Notes on the Nile River Valley Civilization…
The ancient Egyptians settled along the Nile River and
started a civilization around 2700 BCE. All of Egypt was united under one
strong Monarchy led by Pharaohs. The Pharaohs introduced complex
systems of taxation to help the poor.
The Egyptians depended on the seasonal floods of the Nile so that
they could grow wheat, vegetables, and flax, used for making clothing. The
dependable Nile, and strong government made Egypt the most stable
of the river valley civilizations.
The Egyptians had a polytheistic religion which saw natural
things such as the sun, moon, and stars as part of their religion . Their
pharaohs were seen as a reincarnation of gods on earth.
The Egyptians made many contributions to civilization. They
advanced mathematics and created a number system based on 10,
like our decimal system. They were the first to create a
calendar that had 365 days in a year. They greatly advanced
medicine, they had prescriptions, they could set bones, and even
performed surgery. Also, they had great knowledge of the stars,
they followed and named the same constellations we look at today. They
created the earliest form of paper called papyrus, and had a
writing system based on symbols called hieroglyphics.
But, by far the greatest achievements and contributions of the ancient
Egyptians were the great pyramids and architectural marvels
that still stand today, thousands of years after they were built. The
pyramids generally took 20,000 workers a day for 20 years to build. These
pyramids show how strong and stable the Pharaoh government was.
1.) Give 2 similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia.
2.) Give 2 differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia.