Bellringer
What was the
purpose of
Hammurabi’s
Code? Were his
laws fair and just
or harsh to
maintain order?
This storybook was completed by:
Welcome to Egypt!
Hi! My name is Sphinxy,
your tour guide through
“the gift of the Nile.” I’ll
show you all you need to
know about the ancient
kingdom of Egypt.
But before we talk about
anything else, we have to
talk about the most
important thing in Egypt
(other than me) – the Nile River.
The Nile is the longest river in the world, and perhaps the most
important. Though the Nile cuts through the desert, it begins in the
mountains of Central Africa. The Nile flows throughout the year. In July,
however, when the rainy season begins far south of Egypt, and the
snows of winter melt out of the mountains, a rush of water sends the
Nile into a severe flood upriver. For several months each year, the banks
of the Nile in Egypt become part of the river! Luckily, the flooding is
very predictable and occurs on almost the same day year to year.
Even though these floods can be
very destructive, they are very
good for the people of Egypt.
When the flood waters recede,
the land is left covered with silt
that allows farmers to grow
incredible amounts of food.
Without the floods, the people of
Egypt would starve.
Key question: What advantage
did Egyptians farmer have over
Mesopotamian farmers? (hint:
think about the river)
Egyptian Geography
Egypt is located in the
northeast corner of Africa, next
to Asia. It is bordered by the
Red Sea to the east and the
Mediterranean Sea to the
north. Most of Egypt is part of
the Sahara desert. This vast
desert prevented invasion and
allowed Egypt to develop a
unique culture.
Through the center runs the
Nile River. All the people in
Egypt live by the Nile. The river
also divides Egypt into Upper
and Lower regions. Lower
Egypt is the part of Egypt
within the Nile Delta.
ABC-CLIO
A delta is a fertile, triangularshaped region where a river
empties into the sea.
Upper Egypt is the region from the delta south to the First Cataract (a
barrier in the river that boats cannot cross). Be careful! Upper and
Lower Egypt are named because of the elevation – that’s why the river
flows from Upper Egypt (the south) into Lower Egypt (the north).
Key Questions: Why is the Nile so essential for Egyptians? (hint: what
type of land surrounds the fertile areas?)
What physical advantage did Egypt have over Mesopotamia when it
came to protection from invaders?
Egyptian Trade
People began living near the Nile at least 7000 years ago, forming their
own villages and cultures. The people were separated into two main
groups. The people of Lower Egypt lived in the Nile delta region, the
northern part of the river near the Mediterranean Sea. Here the river
spreads out and creates a triangle-shaped area of land where people
can live and farm.
Most people in Egypt were farmers. Egyptian farmers grew barley,
wheat, vegetables, figs, and melons. The fertile soil provided by the
Nile’s annual floods allowed for a surplus of food (surplus means extra).
Egypt was close to Mesopotamia and a number of important trade
routes, such as the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. They traded with
the Mesopotamians and with nomadic groups in the area.
Egyptians also traded south along the Nile River with the Nubians. The
Nubians provided gold, ivory, granite, and cattle in trades with Egypt.
Trade on the Nile was easy! While the Nile flows north, the winds in
Egypt mainly blow south. This makes the Nile perfect for boats and
trade.
All this trade led to cultural diffusion! For example, the Egyptians
probably did not invent farming on their own, but learned it from the
Mesopotamians.
Menes Unites Egypt
For a long time, Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper regions of the
Nile River. As a result, the two regions originally developed separate
rulers, though they were culturally similar.
Around 3100 BC, one strong ruler was able to unify Upper and Lower
Egypt. His name was Menes (pronounced like “meanies”), and he
created Egypt’s first dynasty.
[Jon Bodsworth/The Egypt Archive]; ABC-CLIO
The pottery pictured above shows an early depiction of Menes. Note the
shape of his crown – that’s important! Menes united Egypt with both
force and diplomacy. To bring the people together, and to symbolize his
new rule, Menes combined the traditional crowns of Upper and Lower
Egypt into a red and white double crown.
Later, the kings of Egypt became known as pharaohs. The pharaohs
were more than just kings, they were like gods! With the same person
controlling Egyptian religion and government, Egypt became a
theocracy. Religion was a very important part of their life.
Key Question: Why were Egyptian pharaohs more powerful than
Mesopotamian kings? (hint: what makes a pharaoh more than a king?)
Add pharaoh and theocracy to your Glossary!
