1. Please clear everything off of your desk, except a piece of paper and a pencil. Title your paper Quiz 6.2.1: Ancient Egypt Geography

2.  Ancient Egypt Quiz  Uniting Upper and Lower Egypt  Reflection

3. On what did Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Sumerians rely on for crops to grow? A.) clay B.) floods C.) copper D.) priests

4. The cataracts of the Nile River separated Egypt from A.) India B.) Mesopotamia C.) Greece D.) Kush

5. Which river valley developed an early civilization in Egypt? A.) Indus B.) Yangtze C.) Euphrates D.) Nile

6. Having rivers that flooded helped early civilizations establish A.) geographic barriers for protection B.) burial grounds for the dead, C.) transportation networks D.) permanent settlements

7.  A cataract is:  A.) the part of a region that is away from the coast  B.) a set of rocky rapids  C.) an area of soil deposited at the mouth of a river  D.) a boat that sails along a river

8.  Who can remind us what Upper Egypt is?  Upper Egypt contains the part of the Nile that flows through a narrow valley lined with cliffs.  Who can remind us what Lower Egypt?  Lower Egypt is the last part of the Nile, which forms the delta. It has the most fertile soil in Africa.

9.  As the settlements in the Nile River valley grew, two kingdoms developed.  In Upper Egypt, the kings wore white crowns and they controlled the Nile River valley.  In Lower Egypt, the kings wore red crowns and they ruled the delta.

10.  According to Egyptian legend, King Menes united the two kingdoms in about 3000 B.C.E.  Egypt was now united under one ruler.  Do you think he wore a crown??  He did!! He wore a double crown of red and white.  He was known as the “Lord of the Two Lands.”

11.  Menes was a pharaoh.  What is a pharaoh??  Pharaohs are the rulers of Egypt!!  First, rulers in the united Egypt ruled by conquest; however, in order to successfully rule a region, a ruler needed more than just military power.  A ruler needed to persuade Egyptians to accept his authority.  A person with authority has the right to control other people.

12.  Egypt was such a large region and spread out over hundreds of miles; therefore, it was a challenge to have that many people accept the authority of one ruler.  Challenge-difficult task that needs special effort  Pharaohs were able to meet this challenge two ways.  1.) They based their authority on religious beliefs  2.) They provided Egypt with a good government.  Let’s look at both of these in more depth…

13.  Egyptians believed that gods controlled everything on Earth.  The pharaoh controlled Egypt, so people saw him or her as a god-king!!  Egyptians thought that after the death of a pharaoh, he or she would join the other gods and live forever.

14.  Pharaohs were able to provide Egypt with a good government.  One way they were able to do this was by leading religious rituals to ensure that the Nile River flooded every year. Why was it important for the Nile to flood??  Ritual-a ceremony enacted, or performed, in the same way time after time.  In order to protect all of the Egyptian people, the pharaohs established a well-run government to carry out all of the responsibilities.  Established-set up; start  Priests and officials followed many of the pharaoh’s orders, and enacted them along the entire Nile River.  They enforced the laws, collected taxes, and organized building projects.

15.  Pretend that you lived during this time.  If you were Menes, would you want to unite both Upper and Lower Egypt, or would you rather have ruled just one region?  If you want to rule just one region, which one would it be, and why??  If you want to rule both regions, why??  Write a two paragraph response. Be sure to include:  Your explanation of why you would want to rule whichever region you choose  If you would choose to wear a crown, and what it would look like  What you would do to have all Egyptian people accept your authority