The Nile Valley Ancient Egypt Settling the Nile

The Nile Valley Ancient Egypt

Settling the Nile When was the Nile Valley settled? Between 6000 BCE and 5000 BCE, hunters and gatherers moved into green Nile River valley, farmed land created villages along riverbanks

Why is the Nile River called the “Mighty River”? With little rainfall, Egyptians relied on Nile River for water for drinking, bathing, farming, cooking and cleaning. The Nile also provided fish, and supported plants and animals. The Nile is the world’s longest river, flowing north from heart of Africa to Mediterranean Sea The Nile is 4, 000 miles long, and begins as two separate rivers – Blue Nile and White Nile Narrow cliffs and boulders form wild rapids called cataracts – large ships can only use last 650 miles of Nile because of cataracts (when it flows through Egypt)

Why is the Nile Valley called a “Sheltered Land”? The Nile runs through a narrow, green valley in Egypt; Before reaching Mediterranean Sea, The Nile divides into branches that fan out over area of fertile soil called The Nile Delta. Sahara aka Western Desert and Eastern Deserts surround Nile Valley and its delta-“the Red Land” (deserts) kept outside armies away from Egypt’s territory Also protected the Egyptians: Nile’s dangerous cataracts blocked enemy boats from reaching Egypt. Delta marshes offered no harbors for invaders approaching from the sea

First Cataract of the Nile

Six Cataracts of the Nile River Third Cataract show below

Did the Nile have a “Regular Flooding” season? The people of The Nile Valley were called “The River People”- Egyptians depended on flooding to grow crops and Egyptians welcomed the floods More dependable and gentle floods than Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – Egyptians farmed and lived securely Heavy rains from central Africa and melting snows from the highlands added to the Nile every spring Nile flooded from July to October and then left a layer of dark, fertile mud, this land was called Kemet – “The Black Land”

How Did the Egyptians Use the Nile? Good irrigation system - Dug basins and canals to carry water to fields and built dikes Used technology and developed geometry to divide the land (perimeter and area) Used the papyrus found growing on the river banks (where the river meets the land) to make baskets, sandals, river rafts and for papermaking

Egyptian Irrigation Technology the Shaduf

What are hieroglyphics? Complex writing system combining picture symbols and sound symbols. Scribes: kept records and worked for the rulers, priests, and traders, carved hieroglyphics onto stone walls and monuments and invented simpler script and wrote or painted on papyrus

“A United Egypt”? Skilled farming led to surplus Artisans developed crafts to trade Trading brought goods and ideas to Egypt

“The Rise of Government”? Advances in trade and crafts created the need for government Earliest rulers were chiefs, strong chiefs united villages into kingdoms Strongest kingdom overpowered others Lower Egypt- Nile Delta, Upper Egypt south or up river

Who were Egypt’s ruling families? Narmer/Menes was king of Upper Egypt; he led armies to take over lower Egypt Rules from Memphis, wore a double crown United Egypt became a dynasty; was ruled by Narmer’s descendants for 31 dynasties (2, 800 years)

What was early Egyptian life like? Divided up into social groups based on wealth and power.

How were Egypt’s social classes divided up? On top was the king and his family, The upper class was made up of nobles, priests, and government officials. Middle class- merchants and artisans Then farmers and herders And finally the unskilled workers.

What was family life like in Egypt? Father was head of the family Women had right to own property, buy and sell goods. Children learned from their parents- girls to cook and sew from mom; boys to farm or trade from dad. Few went to school.

Questions and Answers How did the geography of the Nile Valley help Egypt to prosper? What physical features border the Nile River to the east and west? The Eastern Desert and Western (Sahara) Desert What was Egypt’s physical setting like? Egypt lay in the fertile Nile River Valley surrounded by deserts and the Mediterranean Sea to the north of the delta and Red Sea to the east past the desert. How did the deserts to the east and west, the delta in the north and the cataracts to the south surrounding the Nile Valley help protect Egypt? They kept invaders away from Egypt’s territory.

More Questions and Answers How does the Hymn on page 41 of JAT show that the ancient Egyptians thought of the Nile as a god? It credits the river with causing everything to exist and prosper. What crops did the ancient Egyptians grow? Successful farmers – wheat, barley and flax seed; had a surplus of food for themselves and animals

Even More Questions and Answers What is a dynasty? A line of rulers from one family; for example father to son, or uncle to nephew. Which civilization had greater natural defenses, the Mesopotamians or the Egyptians? Egypt: Nile delta, Sahara Desert, Eastern Desert, and cataracts isolated the area. Compare the governments of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Use the chart on page 44 of JAT. Mesopotamia had city states led by kings and priest, empires eventually formed. Egypt had villages led by chiefs that united into kingdoms, eventually united by the pharaoh. How did the government ensure that enough people were available to harvest the wheat? The government drafted people to help during the busy seasons. Why do you think seeds, fruit, and other additives were reserved for the wealthy? Those additives might have been expensive or hard to get.

The Last of the Questions and Answers What group was just below the pharaoh in Egyptian society ? Priests and nobles. Who made up the largest group in Egyptian society? Unskilled workers. What is papyrus and how did the Egyptians use it? Papyrus is a reed plant that was used to make baskets, sandals, river rafts and paper. What rights did women have in ancient Egypt? Women could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills, obtain divorces, and take part in religious ceremonies. Describe the Egyptian writing system. Picture symbols called hieroglyphics, stood for objects, ideas and sounds.