Ancient Egypt The Gift of the Nile Ancient

Ancient Egypt The Gift of the Nile

Ancient Egyptian Time An Explanation First, the Egyptians developed a lunar calendar of 354 days. In time, the Egyptians created a more accurate 360 -day solar calendar BC - Means "Before Christ" BCE – Before the Common Era AD - Means "Anno Domini" (The Year of Our Lord) CE – After Common Era Both BC and AD were adopted during the early formation of the Roman/Christian calendar.

INTRODUCTION TO EGYPT • Egyptian Civilization developed because of the Nile River • Egyptian Civilization was called "The Gift of the Nile" by Herodotus, a Greek historian. Why?

The Nile River • • Flows north more than 4, 000 miles into the Mediterranean Sea World’s longest river Early people settled this area because of its location near a source of water. • The Nile River Valley had virtually no rainfall of its own • Without the river, civilization would not have thrived – no water means all desert!

Why was the Nile Important? 1. Drinking & Bathing • The Nile provided the daily necessities of life in Ancient Egypt

Why was the Nile important? 2. Farming The Nile provided rich soil (from the silt) and water, producing three to four times more crops than regular rainfed soil

The Important Uses of the Nile 3. Transportation • Egyptians built boats and traveled the Nile • The Nile linked all Egyptians - encouraged community life • Encouraged trade

Egyptian Geography vlocated in the northeast corner of Africa v. Important because it is surrounded by natural barriers: • desert • mountains • Mediterranean Sea PROVIDED PROTECTION – 2, 000 years, only three attacks!

Contributions of Ancient Egypt They made important contributions to our civilization! They were the first to: • Domesticate cats and honey bees • Train carrier pigeons • Tan leather • Make glass • Design mosquito netting

Contributions, cont… • • • Construct large canals and resevoirs Write on paper Study human anatomy Create a solar calendar Use scientific method of investigation

Vocabulary • Delta – Maze of smaller rivulets that meander through green marshes until they finally empty into the Mediterranean Sea.

Vocabulary • Wadis – Dried up river beds. Occasionally these fill with water after a heavy rain.

Vocabulary • Cataracts – Waterfalls along southern part of the Nile. Creates a natural protective buffer.

Vocabulary • Papyrus – a kind of paper made from plants

Vocabulary • Artifact – tools, weapons, objects of art