1. Ancient Africa

2. The Neolithic Revolution The gradual shift homo sapiens made from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled peoples who farmed Domestication of animals: the taming of animals for human purposes

3. The Emergence of Civilization Civilizations often arise in river valleys because of –Fertile soil -Easy access to trade and transportation route The Nile River Valley was excellent for development of civilization

4. The Nile River Valley The Gift of the Nile: –From late spring through summer, heavy tropical rains and melting snow add to the volume of the Nile The river overflows its banks and floods the land nearby When the floodwaters recede, thick deposits of silt are left, used for fertilization of soil

5. Egyptian Civilization Egyptian people relied on the Nile for their livelihood Early Egyptians set up a monarchy, where their rulers were regarded as divine Early Egyptians set up a monarchy, where their rulers were regarded as divine Pharaohs- Egyptian Kings, believed to be descendent from gods (Theocracy: combination of religion and government) Dynasty- Pharaoh’s son would become Pharaoh, etc.- passed down through the family Pharaoh assisted by large bureaucracy- people who helped him make and enforce laws

6. Wonders of Ancient Egypt The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid

7. Pyramids were used to bury pharaohs Pharaohs were mummified, embalmed, and buried with their most prized possessions, food, and jewels, which Egyptians believed they would need in the afterlife Sphinx- head of a pharaoh, body of a lion –Built to protect the tombs of the pharaohs buried in pyramids

8. Purpose of Pyramids Almost all royal tombs, including pyramids, had a mortuary temple where priests were supposed to take care of the king's soul Pyramid complexes also contained other tombs or smaller pyramids belonging to the king's wives and family members. There were also pits dug for boats, which were the boats that carried the dead king in his funeral, or were symbolic boats for his journey through the afterlife.

9. Cultural Diffusion and Trade As years passed, Egypt expanded its boundaries from the Nile delta southward Egypt slowly became an Empire Trade with other ancient empires led to cultural diffusion, the sharing of ideas and customs between groups of people At the height of its glory, Ancient Egypt was home to 5 million people

10. Religion Egyptians were polytheistic, worshipping many gods –Ra (sun), Osiris (underworld), Aman Re (creator god) –Gods based on nature and animals Religion guided all aspects of daily life Due to extensive hieroglyphs left behind by the Egyptians, the world then was able to read the Egyptian Book of the Dead, discussing how to reach a happy afterlife

11. Mummification mummification - embalmment and drying a dead body and wrapping it as a mummy Embalmment- preservation (of a dead body) by treating with balsams and drugs and other chemicals

12. King Tut

13. Who was he? King Tutkanhamen was the most famous Egyptian pharaoh Tut became a boy king at the age of nine. King Tut died (we believe) by the age of 19 King Tut’s tomb was discovered completely intact by archaeologists Almost all of the possessions he was buried with survived Many other pharaoh tombs were broken into by grave robbers Many other pharaoh tombs were broken into by grave robbers

14. Hieroglyphics The Ancient Egyptians developed one of the first writing system, hieroglyphs, carving picture symbols onto pieces of slate Hieroglyphs were not interpreted for hundreds of years until 1799 when the Rosetta Stone was found, translating the hieroglyphs into Greek