Ancient Egypt

“The River in the Sand”  Egyptian civilization was known as a “Gift of the Nile”

Taming the Nile  The yearly flooding of the Nile was key to the survival of the Egyptian civilization  The floods made the soil fertile for farming  If the river didn’t flood enough, the people didn’t have enough food  If the river flooded too much, homes and fields were destoyed

Taming the Nile (cont’)  Canals to carry water to places that flood waters often couldn’t reach, allowed the Egyptians to build up the banks of the river

Taming the Nile (cont’)  TRADE – few roads were built in Ancient Egypt because cities were built along the banks of the Nile, and the people, expert boat builders, used the Nile for transportation.

The Gifts of the Nile  Nile mud bricks  Papyrus – a paper like material from the papyrus plant; this paper like material replaced the clay tablets commonly used from the Mesopotamians

The Great Builders  Egyptians realized that bodies buried in the sand would decay. This had an effect on their beliefs of an afterlife.  Pyramids became the new burial area for kings and citizens of high ranking  92 million cubic feet of stone – fill a stadium  No tools were used to shape the stone  All people worked on the project

Pharaohs  Each Pharaoh was a living son of the sun god  Pharaohs were in charge of government and religion

Religion  Polytheistic-worshipped many gods  Priests worshiped in temples – commoners worshiped in small buildings outside the temple  Shrine worship

Some Contributions of Egypt  Papyrus paper  Pyramids-tombs for the kings  Irrigation-bringing water from rivers to farms for crops

Conclusion  How has Egyptian culture influenced our world today?  How did the environment of Ancient Egypt shape the standard of living for the Egyptian people?  How was Egyptian culture transmitted, preserved, and/or changed?