Sphinx and pyramidin Giza, Egypt

Ancient Egyptand Kush

c. 3100 B.C.NarmerunitesEgypt

c. 2540 B.C.GreatPyramid atGiza built

c. 1500 B.C.QueenHatshepsutreigns

728 B.C.Piye of KushdefeatsEgyptians

3500 B.C. 2500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C.3500 B.C. 2500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C.

34–3

5 B

rian

Law

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age

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te

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The Nile ValleyPhysical geography plays a role in how civilizations develop and

decline. The fertile land along the great Nile River supported theEgyptian civilization.

Egypt’s Old KingdomReligion shapes how culture develops, just as culture shapes how

religion develops. During the Old Kingdom period, Egypt built astrong kingdom in which religion was deeply woven into Egyptianculture.

The Egyptian EmpireAll civilizations depend upon leadership for survival. Many changes

occurred during Egypt’s Middle and New Kingdoms. When strongleaders ruled the country, it expanded into a great empire as arts,literature, and architecture blossomed.

The Civilization of KushAs different societies interact, they often bring about change in each

other. South of Egypt a new civilization arose called Kush. Kushitesadopted Egyptian ways and eventually conquered Egypt itself.

View the Chapter 2 video in the Glencoe Video Program.

Chapter Overview Visitca.hss.glencoe.com for a preview of Chapter 2.

CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush 153

Summarizing Information Make this foldable to help you summarize the keyevents and ideas from ancient Egypt and Kush.

Reading and WritingAs you read the chapter,take notes under theappropriate tabs. Writemain ideas and key termsunder the “what” tab.

Step 1 Stacktwo sheets ofpaper so thatthe front sheetis one inchhigher than theback sheet.

Step 2 Fold down the top edges of the paper toform four tabs. Align the edges so that all of thelayers or tabs are the same distance apart.

Step 3 Crease the paper to hold the tabs inplace, then staple them together. Cut the topthree thicknesses to create a layered book.

Step 4 Label the booklet as shown and take notes on the inside.

This makes allthe tabs thesame size.

Kushwhere?when?what?

Egyptwhere?when?what?

Stapletogether along

the fold.

152-155 Ch2 CO-868874 7/8/05 6:27 PM Page 153

Summarizing

154

As you read and summa-

rize in your own words,

try not to change the

author's original mean-

ings or ideas.

Good readers naturally summarize while they read to makesure they understand the text. Summarizing helps you organ-ize information and focus on main ideas. By restating theimportant facts in a short summary, you can reduce theamount of information to remember.

A summary of a longer selection may be a short sentenceor paragraph, which includes the main ideas. When summariz-ing, be brief and do not include many supporting details. Tryto restate the text in a way that makes sense to you and willhelp you remember. Read the passage in Section 1 labeledEgypt's Social Classes on pages 163–164. Then look at themain ideas below from that passage and read the summary.

Summary: Egyptiansociety was divided intosocial groups based onwealth and power.

Main Idea: Farmers were thelargest group of early Egyptians,while many of Egypt’s citydwellers were unskilled laborers.

Main Idea: Egypt’s middle classincluded traders, merchants, arti-sans, and makers of goods.

Main Idea: Egypt’s upper classwas made up of nobles, priests,and other rich Egyptians whoworked as the government officials.

152-155 Ch2 CO-868874 12/30/04 12:40 PM Page 154

155

Read about The Middle Kingdom on pages 179–180. With apartner, summarize the main points. One person should summarizewhat he or she read while the other listens. Then the second personshould summarize again, adding details that the partner may haveleft out.

After reading Section2, write a paragraphthat summarizes whatyou remember aboutEgyptian leaders,religion, and way oflife in the OldKingdom.

Read to Write

As you read this chapter, practicesummarizing. Stop after each sectionand write a brief summary.

When you are finished read-ing, look at the following listto see if you included all theimportant ideas.

• The Middle Kingdomwas a golden age of peaceand prosperity in Egypt.

• During the MiddleKingdom, Egyptexpanded its territorywith new lands.

• During the MiddleKingdom, the arts, litera-ture, and architecturethrived.

