Name____________________________________________ Date ________________ World Cultures 7
History: The Short, Short Version
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of ancient Egyptian civilizations dating back to
4000 B.C.E. The earliest recorded history, however, begins about 3400 B.C.E. when
King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and united them to form the Old
Kingdom. Thirty different dynasties, with kings, queens, emperors, empresses, and
pharaohs, ruled Egypt for the next 3000 years.
The Pyramid Age, peaking between 2900 and 2750 B.C.E., yielded the Giza Pyramids
and many others that testify to the pharaoh’s power and the Egyptians’ resourcefulness.
The Middle Kingdom, which existed approximately 2500 B.C.E. until 1580 B.C.E., was
known for the escalation of foreign trade, the mining in the Sinai Peninsula, and the
building of a widespread irrigation system that increased productivity along the Nile
River.
Because the fertile land of the Nile provided food and life in the otherwise barren and
undesirable region, Egypt was repeatedly invaded. Asian invaders were probably first,
in 1650 B.C.E., followed by the Persians in 525 B.C.E. Alexander the Great brought
Greek culture to Egypt in 332 B.C.E. and named the land on which they settled
“Alexandria,” making this city the first capital. The name Egypt, meaning “black land,”
came from the Greeks and referred to the fertile soil of the Nile. When Alexander died
after only nine years of rule, one of his generals, Ptolemy, became a pharaoh and began
the dynasty that would once again assert Egypt as a powerful nation and respected
culture. When Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide in 30
B.C.E., Egypt fell under Roman rule.
A.D.E. 640 is the year that brought the arrival of the Arabs and the Islamic religion, and
the founding of Cairo as the capital of Egypt. Art and architecture flourished until the
Turks succeeded in extending the Ottoman Empire
to Egypt in A.D.E. 1517.
Questions:
1. How old is the oldest evidence of Ancient Egyptian civilization? (Think!) ________
2. When did recorded history begin? __________________________________________
3. How many dynasties ruled Egypt? __________________________________________
4. When was the Pyramid Age? _______________________________________________
5. Name 2 things that happened during the Middle Kingdom. _____________________
______________________________________________________________________
6. Make a timeline of the people who invaded Egypt. You should have six points on
your line! Put the name of the civilization who invaded and the year they invaded.
Beginning
End