1. The Nile Valley

2. Settling the Nile
Between 6000 and 5000 BC, hunters and gatherers moved into the Nile River Valley
They settled down and created dozens of villages along the river banks
These people became the earliest Egyptians

3. A Mighty River Egypt received little rain
The Nile River was the only water source for bathing, drinking, farming, etc.
Longest river in the world

4. A Mighty River
The Nile actually begins as two separate rivers (Blue and White Nile)
The meet and form the Nile just south of Egypt
There are narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile that form wild rapids called cataracts

5. A Mighty River
The river runs through a narrow green valley and splits into branches shortly before reaching the Mediterranean Sea
These branches fan out over an area of fertile soil called a delta.

6. A Sheltered Land There are vast deserts on both sides of the Nile
To the west is the Sahara
The largest desert in the world
To the east is the Eastern Desert

7. A Sheltered Land
these deserts served as protection against outside armies

8. A Sheltered Land
Egypt had even more protective features in their geography.
To the south were the dangerous cataracts in the Nile
Blocked enemy boats

9. A Sheltered Land
In the north, delta marshes provided no harbor for invaders approaching from the Mediterranean Sea.

10. A Sheltered Land
In Mesopotamia there were few natural barriers to protect the cities
Constantly had to fight off attackers
Egypt rarely faced threat because of their geography
Allowed them to grow and prosper

11. A Sheltered Land
Egyptians were not completely closed to the outside world
The Mediterranean and the Red Sea gave Egyptians a way to trade with people outside Egypt

12. A Sheltered Land
Within Egypt, people used the Nile for trade and transportation 
As a result Egyptian villages had frequent friendly contact with one another.
Unlike the hostile relations between Mesopotamian city-states

13. Regular Flooding
Like the Mesopotamians the Egyptians also had to cope with river floods
The Nile floods were much more dependable though
Allowed Egyptians to farm and live securely

14. How Did the Egyptians Use the Nile?
Through wise irrigation, Egyptians grew more than enough food to feed themselves and the animals they raised 

15. Importance of Papyrus
Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile, became a useful resource
Used to make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and later paper

16. What were Hieroglyphics?
Egyptians system of writing
made up of hundreds of picture symbols
some symbols stood for objects and ideas
Other symbols stood for sounds 

17. A United Egypt Egypt's skillful farming led to surpluses
Extra amounts of food
This freed some people to work as artisans instead of farmers

18. The Rise of Government
Governments eventually emerged due to the need of organization
Egypt was made of two kingdoms
Lower Egypt (in the Nile delta)
Upper Egypt (up river)

19. Egypt’s Ruling Families
The two kingdoms were untied around 3100 BC, thanks to Narmer (King of Upper Egypt).
Members of his family passed on the ruling power from father to son to grandson
A line of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty

20. Egypt’s Ruling Families
Ancient Egypt would be ruled by 31 dynasties across 2,800 years
The dynasties are grouped into 3 Kingdoms
Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom

21. Egypt's Social Classes