Chapter 4 Ancient Egypt and Kush Section 1: Geography & Ancient Egypt
The gift of the nile Geography played a key role in the development of the Egyptian civilization. The Nile River brought life to Egypt. A Greek historian called Egypt the gift of the Nile.
Location & physical features The Nile is the longest river in the world. It is 4,000 miles long. Begins in central Africa & runs north to the Mediterranean Egyptian civilization stretched 750 miles along the Nile.
Location & physical features Ancient Egypt includes two regions: Upper Egypt Southern region Located upriver in relation to the Nile s flow Nile created a fertile valley in the desert of Upper Egypt The fertile valley is 13 miles wide Lower Egypt Northern region Located down river
Location & physical features The Nile goes through rocky, hilly land south of Egypt. This terrain caused cataracts to form. The first cataract marks the southern border of Upper Egypt. The cataracts made sailing the Nile very difficult.
Location & physical features In Lower Egypt, the Nile divided into several branches that fanned out forming a delta.
The floods of the nile Egypt was/is mostly desert. Each year, the Nile would flood Upper Egypt in midsummer and Lower Egypt in the fall. The floods coated the land around the rivers with a rich silt.
The floods of the nile The silt from the Nile made the soil ideal for farming. The silt also made the land a dark color causing the Egyptians to call their land the black land. They called the dry, lifeless desert beyond the river valley the red land.
The floods of the nile Every year, the Egyptians eagerly awaited the flooding of the Nile. Without the floods, people never could have settled in Egypt.
Civilization along the nile Hunter-gatherer groups moved into the Nile Valley around 12,000 years ago. They settled along the Nile in small villages. Farmers in Egypt developed an irrigation system as they did in Mesopotamia.
Civilization along the nile They build basins to collect water during the yearly floods & to store the resource. They built a series of canals that could be used in the dry months to direct water from the basins to the fields.
Civilization along the nile The Nile provided early Egyptian famers with an abundance of food. Egyptians enjoyed a varied diet. Wheat, barley, fruits Vegetables Fish, geese, duck
Civilization along the nile The Nile also provided natural barriers that made Egypt hard to invade. The desert to the west was too big & harsh to cross. To the north was the Mediterranean Sea. The Red Sea protected Egypt in the east. Cataracts in the Nile made it difficult for outsiders to sail in from the south.
Civilization along the nile The villages grew without invasions from outsiders. Wealthy farmers became village leaders. Strong leaders gained control over several villages. By 3200 BC, the villages had banded together & developed into two kingdoms.
Civilization along the nile The two kingdoms were: Lower Egypt Upper Egypt
Kings unify egypt The king of Lower Egypt wore a red crown to symbolize his authority. The king of Lower Egypt wore a cone-shaped white crown.
Kings unify egypt 3100 BC, leader named Menes rose to power in Upper Egypt. He wanted to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. His armies invaded and took control of Lower Egypt.
Kings unify egypt He married a princess from Lower Egypt to strengthen his control over the unified country. He combined both the red and white crowns to show his leadership over the two kingdoms.
Kings unify egypt Historians consider Menes to be Egypt s first pharaoh. Menes also founded Egypt s first dynasty (a series of rulers from the same family) He built a new capital city at the southern tip of the Nile Delta.
Kings unify egypt The city was later called Memphis. The first dynasty lasted about 200 years. Pharaohs that came after Menes wore the double crown to symbolize their rule over Upper & Lower Egypt.
Kings unify egypt Rivals eventually appeared & challenged the first dynasty of Egypt. They took over Egypt and established the Second Dynasty.