Chapter 3: Ancient Egypt
Section 1: The Nile Valley
 Nile River -- Flows north from mountains of central
Africa to Mediterranean Sea. (4,100 miles)
 Before river hits the sea, it forms a delta (fan shaped
area of fertile land).
 Earliest Egyptians lived here
 People were protected from foreign invasions by the
desert, the Meditterranean Sea, and waterfalls (wild
rapids called cataracts).
The Nile Valley
 To the west of the Nile is a vast desert, the
Sahara, the largest desert in the world
 To the east was the Eastern Desert
 Ancient Egyptians called the deserts “The Red
Land” – because of their burning heat
 deserts kept outside armies away from Egypt’s
Territory
The Nile Valley
 Constant flooding of the Nile River was dependable
and gentle >>> Egyptians were able to farm and live
securely
 After the Nile river floor it left behind a dark, fertile mud
called silt (Black Land)
 Fertile soil for farming
 Grew wheat, barley and flax seeds
How did the Egyptians Use the
Nile?
 Used the Nile for irrigation
 Dug basins, or bowl-shaped holes, in the earth to trap
floodwaters
 Used a shadoof, a bucket attached to a long pole, to lift
water from the Nile basins (Still used today)
 Used Papyrus, reed plant that grew along the Nile, to
make baskets, sandals and river rafts
 Papyrus used for papermaking
Egyptian System of Writing
 Hieroglyphics
 Egyptian form of writing
 Was a combination of pictures symbols and sound
symbols that stood for objects and ideas
 Some learned to read and write in Egyptian temples –
became scribes
 Scribes carved Hieroglphyics onto stone walls,
monuments and papyrus
A United Egypt
 Two Kingdoms
 Upper Egypt (southern part of Nile River) and
Lower Egypt (north Nile Delta)
 About 3100 B.C. , King Narmer (Upper Egypt)
– conquered Lower Egypt
 Set up new capital at Memphis between Upper
and Lower Egypt
 Narmer wore a Double Crown symbolized unity
A United Egypt
 King Narmer created 1st dynasty of Ancient Egypt
 Dynasty – a line of rulers from one family (ruling power
is passed from father to son to grandson)
 Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties
 Egypt’s dynasties are broken up into 3 periods:
 Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom
Egypt’s Social Classes
 Upper Class – nobles, priests, wealthy Egyptians
working in government
 Middle Class – people run businesses, produced
goods, artisans, farmers, scribes.
 Farmers make up largest group
 Lower Class – unskilled workers, people who
did physical labor
Family Life of Ancient Egypt
 Father was head of
Family
 Women – own
property, buy and sell
goods, make wills,
obtain divorces, some
perform religious
ceremonies
Section 2 Egypt’s Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom
 Began about 2600 B.C
 Egyptian built cities and expanded trade
 Centers of religion and government
 Kings, priests, government officials, and artisans lived
here.
 Most Egyptians lived in villages along the banks of the
Nile.
Old Kingdoms Rulers
 Pharaohs replaced the name of “King”


Means “great house”
Egyptian God-Kings
 Viewed as ruler, priest, and god.
 Theocracy- type of govt. in which rule is based on religious
authority

Owned all the land in Egypt  gifts of land were given
 Dams and irrigation systems were built and repaired to
ensure quality land.
 Built brick granaries (buildings for storing grain)
The Pharaoh
 Chose all government officials
 Gathered taxes and issued building permits.
 Pharaohs Treated with great respect:
 considered to be the son of Re (the Egyptian Sun God)
 carry out certain rituals to bring good fortune on the city
 unity of kingdom depended on a strong leader
Egypt’s Religion
 Polytheistic  worshiped many deities, or gods and
goddesses
 Controlled the forces of nature and human activities
 Re – sun god, (main Egyptian god)
 Hapi – god who ruled the Nile River
 Isis – goddess, represented the loyal wife and mother
 Osiris – ruled over the dead
Egypt’s Religion
 believed in life after death
 Life after death would be better than life on Earth
 Book of the Dead
 a collection of spells and prayers that Egyptians studied to
obtain life after death
 Osiris would grant them life after death if they knew the
spells, prayers, lived good and passed a test!
Egypt’s Religion
 Egyptians developed a process called
embalming.
 A process people use to preserve
someone’s body after death using
certain chemicals
 Natron
 A special salt used during the
process of embalming to dry
up water in the body
 Wrapped Egyptian body was known
as a mummy, usually put in several
coffins
The Pyramids
 Pyramids tombs built to show respect for
pharaohs.
 Made of stone
 “Houses of Eternity” – protected pharaohs
bodies from floods, wild animals, and robbers.
 Personal belongings were placed in pyramids
with pharaoh
The Pyramids
 Thousands of people and years to build a pyramid.
 Most of the work was done by farmers
 Entrance of Pyramid faced North
 Workers unloaded the blocks and pulled them into place
where pyramids were built.
 Mud and brick ramps were built beside each pyramid, where
workers dragged the blocks up to each layer.
The Great Pyramid
 About 2540 B.C., the Egyptians built the largest and
grandest pyramid known as the Great Pyramid.