• The Hyksos took controlof Egypt for 150 years,ending the MiddleKingdom, until Ahmoseled an uprising that drovethem out.

Tutankhamen’sgold mask

152-155 Ch2 CO-868874 12/30/04 12:41 PM Page 155

The

Nile Valley

Looking Back, Looking AheadIn Chapter 1, you learned about

early civilizations in Mesopotamia. Atabout the same time, anothercivilization was forming near the NileRiver. We call this civilization ancientEgypt.

Focusing on the • The Egyptian civilization began in

the fertile Nile River valley, wherenatural barriers discouragedinvasions. (page 157)

• The Egyptians depended on the Nile’sfloods to grow their crops. (page 159)

• Around 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two majorkingdoms, Upper Egypt and LowerEgypt, were combined into one.(page 161)

• Egyptian society was divided intosocial groups based on wealth andpower. (page 163)

Locating PlacesEgypt (EE• jihpt)Nile River (NYL)Sahara (suh•HAR•uh)

Content Vocabularycataract (KA•tuh•RAKT)delta (DEHL•tuh)papyrus (puh•PY•ruhs)hieroglyphics (HY•ruh•GLIH• fihks)dynasty (DY•nuh•stee)

Academic Vocabularyfeature (FEE•chuhr)technology (tehk•NAH• luh• jee)labor (LAY•buhr)

Reading StrategyOrganizing Information Create a diagram to describe Egyptianirrigation systems.

c. 5000 B.C.Agriculturebegins alongNile River

c. 4000 B.C.Egypt is made up of twokingdoms

c. 3100 B.C.NarmerunitesEgypt

Nile

R.

Memphis

5000 B.C. 4000 B.C. 3000 B.C.5000 B.C. 4000 B.C. 3000 B.C.

156 CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush

Irrigation

HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH6.2 Studentsanalyze the geographic,political, economic,religious, and socialstructures of the earlycivilizations ofMesopotamia, Egypt, andKush.

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 7/8/05 7:20 PM Page 156

WH6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia,Egypt, and Kush.

WH6.2.1 Locate and describe the major river systems and discuss the physical settings that supported permanent settlement andearly civilizations.

Settling the NileThe Egyptian civilization began in the

fertile Nile River valley, where natural barriers dis-couraged invasions.

Reading Connection Did you know that the Nile

River is longer than the Amazon, the Mississippi, and

every other river in the world? Read on to learn when

ancient peoples first moved to its fertile banks.

Between 6000 B.C. and 5000 B.C., huntersand food gatherers moved into the greenNile River valley from less fertile areas ofAfrica and southwest Asia. They settleddown, farmed the land, and created severaldozen villages along the riverbanks. Thesepeople became the earliest Egyptians.

A Mighty River Although Egypt (EE• jihpt)was warm and sunny, the land received littlerainfall. For water, the Egyptians had to relyon the Nile River (NYL). They drank from it,bathed in it, and used it for farming, cook-ing, and cleaning. The river provided fishand supported plants and animals. To theEgyptians, the Nile was a precious gift. Theypraised it in a song: “Hail O Nile, who comesfrom the earth, who comes to give life to thepeople of Egypt.”

Even today, the Nile inspires awe. It isthe world’s longest river, flowing north frommountains in the heart of Africa to theMediterranean Sea. This is a distance ofsome 4,000 miles (6,437 km). Traveling thelength of the Nile would be like going fromGeorgia to California, and then back again.

The Nile begins as two separaterivers. One river, the Blue Nile, has itssource in the mountains of easternAfrica. The other, the White Nile,starts in marshes in central Africa.The two rivers meet and form theNile just south of Egypt. There, nar-row cliffs and boulders in the Nile

form wild rapids called cataracts (KA • tuh •RAKTS). Because of the cataracts, large shipscan use the Nile only for its last 650 miles(1,046 km), where it flows through Egypt.

A Sheltered Land In Egypt, the Nile runsthrough a narrow, green valley. Look at themap below. You can see that the Nile lookslike the long stem of a flower. Shortly beforethe Nile reaches the Mediterranean Sea, itdivides into different branches that looklike the flower’s blossom. These branchesfan out over an area of fertile soil called adelta (DEHL• tuh).

