Ancient Egypt
The Nile Valley
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• The Egyptian civilization began in the
fertile Nile River valley, where natural
barriers discouraged invasions.
• The Egyptians depended on the Nile’s
floods to grow their crops.
• Around 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two major
kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower
Egypt, were combined into one.
The Nile Valley
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas (cont.)
• The Egyptian civilization began in the
fertile Nile River valley, where natural
barriers discouraged invasions.
Locating Places
• Egpyt (EE·jihpt)
• Nile River (NYL)
• Sahara (suh·HAR·uh)
The Nile Valley
Settling the Nile
• The earliest Egyptians moved into the
Nile River valley from less fertile areas.
• They farmed and built villages along the
riverbanks.
• The Nile River is the longest river in the
world, about 4,000 miles long.
• Egyptians used the Nile River for many
things.
(pages 39–40)
The Nile Valley
Settling the Nile (cont.)
• They used river water to drink, clean,
farm, and cook.
• They ate fish from the river.
• The Nile valley is a narrow, green
valley in Egypt.
• The northern end of the valley
is a fertile area of land called a delta.
(pages 39–40)
The Nile Valley
Settling the Nile (cont.)
• The Sahara, the largest desert in the
world, lies west of the Nile Valley.
• The Eastern Desert lies to the east of
the valley.
• Egypt has several natural borders to
protect it.
• The deserts, the dangerous rapids of
the Nile, and marshes in the delta kept
enemies from entering Egypt.
(pages 39–40)
The Nile Valley
Settling the Nile (cont.)
• The Mediterranean Sea to the north and
the Red Sea to the east allowed trade
with other peoples.
• Within
Egypt,
people
traveled
on the Nile
to trade
with each
other.
(pages 39–40)
The Nile Valley
The River People
• Floods along the Nile were predictable
and were not devastating.
• Each spring the Nile would flood and
leave a dark, fertile mud along its
banks.
• Farmers learned about the waters of
the Nile.
• They used the soil left behind by the
floods to grow wheat, barley, and flax
seeds.
(pages 41–42)
The Nile Valley
The River People (cont.)
• Farmers learned about irrigation.
• They dug basins to trap floodwaters,
dug canals to channel water to the
fields, and built dikes to strengthen the
basin walls.
• Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along
the Nile, was used to make baskets,
sandals, and river rafts.
• Later, it was used to make paper.
(pages 41–42)
The Nile Valley
The River People (cont.)
• The Egyptian system of writing was
called hieroglyphics.
• This system consisted of thousands of
picture symbols.
• Some Egyptian men learned to read
and write.
• They attended schools to learn to be
scribes.
(pages 41–42)
The Nile Valley
A United Egypt
• Because the people in Egypt had
surplus food, some people became
artisans instead of farmers.
• Artisans wove cloth, made pottery,
carved statues, and crafted weapons
and tools.
• Egyptians traded with each other and
with others in Mesopotamia.
• A few strong chiefs united groups of
villages into kingdoms.
(pages 43–44)
The Nile Valley
A United Egypt (cont.)
• Eventually, the strongest kingdoms
overpowered the weaker ones.
• In this way, two large kingdoms
emerged—Lower Egypt and Upper
Egypt.
• Narmer united the two kingdoms.
• He ruled from the city of Memphis, and
his kingdom lasted long after his death.
(pages 43–44)
The Nile Valley
Early Egyptian Life
• Ancient Egypt had social classes.
• The pharaoh was the highest power.
• The upper class consisted of nobles,
priests, and government officials.
• The middle class included merchants,
artisans, shopkeepers, and scribes.
• Farmers were the largest group of
people and were in a lower class than
the middle class.
(pages 45–46)
The Nile Valley
Early Egyptian Life (cont.)
• Unskilled
workers were
the lowest
class of people
in ancient
Egypt.
(pages 45–46)
The Nile Valley
Early Egyptian Life (cont.)
• Although men were the heads of
households, women had more rights in
Egypt than in other ancient civilizations.
• They could own and pass on property,
buy and sell goods, make wills, and
obtain divorces.
(pages 45–46)
The Nile Valley
Early Egyptian Life (cont.)
• Few children went to school in ancient
Egypt.
• Children had time to play games and had
toys.
• Egyptian girls learned to sew, cook, and
run a household.
• Boys learned farming or a skilled trade.
(pages 45–46)
The Nile Valley
Geography Skills How did the
geography of the Nile River valley
lead to the growth of a civilization
there?
The Nile River valley had natural
barriers for protection, enriched soil
for farming, and the river and seas
for trade.
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Egypt was ruled by all-powerful
pharaohs.
• The Egyptians believed in many gods
and goddesses and in life after death for
the pharaohs.
• The Egyptians of the Old Kingdom built
huge stone pyramids as tombs for their
pharaohs.
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom Rulers
• The Old Kingdom lasted from about
2600 B.C. until about 2300 B.C.
• Pharaohs were all-powerful Egyptian
kings who guided every activity in Egypt.
• Pharaohs appointed officials to carry out
their commands.
