Ancient Egypt Unit Test Study Guide How did

Ancient Egypt Unit Test Study Guide

How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization? Deserts: • provided protection from invaders because it is hard to cross • few people could live in the desert which kept the population near the river • isolation

How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization? The Nile River: * provides food and water *good for transportation and trade *flooding could kill people, destroy homes and crops *flooding deposited silt which made the soil very fertile– the land surrounding the river was a very fertile river valley *river provided water for irrigation and farming

How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization? Delta: • marshy area of land with many small waterways • provided papyrus which Egyptians used to make paper

How did the geography affect Egypt’s civilization? Cataracts: • waterfalls • There were 6 along the Nile River which made it difficult to travel.

Religion: Began: in Ancient Egypt

Religion: Buildings: • pyramids were built for the pharaohs who were worshipped like gods • underground tombs were later built so that valuables would not be stolen • pyramids were temples where people could worship the gods

Religion: Beliefs: • they were polytheistic (believed in many gods) • Ra, the sun god, was the most important god • they believed that pharaohs were living gods

Religion: Rituals: • mummified the dead because of their belief in the afterlife • buried pharaohs with their valuables near them so they could enjoy them in the afterlife

Religion and Government were linked: • pharaohs were believed to be god-kings -- they were worshipped by the people as a god • they built temples, performed religious rituals, and were believed to be a direct link to the gods • pharaohs ruled everything in the kingdom • they believed in Divine Kingship – that kings are chosen by God and that the right to rule was passed from father to son

Why Was the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb Important to Historians? King Tut’s Tomb: • it was the last untouched tomb • archaeologists were able to see what treasures the pharaohs were buried with • they found jars that held his organs, statues made of gold, toys, and food • It showed how much ancient people honored their pharaohs/god-kings.

Why Was the Discovery of the Rosetta Stone Important to Historians? Rosetta Stone: • it allowed archeologists/Egyptologists to translate the ancient hieroglyphics • After this discovery, all of the writings on the walls and structures were able to be read and understood.

Achievements • pyramids • Sphinx • obelisks • hieroglyphics • women in important roles (owning land, merchants, scribers, rulers) • irrigation • boats • paper • calendar (based on the flooding cycle)

How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter? Food: • fish from the Nile River • learned to irrigate so they could farm • they would store grain and meat in case of drought or famine storing grain irrigation canals

How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter? Clothing: • wore light clothes made from linen • linen is made from flax which is grown along the Nile • they wove the flax into linen

How did the Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter? Shelter: • made mud bricks by mixing mud and straw and baking them in the sun • rich people had homes made of stone • used papyrus reeds to make roofs

The Egyptian Empire Declines: War: • people were greedy for more land power which led to many battles • many lives were lost in too many battles • the Kushites invaded and conquered all of Egypt Poor Leadership: • rulers were ineffective • the government was weakened The Egyptia ns did learn to use chario ts and reclaimed t heir land fro m the Hyksos.

Egypt’s Economy Egypt’s economy was based on farming.

Daily Life of Men & Women Men Women • quality of life depended on • could inherit land do jobs (some had more work to business do than others) • could be scribes or • could move between classes merchants • participated in warfare • could move between classes • could hold any position on the social pyramid • there were a few female pharaohs

Social Pyramid the n i l l i f ou Can y pyramid social about ll and te vel? le each Pharaohs were the rulers and were believed to be linked to the gods. Nobles, Priests, & Government Officials Nobles, priests, and government officials helped the pharaoh govern Egypt. Scribes kept records for Egypt’s bureaucracy (government). Scribes Merchants and artisans were skilled workers of a certain trade Merchants and Artisans Farmers, Unskilled Workers, and Slaves farmers and unskilled workers made up a large part of the population and worked the land; slaves would help farm and wait on the wealthy (they could be bought and sold)