NILE RIVER VALLEY CH 2 SEC 2

NILE RIVER VALLEY The Nile River is the longest river in the world – 4,145 miles It flows north It floods predictably The most important geographical feature that lead to the development of the Egyptian civilization

GIFTS OF THE NILE Flooding around the same time every year lead to the development of a calendar Floods improved farmland by depositing a rich layer of soil called silt

Silt The Nile floods every year and deposits silt onto the riverbank Silt is very rich in nutrients

GIFTS OF THE NILE Cataracts – rapid waterfalls Delta – fertile but swampy area Egyptians used The Nile for food, water, transportation, and building

GIFTS OF THE NILE Papyrus plants growing in a channel of the Nile Delta in Egypt Papyrus a member of the sedge family, was important in the daily life of ancient Egypt. The roots were used as fuel and the pith was eaten. Other uses of the papyrus plant included sandals, boats rope, mats, cloth, and most notably a paper-like writing material. Papyrus – pressed reeds used to make paper, canoes, baskets, rope, and cloth

Making paper Papyrus paper

Gifts of the Nile River Silt Predictable floods 6 cataracts Delta Papyrus Wildlife

Natural Barriers Desert Mediterranean and Red Seas Delta Cataracts The Sinai Peninsula is the only area open to invasion

Pharaohs Viewed as gods Theocracy- government based on the belief that the ruler is a god

Old Kingdom or Pyramid Age 2660 - 2180 B.C Stones – 2.5 –15 tons Pyramids – “Houses of Eternity” Built to honor and bury the god-king (Pharoah) The pyramid of Chephren and the Great Sphinx at Giaza, Egypt. From the earliest period of Egyptian history it was customary to represent the king or pharaoh as a lion to symbolize his strength. This sphinx att Giza, the oldest, was carved about 2500 B.C. From a natural bluff that is 66’ tall and 240’ long. The sphinx wears the uraeus or cobra headdress and looks eastward toward the Nile and rising sun. The Great Sphinx of Giza

The pyramids of at Giza, Egypt The pyramids of at Giza, Egypt. The pyramids were erected as toms for Egyptian pharaohs of the Old Kingd om (ca. 2664-2155 B.C. A total of about 80 pyramids of various sized survived in Egypt today. The pyramid of Phara Cheops (at Lef. D. 2566 B.C. ) measuring 755 feet on earch side its base and 481 feet in height, was the largest ever built. About 100,000 men, working during the Nile flood seasons, completed it in 20 years. It consistts of over 2 million blocks, each having an average weight of more than two two tons. The pyramid of Chephren , Cheops’ sone is in the middle and that of Menkaure is a the right.

Cutting and Moving of Blocks

The pyramid of Chephren and the Great Sphinx at Giaza, Egypt The pyramid of Chephren and the Great Sphinx at Giaza, Egypt. From the earliest period of Egyptian history it was customary to represent the king or pharaoh as a lion to symbolize his strength. This sphinx att Giza, the oldest, was carved about 2500 B.C. From a natural bluff that is 66’ tall and 240’ long. The sphinx wears the uraeus or cobra headdress and looks eastward toward the Nile and rising sun.

King Chephren – 690 feet on each side 447 feet high

The Great Pyramide of King Cheops or Khufu ( 4th dynast, ca. 26540 B.C. at) at Giza, Egypt. The length of each side is 746’and height is 450. This pyramid occupying nearly 13 acres, was built of yellow limestone from a nearby quarry, and originally was covered with blocks of polished white limestone, which were removed in later years for use in other construction.

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The Great Sphinx of Giza Body of a lion Head of a man 240’long 66’ tall Solid sandstone

The Great Sphinx represented the ancient Egyptians an embodiment of Re (or Ra) the sun god, who stood guard over the pyramid tombs of the kings.

Polytheistic Religion Polytheistic = many gods 2,OOO Gods & Goddesses Osiris– weighed a person’s heart against a feather. Judgment = good afterlife or your soul was devoured & annihilated

Mummification Used to preserve the dead Connected to belief in the afterlife – life continued after death Embalming or drying of corpse

A149 – conopic jars – internal organs An egyptian mummy with amulets at various points in wrapping. 21st dynast, ca. 1000 BC>

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HIEROGLYPHICS A system of writing developed by the Egyptians “Sacred carving”-Deciphered by using the Rosetta Stone Rosetta Stone

Make your name! My name in hieroglyphics In Google, type “Make your name in hieroglyphics” and click on the Penn Museum link Draw your name in hieroglyphics in the Questions/Key Terms section! It MUST be written vertically! My name in hieroglyphics

TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE Geometry – created to survey fields Engineering Stone columns Medicine – setting broken bones

TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE Calendar – 365 days based on the star Sirius Developed to keep track of planting & flooding

Class Assignment Design a graphic organizer that displays and describes 5 unique characteristics of the Egyptian culture Materials = butcher paper, markers Must include: Title Pictures Descriptions/definitions Note: these will be hung up in the hallway/classroom so make them look nice!