Chapter 4 Ancient Egypt

Geography and Ancient Egypt The Gift of the Nile The Nile River Is the longest river in the world It flows north from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea It flows through Upper and Lower Egypt Along the river are several areas of rapids, called cataracts At the end of the river, it divides into several branches creating a fertile delta

Geography and Ancient Egypt The Gift of the Nile Floods Because it received so little rain, most of the land was desert Floods deposited fertile silt that made the land well suited for farming

Geography and Ancient Egypt Civilization Develops Along the Nile Civilization was able to develop in the region because of farming and geography Farmers developed irrigation systems to help crops grow Farmers developed, and used, a shadouf to water their crops in their fields They grew an abundance of wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables Because of natural barriers, Egypt was hard to invade

What is a shadouf?

Geography and Ancient Egypt Kings Unify Egypt Initially, Upper and Lower Egypt were separate kingdoms Menes, unified both parts into one kingdom To show this, he wore the double crown He became the first pharaoh of Egypt He started the first dynasty A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family He made the city of Memphis the capital

Geography and Ancient Egypt The Crowns of Egypt Double Lower Upper

The Old Kingdom Rule by Pharaohs During the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians developed their political system They believed pharaohs were kings and gods Pharaohs had supreme power They were blamed if crops did not grow well or disease struck The Old Kingdom was known as the Pyramid Age

The Old Kingdom The Social Structure Society was broken into different classes based on what jobs people had 80% of Egyptians were farmers

The Old Kingdom Religion and Egyptian Life The Egyptians were polytheistic Their religion was focused on the afterlife People were mummified before being buried Mummies were placed in tombs that were filled with art, jewelry, and other treasures Egyptians believed they needed these items in the afterlife

The Old Kingdom The Pyramids Are huge stone structures that served as pharaoh’s tombs (royals) Were paid for by collecting taxes The Great Pyramid was built for Khufu Is symbolically protected by a sphinx Is a human-headed lion statue

The Middle and New Kingdoms The Middle Kingdom Because so many pharaohs built pyramids, the Old Kingdom ended The power of the pharaoh was taken away Chaos disrupted life in Egypt Invaders, called the Hyksos, conquered lower Egypt Eventually, Ahmose, defeated the Hyksos and re-established the rule of the pharaohs

The Middle and New Kingdoms The New Kingdom Ahmose started the new kingdom During this time period, Egypt grew into an Empire by conquering neighboring lands These conquests made Egypt rich They also opened new trade routes Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female pharaoh led huge trade expeditions Ramses the Great was the best pharaoh of the New Kingdom

The Middle and New Kingdoms Work and Daily Life Most Egyptians lived in their own homes Men were usually farmers and women cared for the home Most children went to school and received an education Children would follow in their parents footsteps

Egyptian Achievements Egyptian Writing Hieroglyphics developed in Egypt to keep track of taxes Scribes were the main writers They wrote on papyrus Paper made from reeds We were able to discover what the hieroglyphics meant when Champollion cracked the code of the Rosetta Stone

Egyptian Achievements Temples, Tombs, and Art The Egyptians were known for their elaborate temples They were built to honor the gods They often had sphinxes, obelisks, and pillars decorating them The walls were covered with paintings and hieroglyphics

Egyptian Achievements Temples, Tombs, and Art One of most amazing tombs in Egypt is King Tutankhamen’s tomb It was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter The tomb was filled with treasures including King Tut’s mummy The golden mask found on his mummy is one of the most valuable discoveries ever made

Ancient Kush The Geography of Early Nubia The land to the south of Egypt was called Nubia The word “nub” in Egyptian meant gold There were huge deposits of gold here In ancient times, the land was very fertile Over time, the land became more desert like making it harder to grow food

Ancient Kush Kush and Egypt Kush and Egypt were neighbors and at peace with each other They were trade partners for many years As Kush grew larger, Egypt was threatened by their power and so they conquered them As a result, Kushite culture became more like Egyptian culture Shabaka, a later ruler in Kush, was buried in a pyramid when he died

Ancient Kush Later Kush Kush became a nation based on trade They established a large trade network, a system of people in different lands who trade goods They exported gold, pottery, and iron They imported jewelry and other luxury items Kushite merchants brought back items and ideas from other cultures

Ancient Kush The Decline of Kush There were many problems that brought the end of Kush Cattle overgrazed the fertile farmland Forests were cut down and wood became scarce New trade route bypassed Kush In the end, Kush was taken over by the kingdom of Aksum

Study Guide What to study? The role of the pharaohs The importance of hieroglyphics What happened in each kingdom Understand the geography of Ancient Egypt Upper and Lower Egypt The Nile River Where the best farming was located What Kush was like Study notes!