100 km0Azimuthal Equidistant projection

100 mi.0

N

S

W E

30°E

30°N

20°N

40°E

Mediterranean Sea

Red Sea

Nile

River

Great Pyramidand Sphinx

First Cataract

Second Cataract

ARABIANDESERT

WESTERNDESERT

EASTERNDESERT

NILE DELTA

LOWER EGYPT

UPPER EGYPT

NUBIA

Giza

Memphis

Thebes

Ancient Egypt c. 3100 B.C.

1. Place What physical features border the NileRiver to the east and west?

2. Human/Environment Interaction How mightthese features have influenced how ancientEgyptians viewed the Nile?

Find NGS online map resources @ www.nationalgeographic.com/maps

157

Nile ValleyKEY

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 12/30/04 12:48 PM Page 157

On both sides of the Nile Valley and itsdelta, deserts unfold as far as the eye cansee. To the west is a vast desert that formspart of the Sahara (suh •HAR •uh), the largestdesert in the world. To the east, stretching tothe Red Sea, is the Eastern Desert. In someplaces, the change from green land to bar-ren sand is so abrupt that a person canstand with one foot in each.

The ancient Egyptians called the deserts“the Red Land” because of their burningheat. Although these vast expanses couldnot support farming or human life, theydid serve a useful purpose: they kept out-side armies away from Egypt’s territory.

Other geographic features also pro-tected the Egyptians. To the far south, theNile’s dangerous cataracts blocked enemyboats from reaching Egypt. In the north, thedelta marshes offered no harbors forinvaders approaching from the sea. In thisregard, the Egyptians were luckier than the

people of Mesopotamia. In that region, fewnatural barriers protected the cities. TheMesopotamians constantly had to fight offattackers, but Egypt rarely faced threats. Asa result, Egyptian civilization was able togrow and prosper.

Despite their isolation, the Egyptianswere not completely closed to the outsideworld. The Mediterranean Sea borderedEgypt to the north, and the Red Sea laybeyond the desert to the east. These bodiesof water gave the Egyptians a way to tradewith people outside Egypt.

Within Egypt, people used the Nile fortrade and transportation. Winds from thenorth pushed sailboats south. The flow ofthe Nile carried them north. Egyptian vil-lages thus had frequent, friendly contactwith one another, unlike the hostile relationsbetween the Mesopotamian city-states.

Summarize Describe thephysical environment in Egypt.

Today, the Nile River valley makes up only about 3 percent of Egypt’sland, yet most Egyptians live and work in the area. How did Egypt’sphysical setting support settlements and early civilization?

158 CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and KushJohn Lawrence/Getty Images

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 7/8/05 7:22 PM Page 158

WH6.2.1 Locate and describe the major river systems and discuss the physical settings that supported permanent settlement andearly civilizations. WH6.2.2 Trace the development of agricultural techniques that permitted the production of economic surplus andthe emergence of cities as centers of culture and power. WH6.2.9 Trace the evolution of language and its written forms.

The River PeopleThe Egyptians depended on the Nile’s

floods to grow their crops.

Reading Connection When you hear about floods,

do you picture terrible damage and loss of life? Read on

to learn why the Egyptians welcomed, rather than

feared, the flooding of the Nile.

In Chapter 1, you learned that the peo-ple of Mesopotamia had to tame the floodsof the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in orderto farm. They learned to do so, but theunpredictable rivers remained a constantthreat.

Regular Flooding Like the Mesopotamians,the Egyptians also had to cope with riverfloods. However, the Nile floods weremuch more consistent and gentle than thoseof the Tigris and the Euphrates. As a result,the Egyptians were able to farm and livesecurely. They did not worry that sudden,heavy overflows would destroy theirhomes and crops, or that too little floodingwould leave their fields parched.

Every spring, heavy rains from centralAfrica and melting snows from the high-lands of East Africa added to the waters ofthe Nile as it flowed north. From July toOctober, the Nile spilled over its banks.When the waters went down, they leftbehind a layer of dark, fertile silt, or mud.Because of these deposits, the Egyptianscalled their land Kemet (KEH • meht), “theBlack Land.”