Egyptian Religion
With the pharaohs as god-kings, it is clear that religion was very
important in ancient Egypt. But the Egyptians also had many immortal
gods. In all, there were more than 2,000 gods and goddesses.
The Egyptians believed that their pharaohs were sent by the gods to
help the people of Egypt by making the sun rise and the river flood.
They even believed that the pharaoh continued to rule after he died!
The afterlife was a big part of Egyptian religion. Egyptians believed that
you could take important possessions with you to the afterlife. This
meant more than money and toys, it also meant your body! So, when
an Egyptian died, his friends and family would take care of the body
and bury it with the important things it would need for all eternity.
Mummification
In order to prepare bodies for the afterlife, Egyptians would mummify
the dead.
Pictured above: a scene from the Egyptian
Book of the Dead.
[Jon Bodsworth/The Egypt Archive]; ABC-CLIO
Mummification is a process
of preserving a body using
spices and chemicals,
removing and preserving the
internal organs, and
wrapping the body in linen.
This prevented the body
from rotting, and allowed it
to enjoy the afterlife.
The Pyramids
Egyptians believed that their pharaohs were gods and would continue to
rule from the afterlife (the afterlife is an important part of ancient
Egyptian religious beliefs). As a result, Egyptian pharaohs wanted
elaborate and lavish palaces both in this life and in the next. These
tombs were the famous pyramids.
Egyptian math, science, and
architecture was very advanced
in order to build these gigantic
pyramids. The pyramids are
some of the oldest structures
on the planet still standing –
over 4000 years old!
The Egyptians mined incredible
amounts of stone to build some of
the oldest These gigantic pyramids
were only the “tip of the iceberg” –
most of the structure was deep below
ground, where the pharaoh and his
family would be buried and would
rule in the afterlife.
Key Question: What was the purpose of the pyramids?
(GRAPES hint: the pyramids should be in at least two parts of your
GRAPES chart!)
Egyptian Society
All people in Egypt were subjects of the pharaoh and the government.
The Egyptians liked order and developed a written language, called
hieroglyphics, in order to keep records and perform religious tasks.
These records were important because the government would store
surplus food and distribute it to the people in years of famine. In
exchange, the people paid taxes and also worked on large building
projects (like the pyramids) while their fields were flooded.
Fittingly, Egypt’s society was like a social pyramid.
Pharaoh
Government
officials, army
officers, priests
Merchants, artisans
Peasant farmers and laborers
Women had most of the same rights as men, and all people could move
up the social pyramid. At some times in Egypt’s history, there were large
numbers of slaves, including the Hebrews. Slaves were often captured
in wars and were used for massive building projects.
Egyptian hieroglyphics were complicated, so scribes and government
officials who could write were highly valued. Priests were also important
because of the centrality of religion.
Egyptian Achievements
Ancient Egyptians were very scientific and they developed some
important intellectual and technological breakthroughs.
The Egyptians invented their own written language, a pictographic
language known as hieroglyphics.
More on hieroglyphics
The Egyptian language at
first used pictures to
stand for concepts. Later,
the pictures represented
sounds like our alphabet.
The Egyptian alphabet
was not translated until
the Rosetta Stone was
discovered.
[Corel]; ABC-CLIO
Egyptians also invented a form of paper called papyrus using reeds
that grew by the Nile. In order to make their gigantic building projects
possible, the Egyptians developed numbers, mathematics, and
advanced geometry.
Mathematics was also useful for the extensive records that were kept
about the flooding of the Nile and the position of the sun. Using this
information, the ancient Egyptian solar calendar that was only a few
hours off of our modern year! Not bad for people who didn’t have
computers, calculators, or telescopes.
Along with mummification, Egyptian medical science was advanced,
including techniques for surgery.
Add pyramid, papyrus, and hieroglyphics to your Glossary!
Decline of Egypt
Egyptian history is divided into Kingdoms. Menes founded the first
Egyptian dynasty around 2925 BCE, but he was a king and not a
pharaoh. The first pharaohs ruled around 2575 BCE, which marks the
beginning of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The Old Kingdom was the time
of pyramid construction and lasted about 400 years.
This period was interrupted after a famine weakened the power of the
pharaohs. They resumed control with the Middle Kingdom in about 1938
BCE. Around1640 BCE, the Middle Kingdom was overrun – literally – by
chariot-riding invaders known as the Hyksos. This marked the end of
the River Valley time period in Egypt. However, the pharaohs would rise
again!