Walk Like an Egyptian: Ancient Egypt Randolph IB Middle School Mr. Hardy Unit 1

Location, Location, Location Egypt is located in Africa’s northeast corner. Border by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Egypt is slightly more than 3 times the size of New Mexico. Capital: Cairo Deserts in the west and east.

Egypt’s Lifeline: The Nile River Longest river in the world. Flows south to north. In the south the river is called the Upper Nile because it has a higher elevation. Each year, the river floods due to upstream rain, depositing rich black soil called silt. Most of Egypt’s population is clustered in the Nile’s river valley and delta (the river’s mouth forming a triangle). Cataracts, or high waterfalls, make it hard to navigate in the south.

Think, Pair, Share Why would the river be considered Ancient Egypt’s Lifeline? What purpose does the river serve for the people? How did the Nile flooding help farmer’s in ancient Egypt? How did ancient Egyptians use the Nile’s water for farming?

Upper and Lower Egypt Ancient Egypt is one of the world’s first great civilizations. Geography kept Egypt isolated. Think about what surrounds it. Why would this be so? People created farming villages around the Nile about 4000 BC. These villages became known as Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt at the Nile delta. Why?

Uniting Upper and Lower Egypt Tradition says that King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt around 3100 BC and united the two kingdoms. Modern Historians believe King Menes may have been a legend, and that it took several rulers to join the kingdoms. King Menes founded the first Egyptian dynasty (series of rulers from one family). Rulers came to be known as Pharaohs (meaning “great house” in Egyptian).

Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms Old Kingdom 2686 – 2181 BC Strong Central Government Supervised the construction of the pyramids Middle Kingdom 2055 – 1650 BC Egypt conquered Nubia to the south- modern day Northern Sudan. Nubia provided Egypt with slaves, soldiers, and gold. Pharaoahs tombs were in the desert sands. New Kingdom 1550 – 1069 BC Egypt became the strongest power in the world. Queen Hatshepsut had a strong military, lots of trade, and built splendid temples. Power peaked under Ramses II and his 66 year reign.

Conquest After the death of Ramses II, Egypt declined (around 1213 BC). It fell to foreign invaders, including the KUSH kingdom of Nubia. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquered Egypt. Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals, became king of Egypt and started a dynasty that lasted nearly 300 years.

Cleopatra and Marc Antony One of the last Ptolemies was Queen Cleopatra who married Marc Antony (co- ruler of Rome). They attempted to seize power from Antony’s co- ruler. MAJOR FAIL! (31 BC) The next year, Egypt became a Roman territory.

Summarize List the civilizations that interacted with ancient Egypt. Which do you think had the most impact?

Egyptian Gods Polytheistic Society Pharaohs were earthly versions of gods. Afterlife resembles life on earth so they preserved a person’s body for the next life. Tombs were packed with items they thought would be valuable in the afterlife including mummified pets.

MUMMIES! Preservation of the body for the next life. Embalmed, dried, and then wrapped in linen bandages.

Contributions Picture writing – hieroglyphics Papyrus – paperlike scrolls Egyptian Calendar Medicine – pulse rate and setting broken bones Geometry – set land borders and design buildings

Social Systems The social classes of the ancient Egyptians forms a pyramid. The pharaoh at the top, then a small upper class such as priests and nobles. Skilled workers and the educated made up the middle classes. Government officials, scribes, craftsmen, and merchants. Below the skilled workers were the farmers. Finally, at the bottom, the majority of the population were the laborers and slaves.

Think About It Which social groups made up the “middle class” in ancient Egypt? How did ancient Egyptians contribute to language? How did the belief in an earthly kind of afterlife affect the way Egyptians dealt with deaths and burials? What does the level of priests in social hierarchy tell you about the role of religion in ancient Egypt? Why do you think farmers were placed above the slaves and laborers?

Assignment Create a “Social Hierarchy Pyramid” by creatively illustrating a pyramid with each of the Egyptian social roles and classes. Make sure that your pyramid illustrates each of the jobs and shows the hierarchy of the classes. Remember that the placement of each class should be based on how populated it is thus creating a pyramid shape. Answer these questions: Why did ancient Egyptians cluster around the valley and delta of the Nile River? Explain the importance of silt to the ancient Egyptians.