How Did the Egyptians Use the Nile? TheEgyptians took advantage of the Nile’sfloods to become successful farmers. Theyplanted wheat, barley, and flax seeds in thewet, rich soil. Over time, they grew morethan enough food to feed themselves andthe animals they raised.

One reason for their success was thewise use of irrigation. Egyptian farmersfirst dug basins, or bowl-shaped holes, inthe earth to trap the floodwaters. The farm-ers then dug canals to carry water from thebasins to fields beyond the river’s reach.The Egyptians also built dikes, or earthenbanks, to strengthen the basin walls.

In time, Egyptian farmers developedother technology to help them in their work.For example, they used a shadoof (shuh •DOOF), a bucket attached to a long pole, to liftwater from the Nile to the basins. ManyEgyptian farmers still use this device today.

“Hymn to the Nile”

This passage is part of a hymn written around2100 B.C. It shows how important the NileRiver was to the people of ancient Egypt.“You create the grain, you bring forth the barley,assuring perpetuity [survival] to the temples. Ifyou cease your toil and your work, then all thatexists is in anguish.”

—author unknown, “Hymn to the Nile”

How does this hymn show that the ancientEgyptians thought of the Nile as sacred?

A shadoof

CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush 159Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 7/8/05 7:24 PM Page 159

From Farming to Food Harvesting wheat andturning it into bread was vital to the ancientEgyptians. Some people were full-time farmers,but many others were drafted by the governmentto help during busy seasons.

Tomb painting showing wheatbeing harvested

Tomb painting showing Egyptian manand woman plowing and planting

160

women gathered it into bundles. Animals trampled thewheat to separate the kernels from the husks. The grain wasthen thrown into the air so the wind would carry away thelightweight seed coverings. Finally, the grain was stored insilos for later use.

The process began asmen cut the wheat withwooden sickles and

Early Egyptians also developed geome-try to survey, or measure, land. Whenfloods washed away boundary markersdividing one field from the next, theEgyptians surveyed the fields again to seewhere one began and the other ended.

Egyptians used papyrus (puh•PY• ruhs), areed plant that grew along the Nile, to makebaskets, sandals, and river rafts. Later, theyused papyrus for papermaking. They didthis by cutting strips from the stalks of theplant. Then they soaked them in water,pounded them flat, dried them, and thenjoined them together to make paper.

What Were Hieroglyphics? The Egyptiansused their papyrus rolls as writing paper.Like the people of Mesopotamia, theEgyptians developed their own system ofwriting. Originally, it was made up of thou-sands of picture symbols. Some symbols

stood for objects and ideas. To communicatethe idea of a boat, for example, a scribewould draw a boat. Later, Egyptians createdsymbols that stood for sounds, just as the let-ters of our alphabet do. Combining both pic-ture symbols and sound symbols created acomplex writing system that was later calledhieroglyphics (HY • ruh•GLIH• fihks).

In ancient Egypt, few people could readand write. Some Egyptian men, however,went to special schools located at Egyptiantemples to study reading and writing andlearn to become scribes. Scribes keptrecords and worked for the rulers, priests,and traders. Scribes also painstakinglycarved hieroglyphics onto stone walls andmonuments. For everyday purposes,scribes invented a simpler script and wroteor painted on papyrus.

Explain How did living onthe banks of the Nile help farmers?

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156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 8/23/05 10:03 AM Page 160

WH6.2.2 Trace the development of agricultural techniques that permitted the production of economic surplus and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power.

WH6.2.6 Describe the role of Egyptian trade in the eastern Mediterranean and Nile valley.

A United EgyptAround 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two major

kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, were com-bined into one.

Reading Connection What types of services does

your local government provide? Read on to find out

about the government in ancient Egypt.

In Egypt, as in Mesopotamia, skillfulfarming led to surpluses—extra amounts—of food. This freed some people to work asartisans instead of farmers. They wovecloth, made pottery, carved statues, orshaped copper into weapons and tools.

