Gift of the Nile: The Land of Plenty in Ancient Egypt

1. Chapter 4Section 1 Gift of the Nile

2. Geography of Ancient EgyptThe Longest River • The Nile is the worlds largest River – 4,160 miles • South, mixes with cataracts – waterfalls • North branches out into a delta – area near a river’s mouth where it deposits silt – fine soil

3. Land of Plenty • Begins in the south > flows north • Upper Nile is south (highland) • Lower Nile is north (low, flatland) • Heavy rains fall on EthopianPlateau (flatland raised sharply above other land) flooded Nile every summer • Left fertile soil • Predictable cycle

4. Black Land, Red Land • Predictable weather: • Black land – rich soil • 8 months- sunny & hot • 4 months- sunny & cooler • 1 inch of rain/ year • Red land – barren desert • Harsh/ barrier to keep Enemies out

5. Land of Plenty • Annual floods • Followed pattern of bird migration • Left fertile soil and farmers began planting • Farmers worked Together to develop Irrigation (watering dry land by using ditches, Pipes and streams) *shadoof- move water *dug canals, basins & walls

6. Egyptian Crops • Grains- wheat and barley • Ground wheat to flour = made bread • Vegetables- lettuce, radishes, onions and cucumbers • Fruits- dates, figs and grapes • Flax plant- turned flax into a material called linen (lightweight cloth) and made clothes • Mud bricks and straw with small windows for sunlight Egyptian Houses

7. Geography Shapes Egyptian Life • Farming- VERY IMPORTANT • Mining – quarried(obtain stone by cutting, digging or blasting) • Copper, iron, gold, limestone, granite & turquoise • Fishing and Hunting • Nets and harpoons to catch fish, speared hippopotamuses and crocodiles, boomerangs knocked down birds • Transportation and Trade • Boats traveled north (with the current) quickly, used sails to go south • Traded for exotic animals, gold, ivory and incense