Ancient Egypt & KushChapter 4

Bell Ringer September 8, 20151. What bodies of water can you see on the map? ( Page 91)2. Where is the Nile Delta? 3. Where are Upper & Lower Egypt?4. What is the land east & west of the Nile Valley like?

• Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Nile (White, Blue)• In the North (Lower Egypt)• Upper Egypt in the south; Lower Egypt in the north• Desert

Geography and Ancient Egypt• Like Mesopotamia, the Nile River in Egypt also provided fertile land

that drew people to live there.• The culture that developed in Egypt was more stable and long-lasting

than those in Mesopotamia• Because the Nile River brought life to Egypt, the Greek historian – Herodotus called Egypt: “The gift of the Nile.”

The Nile River • The Nile is the longest river in the world. It begins in central Africa

and runs 4000 miles north to the Mediterranean Sea. • Egyptian civilization developed along a 750-mile stretch of the Nile in

northern Africa.

Two Kingdoms• Ancient Egypt included two regions, a southern region and a northern

region. • The southern region was called Upper Egypt because it was located

up river• Lower Egypt in the North was located downriver. • On either side of the Nile lay hundreds of miles of bleak desert

Geography of the Nile• The Nile rushed through rocky, hilly land south of Egypt causing strong

rapids called cataracts.• These rapids made sailing that portion of the Nile very difficult• In Lower Egypt, the Nile divided into several branches that fanned out and flowed into the Mediterranean Sea, forming the delta. • 2/3 of Egypt’s farmland was located in the Nile Delta.

Floods of the Nile• Because it received so little rain, most of Egypt was desert.• Each year, rainfall far to the south of Egypt in the highlands of east

Africa caused the Nile to flood

Civilization Develops Along the Nile• As in Mesopotamia, Farmers in Egypt developed an irrigation system

with basins and canals. • The Egyptians grew various foods. The Nile provided fish. They hunted

wild geese and ducks.

Natural Barriers• The Nile Valley had natural barriers that made Egypt hard to invade.• The desert to the west was too big to cross.• To the North, the Mediterranean Sea kept enemies away• The Red Sea provided protection• Cataracts in the Nile made it difficult for outsiders to sail in from the South. • Protected from invaders, Egypt grew into two Kingdoms

Egypt Unifies• The King of Lower Egypt wore a red crown• The King of Upper Egypt wore a cone-shaped white crown. • Around 3100 BC a leader named Menes rose to power in Upper Egypt. • Menes finished what the Scorpion King started – uniting the two

kingdoms by conquering Lower Egypt.• He combined the two crowns• Menes was Egypt’s first Pharaoh• He founded Egypt’s first dynasty• Made Memphis the political & cultural center of Egypt.

Geography & Ancient EgyptChapter 4 Section 1

Notes• Two Regions: Upper Egypt -> South• Lower Egypt -> North• Nile Delta: best farmland• Cataracts: Not good for travel, but protected Egypt from invaders• Foods: Egyptian grew food, fished, hunted for a variety• Nile: supplied life-giving water and silt for the soil• The desert :protected Egypt from invaders• Menes: was the first Pharaoh• Pharaohs: wore a double crown to represent power over the two

lands

Essential Question•What attracted early settlers to the Nile Valley? •Who joined Upper & Lower Egypt together?

The Nile from Space

Bell Ringer September 9, 2012•Complete a Venn Diagram. List the differences and similarities between the Nile civilization in Egypt & the Tigris and Euphrates civilization in Mesopotamia.

• Nile: • Flooded predictably• Flowed North• Fertile Land• Irrigation-canals• Natural barriers -Stability • Surrounded by Desert • Advanced society• Trade• Religion – polytheistic• Centered on afterlife

Early Egyptian Society • As in other ancient cultures, Egyptian society was based on a strict order of

social classes• A small group of royalty, nobles, and priests ruled Egypt• Rest of the population supplied foods, crafts, and labor.• Few people questioned this arrangement.• Many of the priests and officials were nobles• Lower class made up about 80% of population – farmers• When not farming – they worked on Pharaoh’s building projects.

Rule by Pharaohs• Ancient Egyptians believed that Egypt belonged to the gods and

pharaoh had come to earth to manage Egypt for the gods • The pharaoh had absolute power, but much responsibility: prevent

war, provide trade, good crops

The Old Kingdom

• Around 2700 BC, the Third Dynasty rose to power.• Its rule began the Old Kingdom which lasted for about 500 years.

• Duties of the pharaohs grew and pharaohs hired government officials, mostly from his family

• The most famous pharaoh of the Old Kingdom was Khufu.

• Egyptian legend says that he was cruel, but records show that the people were well fed.• He is best known for the monuments that were built to him.

Trade • During the Old Kingdom, Egypt began trading with its neighbors. • Gold, ivory, slaves, stone, incense & myrrh (perfume & medicine)• Trade with Syria provided Egypt with wood.

Religion• Egyptians were polytheistic.• Religious customs focused on the afterlife: ideal world where

the Ka left the body and became a spirit, but remained linked to the body. • The ka had all the same needs as a living person. • Tombs were filled with objects for the after life.

