Egyptians used this for water.
 Irrigation
 Bathing
 Farming (irrigation)
 Cooking
 Cleaning

THE NILE
 4000 miles long

It begins as 2 separate rivers
 1. THE BLUE NILE has its source in the
mountains of Eastern Africa.
 The WHITE NILE starts in the marshes in
central Africa.
 The two meet and form the Nile just south of
Egypt.


Narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile
form wild rapids called cataracts.

Ships can only use the last 650 miles
where it flows through Egypt.

The edge of the nile that opens up into
the Mediterranean Sea. The land is very
fertile. This is a Delta.

Largest desert in the world.

The Egyptians called the deserts that RED
LAND because of their burning heat.

This was a way to keep enemies away
from Egypt's territory.
To the far north the Niles Cataracts
blocked enemies from reaching by boat.
 In the North the Delta marshes offered
no harbors for invaders approaching
from the sea.


The Mediterranean Sea bordered Egypt
to the North.

The Red sea lay beyond the desert to
the East.

These bodies of water gave the
Egyptians a way to trade with people
outside of Egypt.

Was more predictable than those from
the Tigris and the Euphrates.

The spring rains and mountain melting
snow made the Nile overflow. It left a
thick black fertile soil called KEMET. “The
BLACK LAND”
They dug basins to trap the water during
the flood.
 Then they dug trenches from these
basins to irrigate their fields.


They planted barley, wheat, flax seeds.

A bucket attached to a long pole to lift
water from the Nile to the basin.

The used this to measure and survey their
land. To put fields in rows.
A reed plant that grew along the shores
of the Nile.
 First was used for basket weaving,
sandals, and river rafts.


The best know thing it made was paper
for writing.
This is a system of writing using hundreds
of picture symbols.
 Some pictures represented things, others
were for sounds much like our alphabet.


An extra amount of something.

Since they had a surplus of food, some
people became artisans instead of
farmers.

Artisans wove cloth, made pottery,
carved statues, or shaped copper into
weapons or tools.
The surplus of grain had to be stored and
passed out in time of need.
 Irrigation systems had to be built and
maintained.
 Disputes over land ownership had to be
settled.


Were village chiefs.

Over time a few strong chiefs united
villages into small kingdoms.

Is North in the Nile Delta.

UPPER EGYPT is south
Is also known as Menes
 King of upper Egypt led his armies north
and took control of Lower Egypt.


Narmer ruled Memphis a city he built to
border the 2 kingdoms.

To symbolize the kingdoms unity Narmer
wore a double crown.
The WHITE represented Upper Egypt.
 The Red represented Lower Egypt


The passing down of power from father
to son to grandson.
The OLD KINGDOM
 THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
 THE NEW KINGDOM

Top were Kings and his family
 Next were small upper class of priests,
army commanders, and nobles.
 Next: larger base of skilled middle class
people, such as artisans, traders,
shopkeepers.
 The bottom: Unskilled workers and
farmers.


Upper class lived in cities on large
estates, elegant homes made of wood
and mud bricks,

Middle Class people who ran businesses
or produced goods. Lived in smaller
homes dressed simple.


Lower class Lived in one room huts,
worked on the land of the wealthy.