• Egyptian people served pharaohs
because they believed the kingdom
depended on one strong leader.
(page 48)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom Rulers (cont.)
• They also believed the pharaohs were
the sons of Re, the sun god.
• The thought pharaohs were gods on
earth.
(page 48)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Egypt’s Religion
• Egyptians believed in many gods and
goddesses, or deities.
• These deities controlled every human
activity and all natural forces.
• The major god was Re, the sun god.
• Another major god was Hapi, who ruled
the Nile River.
• Isis was the most important goddess.
(pages 49–50)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Egypt’s Religion (cont.)
• Egyptians believed in life after death.
• The Book of the Dead contained a
collections of spells that Egyptians
believed they needed to enter the
afterlife.
• Egyptians believed only pharaohs and
a few elite people could have life after
death.
(pages 49–50)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Egypt’s Religion (cont.)
• To protect the pharaoh’s body after
death, Egyptians developed an
embalming
process.
• During the process,
the body’s organs
were removed.
• The body was
treated with spices
and oils and then
wrapped with strips of linen.
(pages 49–50)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Egypt’s Religion (cont.)
• The wrapped body was called a mummy.
• Egyptian doctors used herbs and drugs
to treat illnesses.
• They also set broken bones and
stitched cuts.
• Egyptian doctors were the first doctors
to specialize in different areas of
medicine, and they wrote the world’s
first medical book.
(pages 49–50)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Pyramids
• Egyptians built pyramids to protect the
bodies of dead pharaohs.
• The pyramids also contained items
the pharaohs might need in the
afterlife.
• A pyramid took thousands of
people and years of labor to build.
(pages 50–52)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Pyramids (cont.)
• Egyptians used astronomy and
mathematics to create the pyramids.
• To build a pyramid, Egyptians first
selected a site.
• Then, they searched for stone.
• The artisans cut the stone into blocks,
and other workers tied the stone to
sleds and pulled them to the Nile.
(pages 50–52)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Pyramids (cont.)
(pages 50–52)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Pyramids (cont.)
• The Great Pyramid is the largest
pyramid in Egypt.
• It was built for King
Khufu and is
located near the
city of Cairo.
(pages 50–52)
Egypt’s Old Kingdom
What did Egyptians learn from
embalming bodies?
They learned the use of herbs and
drugs to treat illnesses, and how to
sew up cuts and set broken bones.
The Egyptian Empire
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• The Middle Kingdom was a golden age of
peace, prosperity, and advances in the
arts and architecture.
• During the New Kingdom, Egypt
acquired new territory and reached the
height of its power.
The Egyptian Empire
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas (cont.)
• Akhenaton tried to change Egypt’s
religion, while Tutankhamen is famous
for the treasures found in his tomb.
• Under Ramses II, Egypt regained
territory and built great temples, but the
empire fell by 1150 B.C.
The Egyptian Empire
The Middle Kingdom
• Pharaohs lost control of Egypt in about
2300 B.C.
• At that time, a new dynasty of pharaohs
created a capital at Thebes.
• This began the Middle Kingdom, a time of
stability, prosperity, and achievement.
• Egypt took control of other lands and
forced conquered people to send
tribute, or forced payments.
(pages 60–61)
The Egyptian Empire
The Middle Kingdom (cont.)
• In this way, Egypt increased its riches.
• During the Middle Kingdom, the arts,
literature, and architecture blossomed.
• The Middle Kingdom ended when the
Hyksos attacked and conquered Egypt.
• The Hyksos ruled until around 1500 B.C.,
when the Egyptian prince Ahmose led a
revolt to drive the Hyksos out of Egypt.
(pages 60–61)
The Egyptian Empire
The Middle Kingdom (cont.)
•
This artwork with gold inlay from the Middle
Kingdom period shows a funeral boat.
(pages 60–61)
The Egyptian Empire
The New Kingdom
• During the New Kingdom period, Egypt
grew richer and more powerful.
• Hatshepsut was one of the few women
to rule Egypt.
• Trade grew during Hatsheput’s reign.
• Traders exchanged beads, tools, and
weapons for ivory, wood, leopard skins,
and incense.
• Trade made Egypt wealthier.
(pages 61–62)
The Egyptian Empire
The New Kingdom (cont.)
• Thutmose III became pharaoh after
Hatshepsut’s death.
• Thutmose conquered more lands, and
Egypt grew richer from tributes.
• Slavery became common in Thutmose’s
reign.
• Slaves had some rights.
• They could own land, marry, and
eventually obtain freedom.
(pages 61–62)
The Egyptian Empire
How was Hatshepsut unlike other
pharaohs?
She focused on trade instead of
military conquests.
The Egyptian Empire
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
• Amenhotep IV came to power in 1370
B.C.
• Amenhotep felt priests were gaining too
much power.
• He introduced a new religion with only
one god.
• Priests who did not follow the new
religion were removed from power.
(pages 64–65)
The Egyptian Empire
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs (cont.)
• Most Egyptians refused to accept the
new religion.
• Amenhotep became so devoted to his
new religion that he neglected his other
duties.
• He did not act when the Hittites attacked
Egypt.
