Nile River Valley Notes

I. Egyptian Geography A. Location 1. Egypt is located on the Nile River. 2. The Nile begins in the Highlands of Ethiopia with two branches: a. The White Nile and the Blue Nile

I. Egyptian Geography A. Location 3. These rivers unite and flow north where they empty into the Mediterranean Sea. 4. Where the river empties into the Nile it forms the Nile Delta, a rich area of alluvial (muddy) soil.

I. Egyptian Geography B. The Nile 1. The most important thing to the Egyptians about The Nile was the yearly flooding. 2. The Nile would flood each year in the spring. With the flood it would deposit a rich later of silt, or soil on either side of the river.

I. Egyptian Geography C. Protection 1. Egypt had several natural barriers which helped to protect it from invasion. 2. The major barrier was the Sahara Desert.

II. Egyptian Civilization A. Origins B.C. – Neolithic hunter-gatherers began settling along the Nile River Valley B.C. – Egypt consists of 2 large kingdoms: a. Lower Egypt – in the north, Nile Delta b. Upper Egypt – in the south, Nile Valley

II. Egyptian Civilization A. Origins B.C. – King Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt and established a capital at Memphis a. Hereditary Rule - Menes’ reign marks the beginning of the first Egyptian dynasty – a line of rulers from one family.

III. Old Kingdom A BC – 2200 BC 1. The Old Kingdom was a period of great prosperity. 2. This time is also called the pyramid age, because the great pyramids were built during this time.

III. Old Kingdom A BC – 2200 BC 3. Egyptian kings came to be known as Pharaohs. 4. The Pharaoh was seen as divine, or godlike. The people believed that the Pharaoh controlled many things including the flooding of the Nile itself. 5. The Pharaoh wielded absolute power.

III. Old Kingdom A BC – 2200 BC 6. Pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom 7. They were designed to be tombs for the Pharaoh

III. Old Kingdom A BC – 2200 BC 8. Originally there were step pyramids, then the pyramids evolved into the ones we see at Giza. 9. The Pyramids were designed to protect the mummies of the Pharaohs, but they ultimately failed. They were robbed and pillaged.

Valley of the Kings

Mummification To preserve the body so that the soul could stay in the afterlife, the Egyptians perfected the process of mummification. Mummification was expensive, however, and during the Old Kingdom was a luxury of the rich. First the body was washed and the internal organs including the lungs, stomach, liver and intestines were removed. The heart was left in the body because the Egyptians viewed it as the center of emotion. The Brain was removed through the nose and thrown away. The Egyptians didn’t think it served any purpose The Body was packed in Natron (a drying agent) and left for 70 days. After that the body was wrapped in linen with tree resin for glue. Magical amulets and other treasures were buried with the body.

IV. Culture A. Hieroglyphics 1. Form of writing developed around 3000 BC 2. Uses 600 signs, pictures, and symbols to represent words and sounds

IV. Culture A. Hieroglyphics 3. Rosetta Stone a. Discovered by the French in 1798 when invading Egypt. b. Passages on the stone were written in Greek & Hieroglyphics c. Scholars used the Greek to decipher (read) the Hieroglyphics The last line of each section says each section says the same thing.

B. Egyptian Religion 1. For the Egyptians, religion was closely tied to daily life. 2. The Egyptians were polytheistic, worshipping many different gods. 3. The most important god was the god of the sun, Re, also sometimes referred to as Ra or Amon-Re. It was believed that the Pharaoh was connected to this god. IV. Culture

IV. Nubia Civilization (Kingdom of the Kush) A. Origins 1. Located between the Red Sea and the Nile River, important trade routes. 2. Nubia was south of Egypt and were at ruled for over 500 years by the Egyptian Pharaohs. (1500 BC – 1000 BC)

Nubian Civilization

IV. Nubia (Kush) Civilization A. Origins 3. Traded: Gold, ivory, ebony and ostrich feathers.

Nile and Mesopotamia Map Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Nile River Sahara Desert