ANCIENT EGYPT Chapter 5

Lesson 1: The Nile River

THE NILE RIVER VALLEY (pgs. 100-103) The Nile River is the world’s longest river. When Mesopotamia fell, the civilizations of Egypt and Kush began to develop along the Nile River. The early Egyptians in the northern region of the Nile River Valley called their land Kemet which means “black land” because of the dark, rich soil. So many of ancient Egypt’s structures survived over time because of the hot, dry climate. The Nile River flows about 4,000 miles. The Nile River has been called the lifeblood of Egypt.

THE NILE RIVER VALLEY (pgs. 100-103) The Nile River was useful for the following: Drinking water Bathing Farming/Irrigation Travel/Trade Growing papyrus

THE NILE RIVER VALLEY (pgs. 100-103) Cataract: dangerous, fast-moving waters in a river Delta: a fan-shaped area of silt (fertile marshland) near where a river flows into the sea

THE NILE RIVER VALLEY (pgs. 100-103) Egypt was protected by its physical environment: Deserts: isolated from outside invaders Cataracts in the south: keep out enemy ships Marshes in the north: prevent invaders who sailed from Mediterranean Sea

PEOPLE OF THE RIVER (pgs. 103-105) The Nile flooding was more predictable and less destructive than that of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Egyptian farmers used geometry to measure their fields Silt was left behind after the flooding just like in Mesopotamia

PEOPLE OF THE RIVER (pgs. 103-105) Basin: bowl-shaped holes Shadoof: a bucket attached to a long pole that lifts water from the Nile and empties it into basins Papyrus: a reed plant that grew wild along the Nile / used to make paper Hieroglyphics: a writing system made up of a combination of pictures and sound symbols

UNITING EGYPT (pgs. 106-107) The Egyptian traders learned about the ways of life and governments of other societies. As farming and trade increased, the need for organized government became increasingly important. Over time, groups of villages merged to form small kingdoms, and each was ruled by a king. By 4000 B.C., Egypt was made up of two large kingdoms: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Memphis became the capital city when all of Egypt was united.

UNITING EGYPT (pgs. 106-107) Dynasty: a line of rulers from one family Narmer: first king to rule over all of Egypt There were 30 dynasties that ruled Egypt between 3100 B.C. and 332 B.C. Egyptian dynasties were organized into three time periods: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom

UNITING EGYPT (pgs. 106-107) Facts about Narmer: King of Upper Egypt Conquered Lower Egypt Married one of Lower Egypt’s princesses Established the new capital city at Memphis, a city on the border of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt His kingdom lasted long after his death, establishing the first dynasty

Lesson 2: Life in Ancient Egypt

Egypt’s Early Rulers (pgs. 108-110) The Old Kingdom lasted from around 2600 B.C. to 2200 B.C. Characteristics of the Old Kingdom: Built magnificent cities Increased trade Unified government (they valued unity!) Theocracy: a government in which the same person is both the political leader and religious leader Pharaoh: ruler (king) of ancient Egypt

Egypt’s Early Rulers (pgs. 108-110) Pharaoh as a political leader: Held total power People were very loyal Was considered wise and far-reaching Would protect kingdom from war and famine Appointed government officials to carry out his orders Owned all of the land in Egypt and could use it as he pleased Distributed land to officials, priests, and wealthy Egyptians whom he favored Bureaucrats: government officials appointed by the king They supervised construction and repair of dams, irrigation canals, and brick granaries (places to store grain), and they collected tax payments of grain from farmers

Egypt’s Early Rulers (pgs. 108-110) Pharaoh as a religious leader: Thought to be the son of Re, the Egyptian sun god Believed to be a god on earth who protected Egypt People would play music and bow their heads when he appeared in public Participated in ceremonies to help the kingdom thrive Riding a bull around Memphis to keep the soil fertile First person to cut the ripened grain at harvest time to bring abundant crops

Religion in Egypt (pgs. 110-112) Religion influenced every aspect of Egyptian life Egyptians were polytheistic Farming was very important to the Egyptians, so their two most important gods were: Re- the sun god Hapi- the river god Other important gods: Osiris and Isis- ruled over the world of the dead Thoth- god of learning

Religion in Egypt (pgs. 110-112) The Afterlife: Much of Egyptian life revolved around preparing for the afterlife The Book of the Dead- one of the important writings of ancient Egypt / full of prayers and magic spells to prepare for the afterlife They originally thought the afterlife was only for pharaohs The body had to be protected so it could give the soul a place to live Embalming: the process of treating a body to keep it from decaying Process of Embalming: Organs removed and stored in jars to bury with the body Body covered in a salt called natron to dry up the body Dried body was filled with burial spices and wrapped in long strips of linen Mummy: the wrapped body after it went through the embalming process

Religion in Egypt (pgs. 110-112) Wealthy people had their mummies placed in coffins and buried in decorated tombs Poor people had their mummies buried in caves or in the sand Animals were embalmed too because Egyptians viewed them not only as pets, but as sacred creatures—many would be buried at temples to honor the gods and goddesses The Egyptians developed a lot of medical skills as they studied the human body in the embalming process First to give stitches, set broken bones, and use splints, bandages, and compresses They wrote down medical information on papyrus scrolls—these records were the world’s first medical books!

Pyramid Tombs (pgs. 113-115) Pyramid: great stone tomb built for an Egyptian pharaoh Covered the area of several city blocks Protected the bodies of dead pharaohs from floods, wild animals, and robbers Personal belongings were buried with the pharaoh because it was believed this would please them in the afterlife—this included things like clothing, weapons, furniture, and jewelry Most objects were preserved for centuries, which has allowed archaeologists to study the ancient Egyptians Farmers did a lot of the building of the pyramids during the summer months when the Nile River flooded and they couldn’t farm Surveyors, engineers, carpenters, and stonecutters also helped build the pyramids

Pyramid Tombs (pgs. 113-115) Imhotep: the first great engineer who built pyramids / he served as an official for the pharaoh (Read pg. 114 for specifics on how they transported stone to the pyramids for building) Entrance to the pyramid always faced north—in order to learn which way was north, they had to study the skies and develop an understanding of astronomy. This led to the invention of the 365 day calendar with 12 months divided into three seasons—the basis for our modern calendar. Pyramid building also led to advancements in mathematics— number system based on 10 and the creation of fractions

Pyramid Tombs (pgs. 113-115) Great Pyramid: Biggest and grandest pyramid built Built for King Khufu—one of three still standing at Giza on the Nile River bank About 10 miles from the modern city of Cairo About the height of a 48 story building, towering nearly 500 feet tall Extends over an area equal in size to 9 football fields More than 2 million stone blocks were used—each block weighing an average of 2.5 tons (about 5,000 pounds per block!!!) For more than 4,000 years, the Great Pyramid stood as the tallest structure in the world

Daily Life (pgs. 116-119) At its peak, Egypt was home to about 5 million people, which is about equal to the number of people today living in the state of Colorado. The Nile River valley and delta is where most people lived. Today that area makes up only 3% of Egypt’s land. Egypt’s social groups- pg. 116

Daily Life (pgs. 116-119) Largest groups of people was farmers and unskilled workers Read together: “How People Lived” (pg. 117-118) The family was the most important group in ancient Egyptian society: Father was head of household Women had more rights than in most other early civilizations—they could own property, buy and sell goods, and obtain divorces Wealthy women could even serve as priests Children played and learned from their parents Married as teenagers Many farm families lived with their extended families