Chapter 5 Lesson 1 Notes: The Gift of the Nile Geography of Ancient Egypt The Longest River The River is 4,160 miles long - is the world s longest river - begins near equator in Africa - flows north to Mediterranean Sea South has which are waterfalls A is an area near river s mouth - Water leaves which is fine soil Heavy rains flooded Nile every summer - Soil left on shores was and was good for growing crops Red Land, Black Land Ancient lived in narrow land on sides of Nile - called this region the land because of fertile soil - land was desert beyond fertile region months of year were sunny, hot - four months of winter were sunny, cooler inch of rain a year in most of region Isolation Desert acted as barrier to Sea coast was with no good harbors Early Egyptians stayed close to home Page 1
Land of Plenty Agricultural Techniques Egyptians watched for to determine flood, planting seasons By about B.C., farmers used technology to expand farmland - dug canals to carry water to dry areas - Used - bucket on a lever - to spread water across fields Egyptian Crops Grew vegetables, fruits; were the first to grind wheat into - mixed flour with yeast and water to make Wove flax plant fibers into linen which is a lightweight cloth - wore clothing made from linen Egyptian Houses Houses were built with bricks of mixed and straw - Narrow windows, white walls reduced sunlight, heat - Sticks, palm trees woven into roof; reed mats covered floor had fancy homes, courtyards, pools Poor people cooled off on roof; cooked, ate, slept outside Geography Shapes Egyptian Life Mining was used for tools, weapons as early as 6000 B.C. - Egyptians later sought iron, which was stronger than copper Africa s richest gold mines were located in the Nile in an area called Nubia Mining minerals was difficult in the hot Peninsula east of Egypt - Chipped rock to get at hidden mountain veins Page 2
Mined precious stones such as, lapis lazuli Fishing and Hunting Reed rafts were used for river travel; caught with nets and harpoons Some hunters speared hippopotamuses and Hunted quail and duck with nets and Transportation and Trade Later used sails to let wind carry boats south on Nile - When following current north, used oars, paddles for speed Began to or trade goods with no exchange of money Page 3
Chapter 5 Lesson 2 Notes: Life in Ancient Egypt Work and Family Life Specialized Jobs Food let people do jobs other than farm wrote and kept records Some artisans built stone and brick houses and - Others made pottery, furniture, clothing, jewelry Some Egyptians with other Africans on upper Nile - scrolls, linen, gold, jewelry traded for woods, skins, animals Rulers and Priests Government divided empire into 42 provinces, created army was one of highest jobs performed rituals, cared for temples Together priests and the ruler held ceremonies to please the - believed if gods happy, Nile would, crops would grow Slaves Slaves were at of society but generally treated well - except slaves working in mines, who often from labor People enslaved if had, committed crime, were captured in war - usually after time Life for Women Women had almost rights, could own property Most cared for children, home; others wove cloth, worked in fields - some rose to positions Childhood Children had, board games, marbles; played ball games Children of wealthy went to ; most learned parents jobs - almost all married in their early Page 4
Considered a by the people Cared for the and held ceremonies to keep the gods happy Trained in the art of and record keeping The bottom two tiers made up the largest segment of the population. Page 5
Expanding Knowledge Astronomy Priests studied world to find ways to please gods - Some advances came from practical discoveries Priests studied for religious reasons Used -day cycle of star to create first practical - Star used now called Sirius Geometry Surveyors used knotted to mark boundaries washed out by floods Geometric shapes were sacred, used in design of, monuments Medicine Doctors prepared bodies for, knew body parts - performed some of first - Some specialized in herbal medicines Believed that controlled thought, circulated blood Hieroglyphs Hieroglyphs that stand for different words, sounds In use from 3000 B.C., writing system started with 700 characters - grew to include over 6,000 symbols paper-like material from papyrus reed - pressed, rolled into scrolls; light, easy to carry - used to create some of the first Beliefs and Religion Life After Death Egyptians along the Nile had view of life - Nile s land provided for most of their needs Egyptians believed gods favored them, believed in happy afterlife - Afterlife life believed to follow Other cultures, such as, thought afterlife was miserable Page 6
Many Gods belief in many gods Egyptian gods included those of afterlife, nature - was sun god, later called Amon-Re - was a god who judged Egyptians after death - was a fertility goddess, Osiris wife - was a god of the dead Making Mummies Dead bodies so people would have their bodies in afterlife - embalm to preserve a body after death Removed all organs but, filled body with salt, herbs - created mummy a body dried so it won t Dried body wrapped in strips; process took about 70 days Put in coffin in tomb with every day for use in afterlife (You will insert a page here later on about Egyptian Afterlife) Page 7
Famous Places in Egypt (Part 2 of Lesson 2 Notes) 1. Step Pyramid of Djoser (Zoser) Page 8
