1. Egypt

2. African Civilizations of the Nile Valley Why is the Nile River Important? Giver and Taker of Life Source of Innovation Source of Religion Unity for the Egyptians

3. Giver and Taker of Life 1.As the land in northeastern Africa became desert, plants died. 2.Animals and people in search of water moved to the valley of the Nile. 3.The Nile River provided a source of water and spread silt, which made the surrounding land fertile. 4.People grew wheat barley and raised sheep, goats, and cattle.

4. 5. Some years the Nile took life away: If too little rain fell, Nile did not overflow, land and crops dried up, people starved. If too much rain fell, Nile flooded, washed away crops and drowned people and animals. Giver and Taker of Life Continued

5. Source of Innovation 1.Egyptians kept track of the pattern of flooding with a 365 day calendar-the oldest known calendar based on the sun. 2.The Egyptian calendar divided the year into 3 parts: Inundation – late spring when floods began Emergence – late summer when water left the fields and returned to the Nile. This is when farmers plowed fields and planted crops. Harvest – dry time in late winter when farmers cared for and harvested crops.

6. Source of Religion 1.People of ancient Egypt used stories about their gods to explain nature. 2.Some Egyptian gods: Re (Ray) – Sun god, the most important god, created the other gods and the world. Osiris – taught the Egyptian people about farming and made things grow. Isis – Osiris’ wife Horus – son of Osiris and Isis who ruled the sky and took the form of a falcon. God of the sky.

7. Unity for the Egyptians 1.Upper Egypt – villages in the northern region of Egypt on the Nile delta. 2.Lower Egypt – villages in the river valley south of the delta. 3.About 3,000 BC, Upper Egyptian kings gained control of lower Egypt. 4.Some experts think that King Narmer may have brought the “Two Lands” together. 5.The uniting of Egypt established the world’s first organized government representing one group of people.

8. African Civilizations of the Nile Valley Dynasties of Egypt The Early Period The Old Kingdom The Middle Kingdom The New Kingdom

9. The Early Period 1.Egyptians believed their pharaoh was a god in human form. He controlled all the land and all the people in ancient Egypt. 2.Egyptians developed a system of writing called hieroglyphics. 3.Egyptians wrote on stone, on walls, and on paper like material called papyrus. Papyrus was one of the great inventions of ancient Egypt. 4.Government records in Egypt were written in hieroglyphics on papyrus. 5.Egyptian history is usually divided into three parts: the old kingdom, the middle kingdom, the new kingdom.

10. The Old Kingdom 1.Also known as the Age of the Pyramids 2.Pyramids were burial places for ancient Egyptian rulers. 3.Egyptians believed they would need their bodies in another life after death, so they built strong tombs (pyramids) and mummified their dead. 4.The best known of Egypt's pyramids is the Great Pyramid at Giza ordered by Pharaoh Khufu.

11. The Middle Kingdom 1.During the Middle Kingdom Egypt became an empire and captured much of Nubia. 2.The Egyptians and the people of Nubia often cooperated with each other to conduct trade. 3.During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt had 3 social classes: noble class = nobles and priests middle class = craftsmen, merchants, scribes, and people who had jobs in government lower class= farmers and slaves 4.The Hyksos captured Egypt and rules for about 100 years. They introduced the Egyptians to a horse drawn chariot and a stronger bow.

12. The New Kingdom 1.The Egyptians took back their country using war chariots and other weapons learned from the Hyksos. 2.The first woman to rule Egypt as pharaoh was Hatshepsut. 3.Amenhotep (who later changed his name to Akhenaton) and his wife Nefertiti urged Egyptian people to worship only one god, the Aton. This brought fear to the Egyptians and angered the priests. 4.When Akhenaton died the priests chose a new pharaoh whom they could control, a nine year old boy, Tutankhamen (King Tut). 5.After Tut’s death, Egypt’s wealth began to slip away, by 1075 BC the new kingdom had ended and conquerors from other lands began to rule Egypt.