Chapter 7
Geography and the Early Settlement of Egypt, Kush, and Canaan
Egyptian Trade
As you learned in Chapter 7, Egypt was separated from other civilizations by
deserts to the east, south, and west, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the
north. These barriers sometimes kept Egypt apart from the rest of the ancient
world. At other times, there was contact between Egypt and its neighbors.
What would make people attempt to cross the barriers that surrounded
Egypt? It was trade, or the exchange of goods, that made people want to travel
between Egypt and other lands. As a result of this travel and exchange, Egypt
made contact with civilizations in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
There were two main routes of travel from ancient Egypt to other regions.
One was north, across the Mediterranean Sea, to southeastern Europe and
western Asia. The Mediterranean sometimes acted as a barrier, but it also
encouraged travel for people who could build and sail ships. The other route
of travel was south, up the Nile River into Nubia (modern-day Sudan). The
Nile was not navigable (able to be traveled) in Nubia, but Nubians had routes
over land that allowed them to trade. Another route to the south was to sail on
the Red Sea along the eastern edge of Africa. This route could be reached by
crossing the desert east of the Nile.
Even with routes up the Nile River and across the Mediterranean and Red
Seas, travel was not easy. Thieves, hostile strangers, rough waters, and other
dangers awaited those who made such journeys. One voyager, a priest named
Wenamon, described the challenges he encountered on a trading trip he made
across the Mediterranean. Wenamon tells of being robbed of all of the gold he
had for trading, pursued by raiders, and blown off course to the island of
Cyprus where the local people tried to kill him. His trip was so difficult that at
one point he “sat down and wept.”
What were the goods that inspired people to run such risks? Egyptians traded
for wood and other forest products from Lebanon that Egypt did not have.
Copper and bronze came from Cyprus, and pottery came from Minoa. Cyprus
and Minoa are islands in the eastern Mediterranean. Copper also came from
Sinai, across the Red Sea from Egypt. Turquoise came from Sinai too. From the
south, Egypt traded for incense, timber, and live trees from Punt (modern
Somalia). Gold, copper, ivory, precious stones, leopard skins, ostrich feathers,
and slaves came from Nubia. Many of Nubia’s trade goods came from areas
farther south. This gave Egypt access to products from much of Africa. In
return, Egypt traded gold, silver, animal hides, linen cloth, and papyrus, which
was used to make paper. Egypt stood at the center of much of the ancient
world, in between civilizations in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Although Egypt was
separated from these civilizations by seas and desert, the trading of goods
opened up and encouraged contact among them all.
Assignment:
You have read two texts and watched a video describing the topography
of Ancient Egypt. All 3 include information about the dangers of
traveling in Egypt.
 “Chapter 7 – Geography and Early Settlement of Egypt, Kush, and
Canaan”
 “Egyptian Trade” Article
 “Five Facts about Ancient Egypt – Geography for Kids”
Take on the role of a trader in Ancient Egypt. Make an entry in your
travel journal that tells what you have experienced in your travels and
the dangers you may have encountered that day.
Scoring Rubric - PARCC rubric we have been using in Class