Transcript Egypt
• A little to the west of the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia), there was another civilization that established their city states along another river. • The Nile River • The Egyptians • The Nile River flows over 4,100 miles long. • It is the longest river in the world • Flows over into Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania • Many Egyptians settled RIGHT next to the river. • The change from fertile soil to desert was so abrupt that a person could actually stand with one foot on each. • Black Land and Red Land Just like in Mesopotamia • yearly flooding brought the water and rich soil. • Every year in July, rains and melting snow from the African mountains caused the Nile River rise and spill over the banks. • When the river receded in October, it left behind silt • Before the scorching sun could dry out the soil, the peasants would prepare their wheat and barley ditches. • Irrigation ditches kept water for later usage • All fall and winter they watered their crops from a network of irrigation ditches. • The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as if it was a God who gave life. • Egypt was the “gift of the Nile” • Egyptian farmers were much more fortunate than the villagers of Mesopotamia. • The Tigris and the Euphrates rivers were unpredictable. • *Remember, “unpredictable flooding” • The Nile rose and flooded regularly Challenges of the Nile • Some of the challenges from the Nile were: – When low flooding, the amount silt was greatly reduced. This affected the water for the crops, which meant thousands of people starved. – When extremely high flooding, (higher than normal) the unwanted water destroyed many houses – The deserts forced the Egyptians to live on narrow pieces of land neighboring the river. • The Nile River flowed north • Perfect for transportation • The Egyptians would sail south from the cataracts • Where the river narrows into rocks and rapids • Their final destination was usually north to the delta • The delta was 100 miles before the river meets the Mediterranean Sea. • It’s broad marshy, triangular, area of land formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of the river. Delta First Cataract Around 3,000 B.C. The two Egyptian Kingdoms were united. • Upper Egypt • Lower Egypt Some evidence supports to a man named Scorpion Others and more solid evidence points to a king named Narmer • The King of Lower Egypt wore a red crown • The King of Upper Egypt wore a tall white crown • A carved piece of slate known as the Narmer Pallette shows Narmer wearing the red crown on white side and the white crown on the other side. • Historians believe that this palette celebrates the unification of Egypt. • Narmer created a double crown from the red and white crowns • This symbolized a united kingdom • Narmer moved his capital to Memphis • Near the spot where Upper and Lower Egypt meet. • The FIRST Egyptian dynasty and empire was under Narmer. Roles of the Kings: • In Mesopotamia, kings were considered to be representatives of the gods. • In Egypt, kings were gods • The Egyptian god-kings were called Pharaohs • Pharaohs were thought to be almost splendid and powerful as the gods of the heavens. Theocracy Is a government in which rule is based on religious authority. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh help full responsibility for the kingdom’s well being. It was the pharaoh who caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flood, and the crops to grow. Pharaohs Pyramids • Egyptians believed that their king ruled even after his death. • He had an eternal life force, which continued to take part in the governing in Egypt. • Since the kings were expected to reign forever, their tombs were even more important that their palaces. • The resting place after death were the pyramids. Pyramids • Most of the pyramids were built from 2 million blocks • The average block weighed 2 ½ tons. Some weighed up to 15 tons. • Most were 13 acres wide • And stood up 481 feet The Pyramids were truly Symbolic for the strength of Egypt’s civilizations. Hieroglyphics: Hieros Gluph: “Sacred Writing” In Greek Finished Project Write your name R E M E M B E R W R I T E U P & D O W N Papyrus • Marshy grass found in the Nile delta • Transformed into paper The Rosetta Stone… • 2 sided • Greek • Hieroglyphics • Believe it was a translation tool • Carved in 196 BC • Found in 1779