Burial Practices• Egyptians believed that a body had to be prepared for the afterlife. • The body had to be preserved.• It could not decay or its spirit would not recognize it. That would

break the link between the body and the Ka• To keep the Ka from suffering, the Egyptians developed a method

called embalming to preserve the bodies• This resulted in mummies – preserved bodies wrapped in cloth• Only royalty and Egypt’s elite could afford to have mummies made. • The poor buried their dead in shallow graves near the desert – they

were preserved by the sand and lack of moisture.

Essential Question

•How was society structured in the Old Kingdom & who was at the base of it?

•Pharaohs-> Nobles->soldiers->scribes->merchants->craft->farmers-> servants->slaves

Challenge

•Which strata of the social class was the most important in Egyptian Society? •Which is most important today?

Chapter 4 Vocabulary• Cataracts: strong rapids• Delta: triangle-shaped area of land made of soil deposited by a river• Pharaoh: title used by the rulers of Egypt• Dynasty: series of rulers from the same family• Old Kingdom: period in Egyptian history that lasted from about

2700BC to 2200 BC. • Nobles: people from rich and powerful families• Afterlife: life after death• Mummies: specially treated bodies wrapped in cloth• Elite: people of wealth and power.

Bell Ringer September 10, 2015

• Using your notes, complete a graphic organizer with 3 statements about the relationship between government & religion in the Old Kingdom of Egypt.

GOVERNMENT & RELIGION IN ANCIENT EGYPT 1. 2. 3. 1. Pharaoh ruled as a God2. Priests ruled in Religion and Government3. Government worker made Tombs for the Afterlife

The Pyramids• The Egyptians began to build Pyramids during the Old Kingdom.• The largest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu near the town of Giza.• It covers 13 acres at its base and stands 481 feet high. • It took more than 2 million limestone blocks to build.• Scientists are still not sure exactly how the Pyramids were built. • Building a great pyramid for a pharaoh ensured a happy afterlife for

all Egyptians

The Decline of the Old Kingdom• Rulers and Dynasties changed in Egypt as years passed. • Egypt changed with them. • By 2200 BC – the Old Kingdom had declined. Building the Pyramids

and keeping up the costs of government was expensive. • Nobles took over power. Trade diminished. Farming declined. • Possibly there was drought and famine. http://

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2189802/Egyptian-kingdom-died-4-200-years-ago-following-mega-drought-caused-climate-change.html

The Middle Kingdom• Mentuhotep II – Powerful Pharaoh united all of Egypt and began the

Middle Kingdom – 2050 to 1750 BC.

• Toward the end of the Middle Kingdom, due to internal disorder, Egypt again declined and was invaded by the Hyksos from Southwest Asia.

• The Hyksos ruled Egypt for 200 years. • They introduced the horse & chariot and the composite bow

End of the Middle Kingdom

• Eventually – the people of Egypt rose up and fought the Hyksos.• Ahmose drove them out of Egypt and declared himself king. • It was the beginning of the New Kingdom, the period during which Egypt reached the height of its power and glory.

The New Kingdom• During the New Kingdom 1550 – 1050 BC, conquest and trade

brought tremendous wealth to the pharaohs.

• To prevent further invasions, Egypt took control over invasion routes.• This turned Egypt into an Empire. • They conquered the Hyksos, Syria, and the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. • It also defeated Kush, south of Egypt.

Essential Question• Fill in the pyramid below with information about political and military

factors that led to the rise and fall of the Old Kingdom & Middle Kingdom.

Egyptian Time-Line

Bell Ringer September 11, 2015

1. How did the desert on both sides of the Nile help ancient Egypt?

2. What does the building of the Pyramids tell us about Egyptian society?

•Provided protection against invasion•Proves that Ancient Egypt was very advanced to be

capable of the complex organization required

Building an Empire• By the 1400s BC, Egypt was the leading military power in the region. • Its empire extended from the Euphrates River to southern Nubia

Conquest & Trade• Conquests and trade made Egypt rich.• The Kingdoms it conquered regularly sent treasure to their Egyptian

conquerors. • Others sent treasures to Egypt to maintain good relations hoping to

avoid be conquered by them .

Queen Hatshepsut and Trade Routes• Queen Hatshepsut worked to increase Egyptian trade. • She opened trade from the Kingdom of Punt along the Red Sea to the

people of Asia Minor and Greece. • She supported arts and architecture with the wealth. • She is especially remembered for the many impressive monuments

and temples built during her reign.

Ramses the Great

• Ramses the Great 1200s BC. • One of the longest reigns in Egyptian history.• Fought the Hittites – neither could win – finally signed a treaty • Built forts along the western frontier to protect from invasions which

proved useful even 100 years later. • Even though there were Pharaohs after him – he is considered the last

great Egyptian Pharaoh.

The Decline of the Egyptian Empire• Soon after Ramses the Great died, invaders called the Sea Peoples sailed into

southwest Asia.

• Historians are not even sure who they were, except that they were strong warriors who crushed the Hittites and destroyed cities in Southwest Asia.

• It took 50 years of fighting for the Egyptians to turn them back. • Egypt survived but its empire was lost, turning Egypt into another period of

disorder. • It never regained its power.

Essential Question • Fill in Pyramid with the Rise and Fall of the New Kingdom.