1. Ancient Egypt Unit Test Study Guide

2. How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization?
Deserts:
provided protection from invaders because it is hard to cross
few people could live in the desert which kept the population near the river
isolation

3. How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization?
The Nile River:
* provides food and water
*good for transportation and trade
*flooding could kill people, destroy homes and crops
*flooding deposited silt which made the soil very fertile– the land surrounding the river was a very fertile river valley
*river provided water for irrigation and farming

4. How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization?
Delta:
marshy area of land with many small waterways
provided papyrus which Egyptians used to make paper

5. How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization?
Cataracts:
waterfalls
There were 6 along the Nile River which made it difficult to travel.

6. Religion:
Began:
in Ancient Egypt

7. Religion:
Buildings:
pyramids were built for the pharaohs who were worshipped like gods
underground tombs were later built so that valuables would not be stolen
pyramids were temples where people could worship the gods

8. Religion: Beliefs: they were polytheistic (believed in many gods)
Ra, the sun god, was the most important god
they believed that pharaohs were living gods

9. Religion:
Rituals:
mummified the dead because of their belief in the afterlife
buried pharaohs with their valuables near them so they could enjoy them in the afterlife

10. Religion and Government were linked:
pharaohs were believed to be god-kings
-- they were worshipped by the people as a
god
they built temples, performed religious rituals, and were believed to be a direct link to the gods
pharaohs ruled everything in the kingdom
they believed in Divine Kingship – that kings are chosen by God and that the right to rule was passed from father to son

11. Why Was the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb Important to Historians?
it was the last untouched tomb
archaeologists were able to see what treasures the pharaohs were buried with
they found jars that held his organs, statues made of gold, toys, and food
It showed how much ancient people honored their pharaohs/god-kings.

12. Why Was the Discovery of the Rosetta Stone Important to Historians?
it allowed archeologists/Egyptologists to translate the ancient hieroglyphics
After this discovery, all of the writings on the walls and structures were able to be read and understood.

13. Achievements pyramids Sphinx obelisks hieroglyphics
women in important roles (owning land, merchants, scribers, rulers)
irrigation
boats
paper
calendar (based on the flooding cycle)

14. How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter?
Food:
fish from the Nile River
learned to irrigate so they could farm
they would store grain and meat in case of drought or famine
storing grain
irrigation canals

15. How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter?
Clothing:
wore light clothes made from linen
linen is made from flax which is grown along the Nile
they wove the flax into linen

16. How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter?
Shelter:
made mud bricks by mixing mud and straw and baking them in the sun
rich people had homes made of stone
used papyrus reeds to make roofs

17. The Egyptian Empire Declines:
War:
people were greedy for more land and power which led to many battles
many lives were lost in too many battles
the Kushites invaded and conquered all of Egypt
Poor Leadership:
rulers were ineffective
the government was weakened
The Egyptians did learn to use chariots and reclaimed their land from the Hyksos.

18. Egypt’s economy was based on
farming.

19. Daily Life of Men & Women
quality of life depended on jobs (some had more work to do than others)
could move between classes
participated in warfare
could hold any position on the social pyramid
could inherit land and do business
could be scribes or merchants
there were a few female pharaohs

20. Nobles, Priests, & Government Officials Merchants and Artisans
Social Pyramid
Pharaoh
Nobles, Priests, & Government Officials
Scribes
Merchants and Artisans
Can you fill in the social pyramid and tell about each level?
Pharaohs were the rulers and were believed to be linked to the gods.
Nobles, priests, and government officials helped the pharaoh govern Egypt.
Scribes kept records for Egypt’s bureaucracy (government).
Merchants and artisans were skilled workers of a certain trade
farmers and unskilled workers made up a large part of the population and worked the land; slaves would help farm and wait on the wealthy (they could be bought and sold)
Farmers, Unskilled Workers, and Slaves
Farmers, Unskilled Workers, and Slaves