocracy
Theocracy- type of government in which the country is ruled by religious leaders

7. Egyptian Pyramids
Egyptians believed that pharaohs continued to rule after they died
Therefore, pharaohs would need a tomb and items to help in the afterlife
The tombs of pharaohs were massive structures called pyramids

8. Mummification
Mummification- the process of preserving a dead body so it would not decay
Wealthy Egyptians would be mummified, placed in a coffin, and then in a tomb with their belongings

9. Egyptian Writing
Hieroglyphics- writing system used and developed by Ancient Egyptians
Papyrus- an early type of paper that was made using papyrus reeds

10. Egyptian Achievements
Created an accurate calendar to keep track of dates and the flooding of the Nile
Developed a written system of numbers to do math
Mathematical knowledge helped engineers build amazing pyramids and palaces
Developed medical techniques to heal broken bones and wounds, also used surgery

11. Homework 1. Review and organize your notes
2. Define and explain the significance of following vocabulary in your notebook: pharaoh, theocracy, pyramid, mummification, hieroglyphics, papyrus
3. Fill out the Ancient Egypt section in the comparison chart in your notebook.