• As a result, Egypt’s empire greatly
diminished.
(pages 64–65)
The Egyptian Empire
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs (cont.)
• Tutankhamen, now called King Tut, was
a boy ruler who took power after
Akhenaton died.
• He ruled for only nine years
before his death.
• In A.D. 1922, a British
archaeologist found
King Tut’s grave.
(pages 64–65)
The Egyptian Empire
The End of the New Kingdom
• Ramses II was one of the most effective
pharaohs of the New Kingdom.
• During Ramses’s rule, many temples
were built throughout Egypt.
• Temples were used for services.
• Most Egyptians prayed at home because
they believed the temples were houses
for the gods and goddesses.
(pages 65–67)
The Egyptian Empire
The End of the New Kingdom (cont.)
• After Ramses’s rule, Egyptian rule
began to decline.
• Egypt was attacked by neighboring
groups and eventually controlled only the
Nile delta.
• Beginning in the 900s B.C., Egypt was
ruled by the Libyans, then the people of
Kush, and finally the Assyrians.
(pages 65–67)
The Egyptian Empire
Analyze How did Akhenaton upset
the traditional order?
He stopped worship of old gods in
favor of one god.
The Civilization of Kush
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• To the south of Egypt, the Nubians
settled in farming villages and became
strong warriors.
• The people of Kush devoted themselves
to ironworking and grew wealthy from
trade.
The Civilization of Kush
Nubia
• The region of Nubia, later known as
Kush, was located south of Egypt on the
Nile River.
• The first people to arrive in Nubia were
cattle herders, who grazed their herds
on the savanna.
• A savanna is a grassy plain.
• Later, farmers settled in villages in Nubia.
(pages 69–70)
The Civilization of Kush
Nubia (cont.)
• More powerful Nubian villages took
control of weaker ones, and the kingdom
of Kerma was created.
• People of Kerma traded with the
Egyptians, and Kerma became wealthy.
• The kings of Kerma were buried in
tombs like the Egyptian pharaohs.
(pages 69–70)
The Civilization of Kush
The Rise of Kush
• Nubians broke away from Egypt and
formed their own kingdom called Kush.
• The Kushite kings ruled from the city of
Napata, which was located along the
upper Nile.
• This location helped the Kush people
become important traders, and Kush
grew wealthy.
(pages 70–72)
Ancient Egypt
Section 1: The Nile Valley
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• By 5000 B.C., Egyptian civilization arose
in the fertile Nile River valley, where
natural barriers discouraged invasions.
• The Egyptians depended on the Nile’s
floods to grow their crops.
• Around 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two major
kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt,
were combined into one.
• Egyptian society was divided into social
groups based on wealth and power.
Ancient Egypt
Section 2: Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Egypt was ruled by all-powerful
pharaohs.
• The Egyptians believed in many gods
and goddesses and in life after death for
the pharaohs.
• The Egyptians of the Old Kingdom built
huge stone pyramids as tombs for their
pharaohs.
Ancient Egypt
Section 3: The Egyptian Empire
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• The Middle Kingdom was a golden age of
peace, prosperity, and advances in the
arts and architecture.
• During the New Kingdom, Egypt
acquired new territory and reached the
height of its power.
Ancient Egypt
Section 3: The Egyptian Empire
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Akhenaton tried to change Egypt’s
religion, while Tutankhamen is famous
for the treasures found in his tomb.
• Under Ramses II, Egypt regained
territory and built great temples, but the
empire fell by 1150 B.C.
Ancient Egypt
Section 4: The Civilization of Kush
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• To the south of Egypt, the Nubians
settled in farming villages and became
strong warriors.
• The people of Kush devoted themselves
to ironworking and grew wealthy from
trade.
Ancient Egypt
Review Vocabulary
Define Match the vocabulary word that completes each
sentence.
D 1. area of fertile soil at the
__
end of a river
__
G 2. reed plant used to make
baskets, rafts, and
paper
__
A 3. grassy plain
__
C 4. rapids
__
E 5. Egyptian writing system
__
B 6. forced payments
__
F 7. title for Egyptian leaders
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
savanna
tribute
cataract
delta
hieroglyphics
pharaoh
papyrus
Ancient Egypt
Review Main Ideas
Section 1 The Nile Valley
What natural barriers protected
Egypt from invasion?
deserts, cataracts in the Nile, and
delta marshes
Ancient Egypt
Review Main Ideas
Section 3 The Egyptian Empire
Why was the Middle Kingdom
called a golden age?
It was a time of prosperity, the
empire was strong, and advances
were made in the arts and
architecture.
Ancient Egypt
Review Main Ideas
Section 3 The Egyptian Empire
Why are Akhenaton and
Tutankhamen well-known?
Akhenaton tried to change Egypt’s
religion. Tutankhamen’s tomb was
found with many treasures.
Ancient Egypt
Analyze Do you agree that
Egyptian civilization can be called
“the Gift of the Nile”? Explain.
Answers will vary, but you should
note how much Egyptians relied on
the Nile.
Click the map to
view an interactive
version.
Click the map to
view an interactive
version.