“The Gift of the Nile”

ANCIENT EGYPT

Longest river in the world- 4,132 miles long! From Falls Church to San

Francisco, CA is 2,811 miles!

Located in AfricaDumps into the

Mediterranean Sea

Floods leave behind fertile soil

Warm climate

THE NILE RIVER

IrrigationEnables farmers to grow

a variety of crops and feed a large number of people. Wheat, barley, flax,

cotton

TransportationFlows South to North!

Paddle down river with water currents

Sail up river with wind currents!

THE NILE

Upper

Lower

The Sahara Desert and surrounding seas provide protection from invaders.

PROTECTION

Ancient Egyptian form of writing

Around 3000 BCE600 signs that

represent words and objects

Carved in stone Difficult to produce

Made paper from papyrus

Made ink from soot, water, plant juice

HIEROGLYPHICS

Stone found with 3 languages written on itGreek, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and Demotic

This stone was used to unlock the secret of the hieroglyphics!

THE ROSETTA STONE

Before 3400 BCE: two kingdoms Upper Egypt (south) Lower Egypt (north)

Menes (Namer) King of Upper Egypt unites Upper and Lower Egypt and establishes a ruling dynasty

Dynasty-a series of rulers from the same family or line. They rule Egypt from about

3200-300BCE

EGYPTIAN KINGDOMS

Kings of Egypt were called Pharaohs. They were political AND religious leaders= Theocracy

Absolute, or unlimited power “divine right”- could so whatever they wanted!They were regarded as godlike and temples were built

in their honor!They were mummified and placed in tombs

Sometimes in Pyramids to protect them and help escort them into the afterlife

PHARAOHS

Menes united EgyptMemphis= capital During the Old

Kingdom many of the pyramids were built! The Great Pyramid of

Giza was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu

There were also many great advancements in science and the arts.

THE OLD KINGDOM

Peasants, farmers, army, labor (most production goes to king) >> little/ NO social mobility

Pharaoh, royal family, priests, scribes, government offi cials >> eventually form a noble class

The pharaoh had helpers to help him rule over the large empire.

Nobles gained more power and have a power struggle with the pharaoh! < Internal Strife

THE OLD KINGDOM

Mentuhotep- 2040 BCE Re-united Egypt! He created a central monarchy and made Thebes the new

capital! The Pharaoh once again had all the power in the land!

Known as the “Golden Age” and a period of stability and prosperity. Egypt experienced a period of expansion. Traders went to

neighboring lands.

PROJECTS: A) Draining of swamp land in the Nile Delta>> New

Farmland B) Digging of a canal to connect the Nile to Red Sea>

increase trade and transportation

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

The Middle Kingdom comes to an end when foreigners from western Asia known as Hyksos came into the country with their horse drawn chariots and superior weapons and ruled over Egypt for about 100 years!

Eventually leaders in Egypt drove out the Hyksos and were re-united by a line of strong pharaohs.

Ruled strong and strict Gained land, build an empire >> when an individual

or single people rule over many other people and their territories

THE NEW KINGDOM

female Pharaoh Kept boarders

secure and increased trade with other lands

Built a huge temple Deir el Bahri

HATSHEPSUT 1503 BCE- 1482 BCE

(stepson/nephew) Great conquests and trade

ruled at the height of Egypt’s power

Called “the conquerer”

THUTMOSE III 1482-1450 BCE

Believed in 1 god, the sun god Ra (re, Aten,Aton ect.)

He tries to being about religious and social changes. Tries to get all Egyptians to

only worship RaChanges his name to

Aknetaton> “He who pleases Aton”

Not successful! Many believed that

destroying the Egyptian gods was the same as destroying Egypt

Nefertiti was his wife

Monotheism- the belief in one god

Polytheism- the belief in many gods Most Egyptians

were polytheistic

AMENHOTOP IV

A boy PharaohUndoes Akhenaton’s changes and restores polytheism

back to Egypt His tomb was found untouched in the “Valley of the

Kings”

TUTANKHAMEN (KING TUT)

Ramses II 1279-1213 BCE- Ordered temples and monuments to be built

Also called Ramses the Great!Unable to re-establish strong borders The Pharaoh’s that followed were not strong leaders

and the next thousand years, Egypt was dominated by outsiders.

Cleopatra VII- tried to re-establish Egypt’s independence in the 1st century BC but was unsuccessful and Egypt became a providence in Rome’s empire.

EGYPT’S DECLINE

LETS TAKE A TOUR OF A THE NILE!

 CAIRO MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES