1 Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile

2 The Nile River Longest river in the world (4,160 miles) Branches into the White Nile and the Blue Nile Flows from South to North Easy transportation each way Winds blew north to south to allow sailing Floods annually Egyptians built their civilization near the delta

3 Nile River Farmers learned irrigation Allowed them to grow up to 3 crops per year Possible to feed a large population Building materials Rich deposits of granite, sandstone, and limestone

4 Nile River Other advantages Isthmus of Suez formed a land bridge between Africa and Asia (p. 21) Why was this important? What are other advantages?

5 Hieroglyphics 3000 B.C. Egyptians developed hieroglyphics, a form of writing Pictures and symbols represented words and sounds Carved into stone, then later on papyrus (where we got our word “paper”)

6 Rosetta Stone In 1798, the French invaded Egypt Rosetta Stone was discovered Contained passages in Greek, hieroglyphics, and an Egyptian style called demotic Modern scholars who could read the Greek text, used it to decode the hieroglyphics Why is this so important?

7 Egyptian Kingdoms 2 similar, yet distinct cultures and kingdoms Upper Egypt Southern kingdom Lower Egypt Upper kingdom 3200 B.C. Menes, king of Upper Egypt, united all of Egypt into one kingdom

8 Menes Dynasty Dynasty- family of rulers Rule usually passed from father to son Dynasty ends when one family is driven from power or when no family member is left to rule Under Menes New territories Great wealth Improved irrigation and trade

9 Pharaohs Dynastic rulers were called pharaohs Regarded as gods Great temples and tombs were built to honor them Absolute and unlimited power Led the government, served as judge, high priest, and army general

10 Dynasties From Menes until about 300 B.C., some 30 dynasties ruled Egypt These dynasties are separated into three kingdoms covering different time spans Old Kingdom Middle Kingdom New Kingdom

11 Old Kingdom 2680 B.C B.C. Advances in the sciences and arts Lower class Peasants and farmers Served in the army and worked on building projects Upper class Pharaoh, noble family, and government officials

12 First Intermediate Period Lasted 100 years after the Old Kingdom Period of civil war and internal strife Fought for control of the land

13 Middle Kingdom 2050 B.C B.C. The Golden Age Stability and prosperity The Hyksos Introduced chariots and the compound bow Rose to power in Egypt around 1650 B.C. Read p. 23 (last two paragraphs) Followed by the Second Intermediate Period 1650 B.C B.C.

14 New Kingdom 1570 B.C B.C. Characterized by strong pharaohs and expanding territory Built an empire, ruling over many other people and territories See map on p. 24 Answer #2

15 New Kingdom Notable Pharaohs Hatshepsut Ruled from 1503 B.C B.C. One of the first known female rulers Kept borders secure and built trade with other lands

16 Notable Pharaohs Amenhotep IV Ruled from 1380 B.C B.C. Tried to establish monotheism Changed name to Akhenaton-“he who is pleasing to Aton” Aton was the symbol for the sun god Failed to change Egypt’s religious beliefs

17 Egypt’s Decline Ramses II AKA Ramses the Great Ruled from 1279 B.C B.C. Last of Egypt’s great pharaohs Kept the Egyptian empire together Built many temples and monuments

18 Post-Imperial Period 1080 B.C.-300’s B.C. Egypt began to weaken due to outside invasions Sea Peoples Assyrians Nubians Persians By the 300’s B.C., Egypt was no longer ruled by Egyptians

19 Egyptian Life and Culture

20 Achievements Architecture and Arts Pyramids Sculptures Paintings Science, Math, and Medicine Calendar to predict flooding Geometry Treated illnesses and preserved the dead

21 Education Scribes Clerks who learned to read and write to work for the government Education focused mostly on religious instruction

22 Society Rigid Social Classes Women had many rights Ranked as equals with husbands in business and social affairs Peasants Did most of the farming Kept only a some of the crop, the rest went to the pharaoh

23 Activity Create and complete the chart below You do not need to use complete sentences. Due at the beginning of next class. 12 points Old KingdomMiddle KingdomNew Kingdom Duration Global Relations Internal Power Structure Technological Developments

24 Video Clip What the Ancients Knew: Egyptians 30 min.