Chapter 4  Egyptian Civilization
Lesson 1  The Nile River Valley
I. The Land of the Nile
A. The world’s longest river
1. flows north from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea
2. 4160 miles long
B. Lower Egypt
1. Lies at the mouth of the Nile River at the Mediterranean Sea
a. mainly considered the Nile Delta
C. Upper Egypt
1. Higher land to the south of Cairo
D. Nile Valley
1. follows the river for 600 miles
2. narrow and fertile land
E. Deserts and Cataracts
1. Nile runs between desert cliffs in a series of 6 cataracts (waterfalls)
2. Sahara Desert
a. arid or dry land
b. land near the Nile was fertile enough to grow crops
i. wheat
ii. barley
3. Heavy rainfall caused floods
a. rivers overflowed their banks
b. deposited silt making the soil fertile for farming
i. “The Gift of the Nile”
II. Controlling the Nile
A. Droughts led to starvation
1. When there was not enough rainfall to overflow the banks, the land would dry up
B. Floods led to drowning
1. people
2. crops
C. Irrigation to advance farming
1. Egyptians built ditches to bring water to their fields
2. built dams and dikes to control flooding
3. stored water in ponds or pools
D. Government Control and Authority
1. Government officials supervised all aspects of irrigation and farming
2. Egyptian leaders authority was based on their ability to provide water for crops
3. Large harvest surpluses were stored
a. used in times of droughts
b. used to feed laborers on public works projects
III. A Source of Religion
A. To find order in the world around them, Egyptians created stories to explain natural events
1. Gods or Goddesses controlled a specific part of nature
a. Egyptians developed beliefs in many Gods
b. Like the Sumerians, Egyptians formed a polytheistic religion
B. Ra, the sun God
1. Egyptians believed the sun was a god who was born each day and died each night
a. this led to the Egyptians belief in the after life
C. Hapi, God of the Flood
1. Egyptians held ceremonies hoping he would reward them with good harvests
D. Horus, The Sky God
E. Osiris, The God of the Next World
F. City Gods
1. As a city grew more important, so did its god
IV. Toward Civilization
A. By 3100 BC, Egyptians were developing advanced civilizations
1. Temples to worship their Gods
2. Stone tombs to hold the bodies of rulers who had died
a. Wrote on the temples and tombs
3. Made pottery and painted scenes of daily life on it
4. Mined copper for tool making and gold for decorative art
B. Farming made advances elsewhere possible
1. Surpluses were carried by donkeys into towns to trade
C. Trade
1. Sinai Peninsula was crossroads for traders from Egypt and southwestern Asia
2. The Nile River served as a highway connecting Egyptian settlements
a. built ships to navigate the river
i. made of wood (from Lebanon)
ii. Sails helped to travel against the rivers current
iii. All of the Nile (except the cataracts of Nubia) could be traveled and
traded on
D. Trade Leads to Cities
1. Trade centers emerged as separate cultures and powers
a. By 3100 BC, Egypt had two kingdoms:
i. Lower Egypt
ii. Upper Egypt