The Nile World History/Napp

“While Sumerian civilization was on the rise, a similar process took place along the banks of this river, the Nile in Egypt. Yet the Egyptian civilization turned out to be very different from the collection of city-states in Mesopotamia. Early on, Egypt was united into a single kingdom, which allowed it to enjoy a high degree of unity, stability, and cultural continuity over a period of 3,000 years.

Egypt’s settlements arose along the Nile on a narrow strip of land made fertile by the river. The change from fertile soil to desert – from the Black Land to the Red Land – was so abrupt that a person could stand with one foot in each. As in Mesopotamia, yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil that allowed settlements to grow. Every year in July, rains and melting snow from the mountains of east Africa caused the Nile River to rise and spill over its banks. When the river receded in October, it left behind a rich deposit of fertile black mud called silt. Before the scorching sun could dry out the soil, the peasants would prepare their wheat and barley fields. All fall and winter they watered their crops from a network of irrigation ditches. In an otherwise parched land, the abundance brought by the Nile was so great that the Egyptians worshiped it as a god who gave life and seldom turned against them. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus remarked in the fifth century B.C., Egypt was the ‘gift of the Nile.’

Egyptian farmers were much more fortunate than the villagers of Mesopotamia. Compared to the unpredictable Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile was as regular as clockwork. Even so, life in Egypt had its risks. When the Nile’s floodwaters were just a few feet lower than normal, the amount of fresh silt and water for crops was greatly reduced. Thousands of people starved. When floodwaters were a few feet higher than usual, the unwanted water destroyed houses, granaries, and the precious seeds that farmers needed for planting. The vast and forbidding deserts on either side of the Nile acted as natural barriers between Egypt and other lands. They forced Egyptians to live on a very small portion of the land and reduced interaction with other peoples. However, the deserts shut out invaders. For much of its early history, Egypt was spared the constant warfare that plagued the Fertile Crescent.” ~World History

Identify and explain the following terms: Nile River Herodotus Black Land Red Land “Gift of the Nile” Silt

- What was the main difference between the flooding of the Nile and that of the rivers in Mesopotamia?

- Describe life on the banks of the Nile River. What part of ancient Egypt was located near the Mediterranean Sea?

What sea allowed ancient Egyptians to trade with Asians?

What geographic feature surrounds the Nile River?

The River Pharaohs Pyramids Culture - River travel was - A king named - Since kings - In contrast to the common, but it Narmer united expected to reign Mesopotamians, with ended at the point in Lower and Upper forever, their tombs their bleak view of the Nile where Egypt were even more death, Egyptians boulders turn the important than their believed in an river into churning - To the Egyptians, palaces afterlife, a life that rapids called a kings were gods continued after cataract - For the kings of the death - The Egyptian god- Old Kingdom, the - Lower Egypt kings were called resting place after - Egyptians believed includes the Nile pharaohs death was an they would be delta immense structure judged for their - A government in called a pyramid deeds when they died - The delta is a which rule is based broad, marshy, on religious - The Old Kingdom - If the soul passed a triangular area of authority is called a was the great age of test for purity and land formed by theocracy. pyramid building in truth, it would live deposits of silt at the ancient Egypt. forever in the mouth of the river - Egyptians believed beautiful Other that their king ruled - The pyramids show World - Because its even after his death that Old Kingdom elevation is higher, dynasties had - Royal and elite the river area in the - He had an eternal developed the Egyptians’ bodies south is called Upper life force, or ka, economic strength were preserved Egypt which continued to and technological by mummification, take part in the means to support which involves - A reliable system of governing of Egypt massive public embalming and transportation works projects, as drying the corpse to between Upper and well as leadership prevent decay Lower Egypt and government For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance. • Delta • Narmer • Pharaoh • Polytheism • Pyramid

Questions: - How did being surrounded by deserts benefit Egypt?

- How did the Egyptians view the pharaoh?

- Why did Egyptians mummify bodies??

- Which of the three natural features that served as boundaries in ancient Egypt was most important to Egypt’s history? Explain.

- What impact did Egyptian religious beliefs have on the lives of Egyptians?

Life in Egypt Writing Science/Technology A Bit More - Class System - Ancient Egyptian - Developed a - Egyptians Pharaoh writing was called calendar to help developed a system Officials/Priests hieroglyphics them keep track of of written numbers Landowners the time between for counting, adding, Merchants - This term comes floods and to plan and subtracting Artisans from the Greek their planting season Peasant Farmers words hieros and - The system would Slaves gluph, meaning - Calculated the have helped to assess “sacred carving number of days and collect taxes - Women in Egypt between one rising of held many of the - Egyptians soon the star and the next - Scribes used an same rights as men invented a better as 365 days – a solar early form of writing surface – year geometry to survey - A wealthy or papyrus and reset property middle-class woman - Divided the year boundaries after the could own and trade - The Egyptians split into 12 months of 30 annual floods property reeds into narrow days each and added strips, placed them five days for - Egyptian doctors - She could propose crosswise in two holidays and feasting knew how to check a marriage or seek layers, dampened person’s heart rate Divorce them, and then - Calendar was so by feeling for a pulse pressed them accurate that it fell in different parts of - If she were granted short of the true the body a divorce, she would - This process solar year by only six be entitled to one- created a paper-like hours - Set broken bones third of the property sheet with splints P R I M A RY SO U R C E

“First, they draw out the brains through the nostrils with an iron hook. . . . Then with a sharp stone they make an incision in the side, and take out all the bowels. . . . Then, having filled the belly with pure myrrh, cassia, and other perfumes, they sew it up again; and when they have done this they steep it in natron [a mineral salt], leaving it under for 70 days. . . . At the end of 70 days, they wash the corpse, and wrap the whole body in bandages of waxen cloth. ~ HERODOTUS, The History of Herodotus

- What does this description suggest about the Egyptians’ knowledge of the human body?

“Etched into some of the stones of the pyramids are the nicknames of the teams of workers who built them – “the Vigorous Gang,” “the Enduring Gang,” and “the Craftsman Gang,” for example. Just as construction workers today leave their marks on the skyscrapers they build, the pyramid builders scratched messages for the ages inside the pyramids. Who were the pyramid builders? Peasants provided most of the labor. They worked for the government when the Nile was in flood and they could not farm. In return for their service, though, the country provided the workers with food and housing during this period.” ~ World History

In contrast to the rulers of Sumer, the rulers Mummification reflects of Egypt were considered to be (1) The ancient Egyptian believe in (1) Priests many gods (2) God-Kings (2) The ancient Egyptians believe (3) Military Leaders maintaining written law codes (4) Polytheistic (3) The ancient Egyptians believe in life after death In contrast to the Sumerian city-states, (4) The ancient Egyptians concern for Egypt was preserving all living things including (1) Politically unified plants and animals (2) Politically divided (3) Without a ruler While the Sumerians and Egyptians were (4) Conquered by the Huns both polytheists, they viewed gods differently because Herodotus called Egyptian civilization the (1) Life in Sumer was easier with “gift of the Nile” because predictably flooding rivers (1) The Nile flooded unpredictably (2) Life in Egypt was easier thanks to a killing many belief in one God (2) The Nile was an insignificant river (3) The Nile river provided predictably (3) The Nile flowed northward leading to fewer people dying from (4) The Nile provided fertile land for flooding farming which made civilization (4) None of the above possible