Transcript Aim: How did the ancient Egyptians use the Nile River to

Aim: How did the ancient Egyptians
use the Nile River to develop
a successful river civilization?
The Nile
River
Valley
Label &
color the
map using
textbook
pg. 39
The Nile River
• Around 5,000 B.C. People began building
farming villages in Egypt’s Nile River
valley.
• Every year the Nile flooded its banks (July
through October).
• This flood made the Nile Valley lush and
green.
The Nile River
Description:
Length:
Importance:
Location:
Floods:
Farming:
“The Gift of the Nile”
1. Why was the Nile River considered a
“gift” or a “blessing” from the gods?
2. Why is silt important to Egyptian
farmers?
3. Explain why Lower Egypt is north of
Upper Egypt.
Answers
1. The Nile is considered a blessing and a gift
because it provided water, food, and a means of
transportation in the desert.
2. Silt is important to farmers because it is carried
by the river and is deposited where the Nile
empties into the Mediterranean Sea (delta). Silt
is extremely fertile and is a mixture of tiny bits of
soil and rock.
3. The Nile River flows northward and empties into
the Mediterranean Sea. The lower part of the
river, or downstream part of the Nile, is called
Lower Egypt.
Keep in mind…
surplus
Agriculture
Trade
Specialization
Union of Two Crowns
• As time went on, Egyptian farmers learned
how to produce more surplus crops.
• Craftworkers in villages used new
technology to make tools, pottery, and
jewelry.
• Trade increased between towns.
• Villages joined together under the
leadership of kings.
Pharaoh Menes
• As communities grew larger, their
governments changed to meet their many
new needs.
• Towns in Upper Egypt supported a king
(Menes) who wore a white crown.
• Towns in Lower Egypt supported a king
who wore a red crown.
Double Crown
White = Upper
Red = Lower
A System of Writing
1. How was it possible for the pharaoh’s
government to keep track of all of its
business details?
2. Describe hieroglyphics. What did the ancient
Egyptians use to write on?
3. How were scribes an example of
specialization?
4. How did the Rosetta Stone help unlock the
meaning of hieroglyphics?
Hieroglyphics
Scribes Wrote On Papyrus
In Conclusion…
Why is it important for a civilization to have a
written language? How did the ancient
Egyptians use language to meet their
practical needs?
Create Your Own Hieroglyphics
Task: Create your own language by
drawing ten different symbols to represent words,
ideas or letters. Be sure to write their
meanings below each picture.
Example: light a fire or
stand for the letter F
Try It!
Write a sentence using as many symbols
as possible and have your partner decode it.
The Rosetta Stone
Jean Francois Champollion
Hieroglyphic Alphabet
1. Write a message using the hieroglyphic
alphabet.
2. Exchange with a partner and try to
decode their message.