Ancient Egypt
The Nile River
 “Egypt
is the gift of the Nile”
-Herodotus, 400 BC
Location
 Egypt
is located on the
banks of the Nile River in
NE Africa
 Nile runs from SOUTH
(East Africa) to NORTH
(Egypt)
 Water flows downhill!
(mountains to plains).
See History of Our World
elevation map, p. 67
Location
 The
Nile is the world’s
longest river, running
through many
regions.
 Regions along the
river & in Egypt’s
delta are fertile
 DELTA – a plain at
the mouth of a river.
Location
 Most
of the regions are desert.
 “Red Land” – blistering-hot land
 Deserts protect area from invasion.
Successful Farming
 How
could the Egyptians
farm when so much of
their country was
desert?
 Floods from mountains
drop SILT (fine soil) on
land making it good for
crops
 “Black land” – dark,
fertile soils
Government
 Pharaoh
is the title used by the
kings of Egypt.
Government
A dynasty is a
series of rulers
from the same
family or ethnic
group.
 Absolute power:
complete control
over the people
one rules.
Pharaohs made all
the laws!

Government
 Regent:
someone who rules for a
child until they are old enough to
rule
Pharaohs
 Mendes:
king who united Upper &
Lower Egypt
Hatshepsut
 Started
as a regent for her stepson,
Thutmose III, but appointed herself
Pharaoh.
 One of the few female leaders of the
ancient world.
 There was peace & economic success
during her rule.
 Encouraged trade with faraway
lands.
Thutmose III
Took over after death of
Hatshepsut. (He may
have played a role in her
death).
 He destroyed all her
statues.
 Thutmose III conquered
new lands, was
educated, and was
merciful to those he
defeated.

Cleopatra
 NOT
AN
ANCIENT
PHARAOH!
 In 51 BC, Queen
Cleopatra was
the last to rule
before Rome
conquered
Egypt.
Religion
 Polytheism:
believed in
many gods
Click on pic
Religion
 Afterlife:
the
belief that life
continues after
the body is
dead
– Food, clothing
and other
possessions
were left with
the bodies for
the afterlife
Click on pic
Religion
 Pyramid:
a 4-sided
triangular building
which served as a
giant tomb for the
fallen pharaohs
 Mummy: preserved
body of a dead
person
Click on pic→
Click on pic↓
Culture
Social Classes: groups of people
who have similar backgrounds or
jobs
Culture
Ranking in order of importance:
Click on pic
↓
Slaves
Role of Women
 Had
most of the rights that men did
 Could own property/run a business
 Could even be a ruler (Hatshepsut)
Writing System
 Hieroglyphs:
picture-like
symbols used to
express ideas &
concepts
– Also used as a
record keeping
tool
Click on pic
Writing System
Papyrus: an early
form of paper in
Egypt
 Strips of the reed
were crossed to
form a sheet which
was laid out to dry
 Ink was used from
berries & plants to
write with

Scientific Contributions
 Calendars:
they also
used the
stars to
predict when
the floods
were coming
Scientific Contributions
 Mathematics:
very good at
manipulating numbers
Scientific Contributions
Medicine: because
of mummification,
they were very
knowledgeable
about the human
body & were able to
perform surgeries.
 Also good with
home remedies.
