1. Ancient River Valley Civilizations

2. ANCIENT EGYPT Nile River Mummies Pharaohs Rameses King Tutankhamen
Hieroglyphics

3. Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian civilization arose after Mesopotamia.
Geography: It was centered around the Nile River.

4. The Nile River

5. Nile River Provided fish Supported plants and animals
Two rivers, Blue Nile and White Nile, join to make the Nile River.
World’s longest river
Flows south to north
Floods watered the land and provided fertile soils for crops to grow.
LONGEST RIVER IN THE WORLD---4, 150 MILES LONG
(some sources say 4, 135—all the way up to 4, 160 miles) (debated between Nile and Amazon as to which one is longest)
*Provided transportation, water for bathing, drinking water for people and animal
*Delta marshes no harbors for invaders

7. Shows were the Blue Nile begins.

9. The Sahara Desert. Largest desert in the world.
Egypt is naturally protected from enemies because it was surrounded by deserts, rivers, deltas, and cataracts (rapids).
Located in northern Africa, south of Mediterranean Sea, west of Red Sea (connect with Israelites).
DEFENSES: Nile delta, Sahara Desert, Eastern Desert, Nile cataracts

10. Delta A river delta is a landform that forms at the mouth of a river,
where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir.
Deltas form from deposition of sediment carried
by a river as the flow leaves its mouth
In addition to the delta and deserts, Egypt has mountains around it as well. (Mt. Sinai and Mt. St. Catherine)

11. Pyramids Pyramids were tombs for the kings.
The most famous are the Giza pyramids (shown to left).
These were built in 3500 B.C.E.
How old are they?
Why would a pharaoh’s body need protection? From floods, grave robbers, wild animals
What supplies did pyramids hold? Those that the pharaoh might need in the spirit world such as clothing, furniture, jewelry and food

12. Nobody knows exactly what lies inside a blocked shaft of the Great Pyramid. It has 3 doors barring the way to a queen’s 4,000 yr old sarcophagus. In the early 2000s, scientists sent a small robot into the shaft to take a look at the “Queen’s Chamber.” However, the doors did their work well. Not even the robot could squeeze past.

14. Political: Egyptian Pharaohs
Egyptians were led by Pharaohs, who were priest-kings.
The most famous pharaoh is King Tut.
Using computers, this image was reconstructed using his remains.
Eventually, Egypt was divided into 2 kingdoms (Upper and Lower).
Early period – there were village chefs.
2 kingdoms – Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt --- both ruled by a king or a pharaoh. First woman ruler was Hatshepsut.

15. No one is sure what happened to Tut (fall or murdered)
No one is sure what happened to Tut (fall or murdered). He played only a small role in Egypt’s history. He captured people’s imaginations after a British imaginations after a British archaeologist, Howard Carter, found his tomb in A.D Tomb contained the king’s mummy and incredible treasures, including a brilliant gold mask of the young pharaoh’s face. Carter’s find was a thrilling discovery b/c most royal tombs in Egypt had been looted yrs ago.
Tutankhamun

16. Click on picture of him – website of virtual tour of his tomb

17. Tutankhamen on the throne

18. Abu Simbel was built by Ramseses II

19. Egypt’s Religion
They believed in many gods and goddesses and in life after death for the pharaohs. (Polytheistic)***
Hapi – main god
Isis – main goddess
Book of the Dead
Book of the Dead was a collection of spells, incantations, magic, etc.
Life after death was at first only for pharaohs

20. Mummies
Egyptians who could afford to do so would have themselves mummified.
They believed in a better afterlife if their body was preserved.

21. Mummification Process
Took out all of the internal organs, except the heart because it was believed to be the intelligence and emotion of the person.
Organs were put in canopic jars, that were put in the tomb with the mummy.
Brain was taken out through the nose because it had no significant value.
he body was packed and covered with natron (a salty drying agent). Then the body was left for days. 

22. Mummies

23. Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics
Made up of sound and picture symbols
Only scribes (men) were taught to write

24. Hieroglyphics

25. What did Egyptians write on?
Papyrus
Also used to make baskets, sandals and river rafts
Early Egyptian contributions: geometry, papyrus, and hieroglyphics

26. The Great Sphinx is located on the Giza plateau, about six miles west of Cairo.
According to an ancient Greek myth, a sphinx slew all people who could not answer its riddle: “What walks on four feet in the morning, on two at noon, and three in the evening?” Oedipus answered the riddle: “Man crawls as a baby, walks an adult, and uses a cane in old age.” The sphinx then killed itself. 7 wonders of the ancient world were: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicamassus, the Statute of Zeus at Olympia, the Great Pyramid at Giza, and the Colossus of Rhodes. Assign students to find pictures to create their own “Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt” booklet or diorama

27. Egyptian Social Classes
Higher on the pyramid – the more money you had; Middle class ran businesses and sold goods.; farmers made up large part of population; unskilled workers carried cargo from boats to market. Diets of bread, beer, veggies, and fruits; father was head of family; girls learned to sew and cook from mothers; boys learned farming and other trades from fathers; children did not attend school and played various games.

28. Egyptian Economy
Although Egypt looks really sophisticated, the economy is a traditional economy based on farming and trade.
Egyptians traded up and down the Nile, with Mesopotamians and sometimes with the Indus Valley (in Pakistan)