1. What were the important characteristics of ancient Egypt?
Essential Question:
What were the important characteristics of ancient Egypt?
Warm-Up Question:
Create a “Hammurabi’s Code” for Central High School. Think of 5 laws & punishments appropriate for school.

2. Ancient Egypt
Class Activity: Generate 3 conclusions about the geography of ancient Egypt & its impact on the people of this region

3. Egypt began along the Nile River in North Africa
Egypt was bordered on both sides by desert which isolated & protected Egyptians from outsiders
The Geography of Egypt
From the highlands of East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River flows northward across Africa for over 4,100 miles, making it the longest river in the world. A thin ribbon of water in a parched desert land, the great river brings its water to Egypt from distant mountains, plateaus, and lakes in present-day Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Egypt’s settlements arose along the Nile on a narrow strip of land made fertile by the river. The change from fertile soil to desert—from the Black Land to the Red Land—was so abrupt that a person could stand with one foot in each.
The Gift of the Nile As in Mesopotamia, yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil that allowed settlements to grow. Every year in July, rains and melting snow from the mountains of east Africa caused the Nile River to rise and spill over its banks. When the river receded in October, it left behind a rich deposit of fertile black mud called silt. Before the scorching sun could dry out the soil, the peasants would prepare their wheat and barley fields. All fall and winter they watered their crops from a network of irrigation ditches. In an otherwise parched land, the abundance brought by the Nile was so great that the Egyptians worshiped it as a god who gave life and seldom turned against them. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus remarked in the fifth century B.C., Egypt was the “gift of the Nile.”

4. Egypt began along the Nile River in North Africa
The Nile River’s annual floods were predictable & provided fertile soil for farming
The Geography of Egypt
From the highlands of East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River flows northward across Africa for over 4,100 miles, making it the longest river in the world. A thin ribbon of water in a parched desert land, the great river brings its water to Egypt from distant mountains, plateaus, and lakes in present-day Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Egypt’s settlements arose along the Nile on a narrow strip of land made fertile by the river. The change from fertile soil to desert—from the Black Land to the Red Land—was so abrupt that a person could stand with one foot in each.
The Gift of the Nile As in Mesopotamia, yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil that allowed settlements to grow. Every year in July, rains and melting snow from the mountains of east Africa caused the Nile River to rise and spill over its banks. When the river receded in October, it left behind a rich deposit of fertile black mud called silt. Before the scorching sun could dry out the soil, the peasants would prepare their wheat and barley fields. All fall and winter they watered their crops from a network of irrigation ditches. In an otherwise parched land, the abundance brought by the Nile was so great that the Egyptians worshiped it as a god who gave life and seldom turned against them. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus remarked in the fifth century B.C., Egypt was the “gift of the Nile.”

5. Egypt began along the Nile River in North Africa
The Nile flooded so predictably that the Egyptians designed their calendar around it
The Geography of Egypt
From the highlands of East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River flows northward across Africa for over 4,100 miles, making it the longest river in the world. A thin ribbon of water in a parched desert land, the great river brings its water to Egypt from distant mountains, plateaus, and lakes in present-day Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Egypt’s settlements arose along the Nile on a narrow strip of land made fertile by the river. The change from fertile soil to desert—from the Black Land to the Red Land—was so abrupt that a person could stand with one foot in each.
The Gift of the Nile As in Mesopotamia, yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil that allowed settlements to grow. Every year in July, rains and melting snow from the mountains of east Africa caused the Nile River to rise and spill over its banks. When the river receded in October, it left behind a rich deposit of fertile black mud called silt. Before the scorching sun could dry out the soil, the peasants would prepare their wheat and barley fields. All fall and winter they watered their crops from a network of irrigation ditches. In an otherwise parched land, the abundance brought by the Nile was so great that the Egyptians worshiped it as a god who gave life and seldom turned against them. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus remarked in the fifth century B.C., Egypt was the “gift of the Nile.”

6. Economy
The economic system was based on bartering (trade) of agricultural goods.
Workers were paid in barley (which was the standard currency), wheat and other craft products.
Deben (copper weight of .5 ounces) was the standard measurement.

7. Lasting Contributions
Advanced Cities:
Cities developed along the Nile River in “Upper Egypt” & “Lower Egypt”

8. Lasting Contributions
Specialized Workers: ?

9. Lasting Contributions
Government :
Pharaohs ruled Egypt as “god-kings” & were thought to control nature

10. Lasting Contributions
Government :
Pharaohs ruled Egypt as “god-kings” & were thought to control nature
Egyptians constructed pyramids & elaborate tombs for the pharoahs

11. Lasting Contributions
Religion:
Egyptians were polytheistic & believed the gods controlled all aspects of life

12. Lasting Contributions
Writing:
Egyptian hieroglyphics was both pictograms & a phonetic alphabet
Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone

13. Lasting Contributions
Writing:
Egyptian hieroglyphics was both pictograms & a phonetic alphabet
Hieroglyphics were translated using the Rosetta Stone

14. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, & pyramids

15. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, & pyramids

16. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, & pyramids

17. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Egyptian ideas included a 365-day calendar, geometry, astronomy, & pyramids

18. Role of Pyramids The ancient Egyptians were polytheistic.
Believed the body should be preserved after death to participate in the afterlife.
When pharaohs died, their bodies were embalmed, mummified and buried in elaborate tombs called pyramids.

