Egypt Land of the Pharaohs
Dec 26, 2015
EgyptLand of the Pharaohs
Geography of ancient Egypt
Located in northern Africa Nile River
Source: Lake Victoria Longest river in
the world Only river to flow
south to north Begins in central Africa
where the Blue and White Nile begin
Nile River con’t
The Nile is the lifeblood of Egypt
The river flows for 4,145 miles
Empties into the Med Sea
Mostly navigable Except for 6
rapids/waterfalls or cataracts
Nile Delta
Triangular shaped piece of land at the mouth of the river that is the most fertile area of Egypt
Provides 10,000 miles of rich farmland
Nile River Valley
Long, narrow strip of fertile land usually from 1 mile to 12 miles wide until it reaches the lower portion of the Nile Delta
Land is made fertile by deposits of silt, sand and small stones during the yearly flooding
Egyptians called their land “Kemet” (the Black Land)
Sahara Desert
Largest desert in the world
About 4 inches of rainfall each year
The deserts are referred to as the “red land” because of burning heat
Provided protection
Other natural barriers:
Cataracts in the south
and delta marshes in the
north
Upper and Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt Fertile lands to the south
Lower Egypt Fertile lands to the north
Ancient Egypt ran all the way into Nubia. It was much larger than modern Egypt
Egypt: “The Gift of the Nile”
Provided water Fertilized soil Provided protection Provided natural
resources Sandstone, limestone,
papyrus, gold & flax Provided transportation– Along with the Med
Seaand Red Sea
Regular Flooding
Egyptians relied on the yearly flooding of the Nile—called the inundation– Happens between July and October
– Leaves behind dark fertile mud• Egyptians called the land Kemet: “The Black Land”
Flooding more reliable than that of T and E Rivers The inundation would replenish the soil allowing farmers to
plant crops to feed the people Developed irrigation to create thousands of more miles of
farmland Often called the Breadbasket of the ancient world because of
the surplus of food
How did the Egyptians use the Nile?Planted barley, wheat and flax seedSuccess depending on the use of irrigation
-basins, canals and dikes-Shadouf: bucket attached to a long pole to lift water
from the basins-Developed geometry to survey the land and mark
off fields-Papyrus was harvested to make baskets, sandals,
rafts and eventually paper
Irrigation
Created streams,canals and storage pools
What were hieroglyphics?
Comes from the greek hieros=sacred glyphe=carving More than 100's signs, symbols or pictures to
indicate words or sounds Records were kept by scribes for priests, rulers and
traders Written on stone or papyrus Typically used for religious purposes
Rosetta Stone
-stone discovered by Napoleon’s troops in 1798 AD
-contained 3 languages (greek, hieroglyphics and demotic)
-deciphered by Jean Francois Champollion
The Rise of Government
The rise in farming, crafts and trade resulted in need for government
-as did maintaining of irrigation systems, surplus goods and land disputes
-Egypt was first ruled by village chiefs -The unification of Egypt led to a development of a
monarchy
Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt Menes (Narmer) the
king of Upper Egypt defeated the King of Lower Egypt @ 3,200 B.C.
The crown of the pharaoh shows the unification
Red Crown White Crown
Crown of a united Egypt
Developed first dynasty: family of rulers
Pharaoh
Means “great house”
Egypt would be ruled by 31 dynasties last 2800 years.
Crook and Flail
Crook: emblem of royalty. Tool of a shepherd: Represents pharaoh leading his people
Flail: emblem of royalty. Tool used to keep insects away. Represents pharaoh protecting his people
Pharaoh
Was thought of as a god Believed to have power over the Nile Had total power over the welfare of the
people, conditions of the land and the laws Farmers had to pay taxes to rent the land
3/5 of crops given to pharaoh % of livestock Donation of months of work to pharaoh’s projects
Egypt's Social Classes
Pharaoh
Priest and nobles
Traders, artisans, shopkeepers and scribes
Farmers and herders
Unskilled workers
Social Pyramid explained Slaves
Largest class, worked for pharaoh, priests, merchants and wealthy nobles
Farmers Farmed land that pharaoh provided. Largest section of
Egyptian society Artisans
Middle class, worked in sculpture, copper, bronze, stone, wood, and gold. Also produced linen cloth
Scribes Attended special schools, learned literature and history of
Egypt, math, bookkeeping, mechanics, surveying & law
Family Life
-Father was the head of the household- Egyptian women did have rights
-could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills and obtain divorces
- Few children went to school-girls were taught at home to sew, cook and run
household-boys learned farming or a skilled trade