1. Aim: How did the Nile influence the rise of the powerful civilizations of Egypt?
Do Now: Geography Worksheet

2. Geography Vocabulary Cataract = waterfall
Delta = triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers
*Natural Barriers = less prone to invasion

7. Aim: How did religion and learning play important roles in ancient Egyptian civilization?
Do Now: Review – How was the Nile River a blessing to the Egyptian civilization?

8. Menes: Unifier of Upper & Lower Egypt

9. Egyptian Kingdoms Old Kingdom: 2700 BCE-2200 BCE Strong government
Middle Kingdom: 2050 BCE-1800 BCE
Turbulent Centuries
New Kingdom: 1550 BCE-1100 BCE
Height of Egyptian Civilization
Powerful Rulers: Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Ramses II

10. Egyptian Society Vocabulary
Dynasty – ruling family
Pharaohs – Egyptian kings, organized a strong, centralized state
Bureaucracy – a system of government that includes departments and levels of authority
Vizier – chief minister

11. Egyptian
Home Life

12. Egyptians at Work

13. Egyptian
Social
Order
(Slaves)

14. Mummification

15. Mummification: Process of embalming & drying corpses to prevent them from decaying.
Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. They mummified the body so the soul could return later.

16. Anubis was the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died.
After the embalming procedure, the mummy’s internal organs were placed in these clay Caponic jars.

17. Egyptian Gods

18. As you know, the ancient Egyptians practiced a polytheistic, animistic religion. Here are some of the key gods of the Egyptian religion. Notice their animalistic qualities. Next to each god you will see their name, and what they are a god of.

19. Osiris – god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld.
Amon-Ra – the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians.
Isis – the protective goddess. She used powerful magic to help people in need.
Anubis – the god of embalming and the dead.
Osiris – god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld.

20. Atum – the creator god. Believed to be the first god to exist.
Seth – the god of chaos.
Horus – god of the sky. Protector of the pharaoh.
Sekhmet – goddess of war.

21. Hieroglyphics
The earliest form of writing in Egypt were ideograms, like the one you see below. Each picture stood for an idea. For example a picture of a bird would mean bird.

22. As time past, the scribes needed to find an easier way of writing
As time past, the scribes needed to find an easier way of writing. As a result, a newer form of hieroglyphics was formed.
Another innovation came overtime. Papyrus, a paper-like material was developed. Now scribes could write on a more compact surface, instead of stone or clay.

23. … That is until the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799.
As the Egyptian civilization declined, any chance of deciphering hieroglyphics was lost….
… That is until the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799.
The Rosetta Stone contained a message in 3 different languages:
Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphics (in a simpler form)
Greek
Finally, in 1822 the stone was deciphered!!

24. Exit Slip:
You will be traveling back in time to the year 1400 BCE Ancient Egypt.  You will arrive on the banks of the longest river in the world, the Nile. Most of Egypt is composed of desert and is hot and dry. Most of the people live near the Nile and depend on it for travel and many of the things they need in everyday life.
During your journey, you will complete a journal of your experiences.  In your journal, you  should include the following information:
Record a short description of the mummification process
Three interesting facts about the culture and civilization you encounter

25. AIM: Did Slaves build the Great Pyramid of Giza?
Do Now: What accomplishments do you associate with the Egyptians?

26. What do you know about the Egyptian pyramids?
Image by Nina Aldin Thune retrieved from

27. The Egyptian Pyramids

28. The Pyramids The Pyramids at Giza
Image retrieved from
The Pyramids at Giza

29. How were the pyramids built?
Image retrieved from
The Pyramids at Giza

30. The Great Pyramid at Giza
Who built the pyramids?
Image by Nina Aldin Thune retrieved from
The Great Pyramid at Giza

31. The pyramids were built from LIMESTONE.
The Great Pyramid, built for Pharaoh Khufu, contains over 2 million limestone blocks, each weighing roughly 2 ½ tons!
As the pyramids still stand today it is easy to see the ancient Egyptians knowledge in mathematics & geometry.

32. The diagram below shows the outside of the Great Pyramid.
The pyramids in front of the Great Pyramid were built for the Pharaoh’s Queens.
A temple was built in front of the Great Pyramid to allow daily rituals, and where offerings were left.
The buildings surrounding the pyramid are called MASTABAS, which were tombs that held nobles.

33. The inside of the pyramid contained many different areas.
Air Shafts
King’s Chamber
Other Chambers
Grand Gallery
Queen’s Chamber
Underground Chamber

34. The Great Sphinx

35. The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound of natural rock. It is located in Giza where it guards the front of Khafra’s pyramid.
Legends have been told for many years about the Great Sphinx. These stories tell about the powers & mysteries of the Sphinx. Some people believe that there are hidden passageways or rooms underneath, but nothing has been found…. yet!

36. Central Historical Question
Did slaves build the Great Pyramid at Giza?