Egypt and The Nile River
The Nile is combination of two rivers: ___________ and ___________. Remember the boundaries of Egypt: North – The Mediterranean Sea and the marshy delta, which is full of wildlife and plants. East – The Arabian Desert with wadis (dry channels) which were used for trade routes West – The Libyan Desert covers 2/3 of Egypt. South – The boundary begins in Nubia with the first Nile rapids. There is not much agriculture in this area of the Nile. The Nubians were nomads and moved from place to place. The Egyptians would invade and use the Nubians as slaves. There were also gold mines! Do you think these are good boundaries to have or not? Not much changed happened over the millennia's, compared to other areas. Egyptians liked order, dependability, security, and were reassured by the cyclical nature of the Nile River – sameness! This was called ma’at, which was presided over by the goddess Ma’at.
Interesting Facts about the Nile 1. The floodplain is 4,250 square miles (Texas is 260,000) 2. Nile Delta is 125 miles across (Texas is 790) 3. During a good flood year, a 550 mile trip traveling north took 2 weeks (with the current). During drought season, the trip took 2 months. Why? 4.The Nile is a stopping point for the water bird migration between birds flying between Europe and Africa. Why would this matter?
Key words Black Land – rich soil Red Land – the deserts to the east and west Tributaries – rivers that flow into a larger river Papyrus – a plant used to make paper Irrigation – moving water to farmland with ditches
Background questions 1. Mesopotamia, China, India, Egypt 2. Hot sunny days and cold nights Crop-laden fields and empty deserts 3. Lake Tana and Lake Victoria 4. It determined planting seasons. 5. Sand hurt people’s teeth and gave them infection.
Document B – Nile River Flood Cycle -Usually the rise of the Nile was 25 feet. - If it only rose 20 feet from low rainfall in the highlands, could cause famine. - If it 25 feet or more, it could cause canal damage. - If it rose 30 feet or more, it caused flooding of villages. -Egyptians watched for the star Sirius to appear next to the sun to let them know that the flood season was near. - One member of each family had to work several weeks during flood season to build canals, mining. -Egyptians depended mainly on the Nile for water supply as the rainfall was very low.
Egyptian Time Table
Document C – Transport on the Nile - Boats were used for: - trade - carrying heavy material (stone) - people going to shrines of gods and family - fun trips - Wooden boats were expensive to build - No sea ports on the Mediterranean Sea – they were more interested in Nubia and the gold. - Barges carried cattle, wheat, barley, corn, oil, and stone.
What What is the question asked by this Mini-Q? What terms in the question need to be defined (made clear)? Shape ___________ Ancient ____________ Rewrite the question in your own words.
Use the clues from the Mini-Q question and essay. Label the buckets with the facts that might help someone understand why the Nile would or would not be the reason why the Egyptians survived for so long. One way the Nile shaped society Another way the Nile shaped society