2. The Pyramids of Giza Page 9
3. The Great Sphinx of Giza Page 10
4. The Temple of Hatshepsut Page 11
5. Temple of Ramses II Page 12
6. Tomb of King Tutankhamen Page 13
Chapter 5 Lesson 3 Notes - The Pyramid Builders The Old Kingdom The First Dynasty Legend says a king, Narmer, united and Egypt - Some historians believe several rulers united Egypt Ruler of united Egypt wore the crown First dynasty line of rulers from same family about 2925 B.C. When a king died, he was usually replaced by one of his - order in which royal family members inherit a throne Historians divided dynasties into Old,, and New kingdoms - Old Kingdom began around 2575 B.C. as empire gained strength Pharaohs Rule King of Egypt became known as pharaoh, which means - The pharaoh ruled from capital city of Egyptians believed pharaoh was a god, blamed him for hard times - in such times, a rival might replace pharaoh, start new dynasty Since pharaoh seen as god, government and religion not separate - priests had much power, were often high officials in Page 14
Khufu s Great Pyramid Early Pyramids First rulers were buried in tombs, topped with bricks Later the tombs were replaced bricks with small - pyramid is a triangle-shaped structure with four sides that meet at a point King built larger pyramid over his tomb around 2630 B.C. - it was called a pyramid because the sides rise in series of big steps - it is the oldest-known large stone structure in world The Great Pyramid 80 years later, pharaoh wanted to show world his greatness - he ordered construction of largest pyramid ever, with 760-foot sides - 2.3 million stone blocks cut, pulled up, dragged into place Farmers worked during Nile s flood season, others worked all year Took an estimated people almost 20 years to build - city of was built for the workers who were building the Great Pyramid Grave Robbers Egyptians later stopped building pyramids, in part due to robbery - grave robbers often stole the tombs treasures, even the Egyptians believed robbery kept the buried from a afterlife Pharaohs built secret tombs in the Page 15
- built during Kingdom to protect treasures, bodies - burial chambers were hidden in mountains near Nile Inside the Tombs Several passageways led to different rooms to confuse robbers - and other relatives were sometimes buried in other rooms of the pyramids Tomb was palace of pharaoh s. It was filled with food and furniture and other things they would need during their afterlife Wall paintings and glorified the dead person, the gods - the paintings showed head, arms, legs from side, and body from front - showed pharaohs enjoying themselves and sometimes fighting battles Middle Kingdom Invasions By B.C., kings began to lose power to local province rulers - weak central government held Egypt together for 500 more years - this period known as the Kingdom Nomadic Hyksos invaded from northeast with and better weapons - after 100 years, Egyptians drove out, began New Kingdom Page 16
Chapter 5 Lesson 4 - The New Kingdom A Woman Pharaoh Taking Power Powerful New Kingdom rulers set up the new capital at Queen was the first woman pharaoh. She was the wife of pharaoh who died and she ruled with her stepson ; -She became the sole ruler in B.C. Trade Grows Hatshepsut expanded Egypt through as well as war Brought Egypt riches with trade expeditions. Her biggest expedition crossed the desert to the where large ships sailed south to an African land called. Hatshepsut s Monuments She built which were four-sided shafts with pyramid-shaped tops -All of them were carved from red granite; hieroglyphs describe her deeds on them Mysterious End Hatshepsut ruled for 15 years, then mysteriously - may have died peacefully or been killed by Thutmose became pharaoh, tried to destroy all records of Hatshepsut - Archaeologists restored her damaged temple and tomb Page 17
A Reforming Pharaoh A New Belief became pharaoh in 1353 B.C. Raised sun god to highest status, closed other gods temples - For first time in Egypt s history, Egyptians worshiped god Priests serving other gods lost power, became - To avoid conflict, Akhenaton moved capital 200 miles away to a city called Realistic Art Under Akhenaton, art showed realistic pharaohs, not perfect Reform Ends Akhenaton s new religion didn t last long after his death Three years later, young became pharaoh in 1333 B.C. - The young king had to help him rule Egypt who convinced him to reject new religion and worship the old gods A Powerful Pharaoh ruled in 1279 B.C., 44 years after Tutankhamen died Also called Empire Builder Wanted to make Egypt powerful through war - extended territory south into and to eastern Mediterranean Page 18
Military Leader Ramses led army against old Egyptian enemies, the - Nobody won battle, but Ramses claimed victory - negotiated first-known peace treaty with Hittites Ramses Reign Built city called with four 66-foot statues of himself - wanted to appear godlike Reigned until age, 1213 B.C. - 66-year reign was among history s longest, stabilized government Reign was time of no enemies after Hittite treaty Nile flooding was predictable during reign, crops were plentiful Egypt s Decline Following Ramses death, the central government weakened After about 1070 B.C., a series of foreign powers ruled Egypt of Macedonia conquered Egypt - ruled after Alexander s death - Last Macedonian ruler was queen Eventually Roman Empire conquered Egypt Page 19