 Built for King Khufu (he issued the building of the
Great Pyramid)
 It is one of the three standing in Giza on the west bank
of the Nile
 One of the seven wonders of the ancient world
Egyptian Achievements of Old
Kingdom
 Invented a 365-day calendar with 12 months grouped
into 3 seasons
 Studied astronomy to determine true north
 Advances in Mathematics  Invented a system of
written numbers based on 10
Section 3: The Egyptian Empire–
The Middle Kingdom
 About 2300 B.C. - Period following confusion
and loss of control in Egypt.
 New dynasty of pharaohs  middle kingdom
(2050 B.C to 1670 B.C)
 Capital moved south to a city called Thebes, a
city in Upper Egypt
The Middle Kingdom
 Egyptians capture more land during this time
 Captured Nubia
 Conquered people sent tribute
 The arts, literature and architecture blossom during this
time
 Pharaohs from this time had their tombs cut into cliffs
west of the Nile River known as Valley of the Kings.
Who were the Hyksos?
 A group of people from western Asia bring about the end
of the Middle Kingdom  take over Egypt
 mighty warriors
 used weapons of bronze, iron and fought in horse-drawn
chariots
 Ruled Egypt for about 120 years
The New Kingdom
 Ahmose – an Egyptian prince led an
uprising that drove the Hyksos out of
Egypt
 Begins the period of Ancient Egypt
known as the New Kingdom (1550 B.C
to 1080 B.C.)
 Egypt reaches height of glory during this
period
The New Kingdom
 Hatshepsut – daughter of King Thutmose I and Queen
Aahmes, Husband (Thutmose II) died and she took
power
 One of few women to rule Egypt (1st female pharaoh)
 Interested in trade and building temples, expanding
economy not war!
 Traders sailed along the east coast of Africa
 Traded for ivory, gold, ebony, and incense (material burnt
for its pleasant smell)
 Egyptians also wanted wood  traded w/ Phoenicians
 Her tomb is located in the cliffs of the Valley of Kings
Expanding the Empire
 Thutmose III – won the support of the army and
became pharaoh after Hatshepsut.
 Expanded borders north to Euphrates River and south to
Nubia
 Filled the city of Thebes with beautiful palaces, temples
and monuments
 Prisoners of war rebuilt Thebes
 Slavery becomes widespread in the New Kingdom
 Slaves had some rights  own land, marry and eventually
granted freedom
The Legacies of Two Pharaohs
 Amenhotep IV comes to power in about
1370 B.C.
 Sets up new monotheistic religion
worshipping Aton  removes many
priests from their positions
 Changes name to Akhenaton -- “Spirit of
Aton”
 Most Egyptians did not accept the
religion
 Egypt lost most of its lands during his rule
because of weak leadership as pharaoh
Boy King
 Tutankhamen (King “Tut”)– a boy about 10 years old
and was the son-in-law to Amenhotep  took throne
after Amenhotep
 Restored the old religion with help from priests and
palace officials
 Ruled for 9 years, then died unexpectedly?????
 Nicknamed “King Tut” --- British archaeologist
Howard Carter found his tomb in A.D. 1922.
 Tomb contained king’s mummy, treasures and a brilliant
gold mask of the young pharaoh’s face
Ramses II
 Nicknamed “Ramses the
Great”
 Reigned for 66 years
 Military leader  began
training very young
 Launched building programs,
constructing several major new
temples
Monday, November 9, 2015
Homework
 Study for test
tomorrow on
Chapter 3 notes
 Review notes,
homeworks, key
terms and do
nows
Do Now
End of the New Kingdom
 Many temples built during the New Kingdom
 Karnak at Thebes
 served as houses for gods and goddesses
 Priests and priestesses performed daily temple rituals
 Served as banks
Egypt’s Decline and Fall
 Egypt begins to lose power
 Struggle between priests and pharaohs
 Pharaohs’ attempts to keep countries under their control 
much money and energy spent on war
 By 1150 B.C., Egypt’s empire was gone and only
controlled the Nile delta
 760 B.C. people of Kush seized Egypt and ruled for 70
years
 Taken over by Assyrians in 670 B.C.
Section 4: The Civilization
of Kush
 To the south of Egypt along the Nile River the
civilization known as Kush settled in Nubia (present day
Sudan)
 Cattle herders  Grazed herds on Savannas, or grassy
plains, stretch across Africa south of the Sahara
 Develop villages in this region  skilled at hunting (bow
and arrow)
The Kingdom of Kerma
 Nubian Villages  form together creating the Kingdom
of Kerma
 Traded cattle, gold, ivory and enslaved people
 Kings of Kerma buried in Tombs with treasures
 Egyptians ruled Nubia for about 700 years  people of
Nubia became immersed into Egyptian ways
The Rise of Kush
 850 B.C. Nubian group separated from Egypt and form
independent Kingdom Kush
 Napata – Kushite kings ruled from this city,
 Kushite King Kashta and his son Piye – conquered Egypt
in 728 B.C.
 Piye – founded dynasty that ruled Egypt and Kush from
city of Napata
 Kushites were the first African to devote themselves to
iron – working (learned from Assyrians)