As more goods became available,Egyptians traded with each other. Beforelong, Egyptian traders were carrying goodsbeyond Egypt’s borders to Mesopotamia.There they may have picked up ideas aboutwriting and government.

The Rise of Government The advances infarming, crafts, and trade created a need forgovernment in Egypt. Irrigation systemshad to be built and maintained, and surplusgrain had to be stored and passed out intimes of need. In addition, disputes overland ownership had to be settled. Gradually,government emerged to plan and to directsuch activities.

The earliest rulers were village chiefs.Over time, a few strong chiefs unitedgroups of villages into small kingdoms. Thestrongest of these kingdoms eventuallyoverpowered the weaker ones. By 4000 B.C.,Egypt was made up of two large kingdoms.In the Nile delta was Lower Egypt. To thesouth, upriver, lay Upper Egypt. About3100 B.C., Narmer (NAR • muhr), the king ofUpper Egypt, led his armies north and tookcontrol of Lower Egypt. The two kingdomsbecame unified.

Connecting to the Past1. How did the government ensure that enough people were

available to harvest the wheat?

2. Why do you think seeds, fruit, and other additives werereserved for the wealthy?

Turning grain into bread was a long process. Womenground the grain into flour, then men pounded it untilit became very fine. For the wealthy, seeds, honey, fruit,nuts, and herbs were added to the dough for flavor.Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to keep smallstones and sand out of the flour. As a result, manyEgyptians developed tooth decay as these particleswore down their tooth enamel.

A replica of an ancientEgyptian bakery

Wheat beingharvested today

161

Baking bread in pots

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156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 8/23/05 10:04 AM Page 161

162 CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush

Egypt’s Ruling Families Narmer ruledfrom Memphis, a city he built on the borderbetween the two kingdoms. Memphisdeveloped into a center of culture andpower along the Nile.

To symbolize the kingdom’s unity,Narmer wore a double crown. The helmet-like white crown represented Upper Egypt,and the open red crown represented LowerEgypt.

Natural Defenses Flat mud plains; few natural defenses

Unpredictable, and a constant threat to the people

Rivers

Floods

Economy

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Farming and trade

Many defenses: Nile delta, Sahara, Eastern Desert, and cataracts

Dependable and regular; not feared

Nile River

Farming and trade

Government City-state led by kings and priests; eventually empires formed

Villages led by chiefs, then united into kingdoms; kingdoms later united and ruled by pharaohs

Work of Artisans Metal products, pottery, cloth Metal products, pottery, cloth

Advances • Cuneiform writing• Number system based on 60• 12-month calendar• Wagon wheel, plow, sailboat

• Hieroglyphic writing• 365-day calendar• Number system based on 10, and fractions• Medicine and first medical books

Mesopotamia Egypt

Comparing Mesopotamia to EgyptComparing Mesopotamia to Egypt

Narmer’s united kingdom held togetherlong after his death. Members of his familypassed the ruling power from father to sonto grandson. Such a line of rulers from onefamily is called a dynasty (DY • nuh • stee).When one dynasty lost control of the king-dom, another took its place.

Over time, ancient Egypt would beruled by 31 dynasties, which together lastedan estimated 2,800 years. Historians groupEgypt’s dynasties into three main time peri-ods called kingdoms. The earliest period,the Old Kingdom, was followed by theMiddle Kingdom and then the NewKingdom. Each marked a long period ofstrong leadership and stability.

Explain How were the king-doms of Upper and Lower Egypt combined?

The civilizations of both Mesopotamia andEgypt depended on rivers for fertile lands andirrigation.1. Which civilization had greater natural

defenses? Explain.2. Compare Use the chart to compare the

governments of the two civilizations.

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 8/27/05 8:23 AM Page 162

WH6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia,Egypt, and Kush.

WH6.2.3 Understand the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Early Egyptian LifeEgyptian society was divided into

social groups based on wealth and power.

Reading Connection Did you play with dolls or

balls when you were young? Egyptian children did

too. Keep reading for more details about the

Egyptians’ daily life.

If you made a diagram of the differentsocial groups or classes in ancient Egypt, youwould find that they make a pyramid shape.At the top was the king and his family.Beneath that level was a small upper class ofpriests, army commanders, and nobles. Nextcame a larger base of skilled middle-classpeople, such as scribes, traders, and artisans.At the bottom was the largest group—unskilled workers and farmers.

Egypt’s Social Classes Egypt’s upper classwas made up of nobles, priests, and otherwealthy Egyptians who worked as the government officials. They lived in cities andon large estates along the Nile River. Theyhad elegant homes made of wood and mudbricks, with beautiful gardens and poolsfilled with fish and water lilies. Wealthy fam-ilies had servants to wait on them and to per-form household tasks. The men and womendressed in white linen clothes and woreheavy eye makeup and jewelry.

Egypt’s middle class included peoplewho ran businesses or produced goods.They lived in much smaller homes anddressed more simply. Artisans formed animportant group within the middle class.They produced linen cloth, jewelry, pottery,and metal goods.

CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush 163

Pharaoh

Farmers andherders

Unskilledworkers

Priests andnobles

Traders, artisans, shopkeepers, andscribes

Ancient Egyptian society was highly structured. At the top was the pharaoh and his family.At the bottom was the group with the least wealth—unskilledworkers. What group was justbelow the pharaoh in Egyptiansociety?

156-164 Ch2 S1-868874 7/12/05 10:52 PM Page 163

Study Central Need help understanding therise of Egyptian civilization? Visitca.hss.glencoe.com and click on Study Central.

164 CHAPTER 2 • Ancient Egypt and Kush

Farmers were part of the largest group ofearly Egyptians. Some rented their land fromtheir ruler, paying him with a large portionof their crops. Most worked the land ofwealthy nobles. They lived in villages alongthe Nile, in one-room huts with roofs madeof palm leaves. They had a simple diet ofbread, beer, vegetables, and fruit.

Many of Egypt’s city dwellers wereunskilled workers who did physical labor.Some unloaded cargo from boats and car-ried it to markets. Others made and stackedmud bricks for buildings. Workers lived incrowded city neighborhoods. They hadsmall mud-brick homes with hard-packeddirt floors and a courtyard for the family’sanimals. On the flat rooftops, familiestalked, played games, and slept. Womenworked on the rooftops, drying fruit, mak-ing bread, and weaving cloth.

Family Life In ancient Egypt, the fatherheaded the family. However, Egyptianwomen had more rights than females inmost other early civilizations. In Egypt,women could own and pass on property.They could buy and sell goods, make wills,and obtain divorces. Upper-class womenwere in charge of temples and could per-form religious ceremonies.

Few Egyptians sent their children toschool. Mothers taught their daughters tosew, cook, and run a household. Boyslearned farming or skilled trades fromtheir fathers. Egyptian children had timefor fun, as well. They played with boardgames, dolls, spinning tops, and stuffedleather balls.

Identify How was Egyptiansociety organized?

1. What is papyrus and how didthe Egyptians use it?

2. What rights did women have inancient Egypt?

Critical Thinking3. Cause and Effect Draw a

diagram to show three thingsthat led to the growth of gov-ernment in ancient Egypt.

4. How did thegeography of the Nile Rivervalley lead to the growth of acivilization there?

5. Draw Conclusions How doEgyptian hieroglyphics help uslearn about their society andculture?

6. Analyze What was the signif-icance of Narmer’s doublecrown?

7. SummarizingUsing what you have learned inthis section, summarize theyearly cycle of the Nile River.Be sure to describe how thiscycle affected farmers inancient Egypt. CA 6RC2.4

CA HI1.

CA HR4.

CA CS1.

Growth of Government in Ancient Egypt

CA HI2.

What Did You Learn?Reading SummaryReview the • The deserts on either side of the

Nile Valley, along with the Nilecataracts and delta marshes, pro-tected Egypt from invaders.

• The Egyptians became successfulfarmers using the Nile River’sfloods and irrigation.

• About 3100 B.C., Narmer unitedLower Egypt and Upper Egypt.

• Egypt’s society was divided intoupper-class priests and nobles,middle-class artisans and mer-chants, and lower-class workersand farmers.

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