The Nile River Valley - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Nile River Valley

• Earliest Egyptians move into the Nile River Valley from less fertile areas. They farmed and built villages along the riverbanks.
• ______________– longest river in the world (4,000 miles)
• Used it for water, farming, bathing and fishing
• Narrow green valley in Egypt.
• Nile Delta, fertile area at end of river

• The ____________, the largest desert in the world, lies west of the Nile Valley
• Egypt had several natural borders to protect them
• West – Sahara desert
• East – Eastern desert
• South – dangerous rapids
• North – Mediterranean Sea

• Floods along Nile River predictable. Left behind dark fertile soil along its banks.
• Farmer grew wheat, barley and flax seeds.
• Irrigation canals
• _____________, a reed plant that grew along the Nile, was used to make baskets, sandals, and paper.
• __________________ – Egyptian system of writing consisting of thousands of picture symbols.
• Some Egyptian men learned to read and write – attended schools to become scribes.

• Since the people of Egypt had a surplus of food, some people became artisans instead of farmers.
• Egyptians traded with each other and with others in Mesopotamia
• Strong chiefs united villages into kingdoms. Eventually, stronger kingdoms overpowered weaker ones.
• Two Kingdoms emerged:
• Lower Egypt
• Upper Egypt

• _________ –united the two kingdoms and ruled from the city of Memphis.
• His descendants passed the ruling power from father to son to grandson, forming a _________________.

Social Class Division

Upper Class

Middle Class

Lower Class

• _____________ had more rights in Egypt than in any other ancient civilizations
• Women could own property, buy and sell goods, make wills, obtain divorces.
• Few children went to school in ancient Egypt
• Egyptian girls learned how sew, cook, and run a household. Boys learned to farm or a skilled trade.

Ch.2 Sec.2

Old Kingdom Rulers

• The Old Kingdom lasted from about 2600 B.C. until about 2300 B.C.
• _____________ were all-powerful Egyptian kings who guided every activity in Egypt.
• Pharaohs appointed officials to carry out their commands
• Pharaohs were the son of ____, the sun god. They thought pharaohs were gods on earth.

• Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses, or ______. These deities controlled every human activity and all natural forces.
• ____ – sun god; _______– god of the Nile River; ______ – god of fertility
• Egyptians believed in life after death. The Book of the Dead contained a collection of spells that Egyptians believed they needed to enter the afterlife.

• Egyptians believed in the afterlife, or life after death.
• Humans as well as some animals had to be prepared for the afterlife

• ____________________ – The process of removing organs and treating the body with chemicals for preservation.
• Jewelry, tools, weapons, figures, etc. would be place in the tomb so they could use it in the “next” life.

• The soul of the person deceased would be weighed against the sacred feather, symbol for truth.
• _______________ process

Solar calendar – “________” – star that appeared before the annual flood

Science, Math, and Medicine

• Developed number system based on “____” – Decimal System today

• Diagnosed diseases; created remedies for cures; set broken bones, wrote the 1st medical book

• Egyptians built ___________ to protect the bodies of dead pharaohs.
• Pyramids to thousands of people and years of work to complete
• They used astronomy and mathematics to create pyramids.
• While studying the sky, Egyptians developed the 365 day calendar that we use today.
• The Great Pyramid is the largest pyramid in Egypt. It was built for King Khufu and it is located near Cairo.

Built during Old Kingdom

Valley of the Kings

• Pharaohs lost control of Egypt in about 2300 B.C. A new dynasty of pharaohs created a capital at _________. This began the Middle Kingdom.
• A time of stability, prosperity and achievement
• Arts, literature and architecture blossomed.
• Middle Kingdom ended when the ________ attacked and conquered Egypt.
• Egyptian prince _________ led a revolt to drive the Hyksos out of Egypt

• Egypt grew richer and more powerful.
• _______________was one of the few women rulers.
• Trade grew during her rule. Beads, tools, wood, ivory and incense were traded.
• _________________became pharaoh after Hatshepsut died. Egypt conquered more land and became even richer.
• Slavery was very common. They did have some rights: could own land, marry, and eventually gain freedom

• Amenhotep IV (___________ ) came to power in 1370 B.C.
• He felt priest were gaining too much power. He introduced a new religion with one god. Priests who do not follow were removed from power.
• Most refused to follow new religion.
• Hittites invaded and greatly reduced their power.
• _____________, a.k.a. King Tut, ruled for only 9 years – “Boy King”
• Took power after Akhenaton died

Treasures of Tutankhamen (8 min)

Discovered by British Archaeologist Howard Carter

Died at 20 years of age

Sarcophagus

• _______________was one of the most powerful rulers of all of Egypt.
• Under his rule, many temples were built
• After Ramses II died, Egyptian influence began to decline.
• Egypt was attacked by neighboring groups – Libyans, Kush and finally the Assyrians

• Region of ________, later known as Kush, was located south of Egypt on the Nile River
• The 1st people to arrive in Nubia were cattle herders who grazed on the _____________.
• More powerful Nubian villages took control of weaker ones, and the kingdom of __________ was created.
• Egypt invaded Kerma, eventually taking it over.

• Nubians broke away from Egypt and formed their own kingdom called __________.
• Ruled from the city of Napata, which was located on the upper Nile River.
• A king named __________ and his son, Piye conquered Egypt in 728 B.C.
• The __________ later invaded Egypt and forced out the Kushites.
• Kusk moved their ruling city south to the city of Meroe – important iron working city (learned from the Assyrians)
• The kingdom of _______ overthrew Kush and burned it to the ground.

Kushite Empire 700B.C.