19. Essential Question:
What were the important characteristics of the civilizations in the Indus River Valley?
Warm-Up Question:
Name 2 similarities between Egypt & Mesopotamian civilizations
Name 2 differences

20. The Indus River Valley (India)

21. India began along the Indus River, which flooded & left behind fertile soil

22. Seasonal monsoons caused summer rains & floods

23. The people were well protected on the Indian “subcontinent” by the oceans, mountains, & deserts that surrounded the Indus River Valley

24. Lasting Contributions
Advanced cities:
Indus cities were laid out in a grid system with high walls & citadel of major buildings
One of the most remarkable achievements of the Indus Valley people was their sophisticated city planning. The people of the Indus laid out their cities on a precise grid system. Cities featured a fortified area called a citadel, which contained the major buildings of the city. Buildings were constructed of oven-baked bricks cut in standard sizes, unlike the irregular mud bricks of the Mesopotamians. Early engineers also created sophisticated plumbing, sewage, and bath systems.

25. Lasting Contributions
Specialized Workers:
Indian society was divided by the “caste system” which divided people based on their purity in Hinduism

26. Lasting Contributions

27. Lasting Contributions
Government:
Little is known about Indus government other than they were ruled by kings

28. Lasting Contributions
Religion:
Believed in a polytheistic religion called Hinduism
Hindus believe that one’s soul is reborn until moksha is achieved (reincarnation)
Moksha (enlightenment or nirvana) is the spiritual release from human form
A soul’s karma (good or bad deeds) effect reincarnation
The Upanishads are written as dialogues, or discussions, between a student and a teacher. In the course of the dialogues, the two explore how a person can achieve liberation from desires and suffering. This is described as moksha (MOHK•shah), a state of perfect understanding of all things. The teacher distinguishes between atman, the individual soul of a living being, and Brahman, the world soul that contains and unites all atmans.
When a person understands the relationship between atman and Brahman, that person achieves perfect understanding (moksha) and a release from life in this world. This understanding does not usually come in one lifetime. By the process of reincarnation (rebirth), an individual soul or spirit is born again and again until moksha is achieved. A soul’s karma—good or bad deeds—follows from one reincarnation to another. Karma influences specific life circumstances, such as the caste one is born into, one’s state of health, wealth or poverty, and so on.

30. Lasting Contributions
Writing:
Indus writing has not been fully translated so much of Indus life is still a mystery
Writing contained about 400 symbols that were both pictograms & phonetic characters
Unlike cuneiform and hieroglyphics, the writing of the Indus people has not been translated. Historians believe that Indus people used about 400 symbols in their language. Scientists believe the symbols, like hieroglyphs, are used both to depict an object and also as phonetic sounds. Some signs stand alone and others seem to be combined into words.

31. Lasting Contributions
Writing contained about 400 symbols that were both pictograms & phonetic characters
Unlike cuneiform and hieroglyphics, the writing of the Indus people has not been translated. Historians believe that Indus people used about 400 symbols in their language. Scientists believe the symbols, like hieroglyphs, are used both to depict an object and also as phonetic sounds. Some signs stand alone and others seem to be combined into words.

32. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets & private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems
One of the most impressive technologies of the Indus people was their extensive and modern-looking plumbing systems. Almost every house in Indus cities had a private bathroom and toilet. The toilets were neatly built of brick with a wooden seat. Pipes connected to each house carried wastewater into an underground sewer system. No other civilization had such sophisticated plumbing until the 19th century. In addition, the Indus people built standard, oven-baked brinks, unlike the irregular mud bricks of the Mesopotamians.

33. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets & private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems
Standard, oven-baked bricks
One of the most impressive technologies of the Indus people was their extensive and modern-looking plumbing systems. Almost every house in Indus cities had a private bathroom and toilet. The toilets were neatly built of brick with a wooden seat. Pipes connected to each house carried wastewater into an underground sewer system. No other civilization had such sophisticated plumbing until the 19th century. In addition, the Indus people built standard, oven-baked brinks, unlike the irregular mud bricks of the Mesopotamians.

34. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets & private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems
Standard, oven-baked bricks
One of the most impressive technologies of the Indus people was their extensive and modern-looking plumbing systems. Almost every house in Indus cities had a private bathroom and toilet. The toilets were neatly built of brick with a wooden seat. Pipes connected to each house carried wastewater into an underground sewer system. No other civilization had such sophisticated plumbing until the 19th century. In addition, the Indus people built standard, oven-baked brinks, unlike the irregular mud bricks of the Mesopotamians.

35. Lasting Contributions
Technology:
Advanced plumbing; Most houses had toilets & private bathrooms connected to underground sewer systems
Standard, oven-baked bricks
One of the most impressive technologies of the Indus people was their extensive and modern-looking plumbing systems. Almost every house in Indus cities had a private bathroom and toilet. The toilets were neatly built of brick with a wooden seat. Pipes connected to each house carried wastewater into an underground sewer system. No other civilization had such sophisticated plumbing until the 19th century. In addition, the Indus people built standard, oven-baked brinks, unlike the irregular mud bricks of the Mesopotamians.