EGYPTIAN GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE Unit Three Lesson One

THE MIGHTY RIVER 1)Why was the Nile important to Egyptians?  Provided protection (cataracts)  Drinking water  Bathing  Cooking  Support animal and plant life  Cleaning  Fish Vocabulary: Delta: the build up of sand and soil at the mouth of a river Cataracts: waterfalls or rapids along a river

PHYSICAL FEATURES 2)How was the geography of Egypt beneficial to its survival?  Along the Nile land is very fertile  Desert on either side was protection from invaders  Cataracts were dangerous & blocked enemy boats from reaching Egypt  Delta in north was so marshy there were no harbors for invaders to come up onto land 3)Why were Egyptians luckier than Mesopotamians?  Mesopotamia had few natural barriers to protect it from invaders  Mesopotamia had to fight off constant attackers  Egypt rarely had to face threats

THE MIGHTY RIVER 1)Why was the Nile important to Egyptians?  Provided protection (cataracts)  Drinking water  Bathing  Cooking  Support animal and plant life  Cleaning  Fish  Trade  Transportation The Gift of the Nile

FLOODS OF THE NILE 4)How were the floods of Nile key Egyptian survival?  Easy to predict - easy to control  Floods left behind rich silt  Silt made soil ideal for farming.

CIVILIZATION ALONG THE NILE 5)What technology did Egyptians develop to help become better farmers?  Irrigation system, basins, canals = collection, distribution of water were needed.  Dikes = strengthen basin walls  Shadoof = lift water from Nile to basins Vocabulary: Dikes: earthen banks Papyrus: a reed plant used to make paper

UNITING EGYPT 6)How did a surplus of food increase trading? Surplus of Food Need people to work as artisans, instead of farmers People made cloth, pottery, tools, weapons, etc. More goods were available Traded with one another Began to trade with Mesopotamia Picked up new ideas about writing and government

UNITING EGYPT Vocabulary: Surplus: extra amounts

FLOODS OF THE NILE 7)Explain how government developed in Egypt? Causes:  Advances in farming and trade  Irrigation systems needed built and maintained  Surplus grain needed stored & passed out  Disputes over land needed settled Effect:  Government emerged to plan and direct these activities

FLOODS OF THE NILE 7)Explain how government developed in Egypt? Development:  Rulers began as village chiefs  Chiefs united into small kingdoms  Strongest kingdoms overpowered weaker ones  Until one kingdom emerged with one leader

CIVILIZATION ALONG THE NILE 8)List some facts about how Menes united and ruled Egypt.  Armies invaded & took control of Lower Egypt (LE)  Married a princess from Lower Egypt (LE) to strengthen the empire  Combined crowns of Upper Egypt (UE) and Lower Egypt (LE) as a symbol of unity  Became 1 st Pharaoh  Built capital city – Memphis  Menes dynasty lasted about 200 years Vocabulary: Pharaoh: ruler of Egypt, leader Dynasty: a line of rulers from one family Egypt Unification