Ancient Egypt 8.2.3

. . . Nile River Mediterranean Sea Nile Delta Giza LE Red Sea UE Aswan LN Sahara Desert Nile River . UN Eastern Desert Blue Nile White Nile Khartoum

4 Geographic Regions of Anc. Egypt 1. The Nile- makes life possible Longest river in the world Main means of travel Flows from S to N Winds blow from the N Important source of food Water for bathing & drinking Crucial for farming

4 Geographic Regions of Anc. Egypt 2. The floodplain- low strip of fertile land on either side of the Nile river Flooded yearly Most settlements located in the highest part Most farming happened here Agricultural year began in Sept. or Oct. Emmer, barley, & flax Cattle and poultry

4 Geographic Regions of Anc. Egypt 3. The Low Desert- strip of higher land on either side of the floodplain, not watered by the nile. Little vegetation, could not be farmed Used for hunting antelope, hares, & lions Before tombs, this is where bodies were buried

4 Geographic Regions of Anc. Egypt 4. High Desert- barren area beyond the low desert Crossed only by trade caravans or groups searching for stone or minerals Calcite, gold, copper, amethyst, carnelian, & diorite Several oases located here grew dates & grapes Links in trade and used to house prisoners

The Geography of the Nile “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.” World’s longest river

Sources of the Nile The Nile has 2 sources. The Blue Nile and the White Nile Today the city of Khartoum sits where the rivers meet The city of Aswan sits at the tip of the ‘S’ Aswan Khartoum

Ancient Nubia Ancient Nubia made up the area along the Nile between Khartoum and Aswan The Nile has 6 rock-filled rapids called cataracts. Lower Nubia Upper Nubia

Upper Nubia Lies between the 2nd & 6th cataracts South of Lower Nubia Does get rainfall, so farming took place in the spring and fall Only a narrow strip of farmable land

Lower Nubia Lies between the 1st & 2nd Desert and mountains line the river There is very little farmable land and it barely rained

Ancient Egypt From Aswan to the Mediterranean Sea is the area that made up Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt Aswan

Upper Egypt Lower Egypt Upper Egypt Aswan Fertile strip of land about 6 miles on each side of the Nile Stretches from Aswan to the Nile delta Lower Egypt The area around the Nile Delta Delta- a marshy, fertile area where a river splits into several streams and flows into a larger body of water. Mediterranean Sea Lower Egypt Upper Egypt Aswan

Gifts of the Nile Each spring the Nile floods Silt is washed down from the highlands Silt- rich, fertile soil deposited by a flooding river This silt made the land ideal for farming The Egyptians praised Hapi, the god of the Nile

Black Land & Red Land Black land- the fertile land left by the flood This land was essential to the existence of the Egyptians Red land- the dry, hot deserts beyond the flood area Made up of the Sahara & Eastern Deserts Protected the Egyptians and Nubians from foreign attacks

Civilizations Along the Nile Egyptian communities developed around 4000 B.C. Homes were built with straw or mud bricks Early Egyptians farmed Early Nubians hunted & fished

The Growth of Trade The Nile river served as a highway for trade They could travel upstream & downstream to trade. The Mediterranean Sea & Red Sea also provided valuable trade routes The Cataracts made water through Nubia impossible so land routes were made

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/story/main.html

Egyptian Religion Chapter 3, Lesson 3

How would you move it? Imagine that you have to move a huge stone (5,000 lbs). You have no machines, trucks, elevators, cranes, or forklifts. The stone has to be moved without anything powered by an engine.

Egyptian Religion Religion in Daily Life Belief in an Afterlife Pyramids

Religion in Daily Life Explained nature Gods controlled weather, death, sickness Different areas of Egypt believed in different gods West was the world of the dead

Belief in Afterlife Spirits of the dead went to a pleasant afterlife If bodies were preserved, the spirit would make it to afterlife Mummies were buried with items for the afterlife

Pyramids Created tombs for pharaohs Could take 20 years to build Barges carried stones for pyramids No wheels, so sleds, rollers, & levers were used