Transcript nile river
Map of Egypt’s Physiographic Features
Egypt’s and the Near East’s Map Questions
1. What is the longest river in Africa?
Nile River
2. What ocean lies east of Africa?
Indian Ocean
3. What is the large body of water that separates Africa from Europe?
Mediterranean Sea
4. What is the sea south of the Sinai Peninsula that is linked to the Indian Ocean?
Red Sea
5. What chain of mountains is located in the southern part of modern Turkey?
Taurus Mountains
6. What body of water lies between the Arabian Peninsula and modern Iran?
Persian Gulf
7. What river flows southeast across modern Iraq, near the city of Baghdad?
Tigris River
8. What river is located southwest of the Tigris River and flows southeast to
the Persian Gulf?
Euphrates River
9. What mountain range is located east of the Tigris River, in the
southwestern part of Iran? Zagros Mountains
10. What desert lies west of the Nile River and covers parts of modern
Egypt, Libya, and Sudan?
Libyan Desert
11. What desert lies in modern Egypt between the Nile River and the Red
Sea?
Arabian Desert
12. What triangular area, bordered by water on three sides, connects the
continents of Africa and Asia?
Sinai Peninsula
13. What body of water is fed by the Jordan River and lies south of the Sea
of Galilee?
Dead Sea
14. What river flows through the Sea of Galilee and into the Dead Sea?
Jordan River
15. What mountain range runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea from
Lebanon into Syria? Lebanon Mountains
16. What desert is located between the Sinai Peninsula and the Dead Sea?
Negev Desert
17. What term is used to refer to the northernmost region of the Nile River, which is
roughly shaped like a triangle?
Nile Delta
18. What desert lies mostly south of Egypt between the Nile River and the Red Sea?
Nubian Desert
19. What large body of land is bordered on the northeast by the Persian Gulf, on the
southeast by the Indian Ocean, and on the west by the Red Sea?
Arabian Peninsula
20. What desert lies west of the Euphrates River and north of the Arabian Peninsula?
Syrian Desert
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Physiographic Features of Egypt
NUBIAN DESERT
The Nubian Desert is located in northeast Africa,
between the Nile River and the Red Sea. It is an
approximately 97,000 square mile region of the
Sahara Desert. Primarily a sandstone plateau,
this arid (dry) region has numerous wadis, or dry
watercourses, which fill with water that flows to
the Nile during periods of heavy rainfall. The
ancient Kushites mined copper and gold from
this desert, and traded these metals to Egypt for
linen and grain.
NUBIAN DESERT
NILE DELTA
The delta of the Nile River is a triangle shaped
region located north of Cairo, in northeastern
Egypt. Originally, as many as seven branches of
the Nile wound through the delta. The delta
contains sixty percent of Egypt’s cultivated land
(farmland), large areas of marshy wetlands, and
shallow lakes. During ancient times, the
Egyptians took advantage of the region’s rich
soil, gentle winds, and level landscape to develop
an extremely productive agricultural system.
NILE DELTA
ARABIAN DESERT
The Arabian Desert is the eastern desert of
Egypt. It runs from the Nile River in the west to
the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez in the east.
The desert is mountainous and rutted by deep,
dry riverbeds. The ancient Egyptians used its
abundant quarries of granite, feldspar, and other
materials for many of their building projects.
ARABIAN DESERT
NILE RIVER
The Nile River is the longest river in the world,
stretching 4,160 miles. It flows northward from its
headstream in Central Africa to its delta on the
Mediterranean Sea. The Nile runs through parts of
Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi, and Zaire. At six different places along the
Nile, crystalline rocks form cataracts, or stretches of
rapids and waterfalls that are not navigable.
According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus,
Egypt was “the gift of the Nile” because its waters
supported large scale agriculture, made
transportation easier, and provided a variety of
edible plants and animals.
NILE RIVER
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
The Mediterranean Sea is the world’s largest inland
sea. Surrounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia, it covers
an area approximately of nine hundred and sixty-five
thousand square miles. The Mediterranean Sea
connects with the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea by
way of the Aegean Sea. The shores of the sea are
mainly mountainous. Many species of fish, sponges,
and coral are abundant in the sea. The ancient
Egyptians were originally afraid to sail on the
Mediterranean, and so they relied on traders from other
lands to bring them goods from Anatolia (Turkey) and
Canaan. Eventually, the Egyptians got over their fear
and sailed the Mediterranean Sea doing their own
trading.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
LIBYAN DESERT
The Libyan Desert is the northeastern part of Africa’s
Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world. The
Libyan Desert covers parts of southwestern Egypt,
eastern Libya, and northwestern Sudan. The region
consists primarily of sand dunes, course, stony
plains, and plateaus of bare rock. Although its hot,
dry climate is harsher and more forbidding than that
of Egypt’s eastern deserts, the oases of this region
were known in ancient times for their wines and
agricultural products.
LIBYAN DESERT
Settling Ancient Egypt
1) Where did most people in Egypt settle?
Most Egyptians settled along the Nile River.
2) What are resources the Nile provided/gave to the Egyptians?
The Nile provides farmable soil from when it flooded, water for
bathing/drinking/etc., fish, ducks, geese, and papyrus.
3) What is a shaduf and why was it important to Egyptian farmers?
A shaduf is a device Egyptian farmers used to irrigate their cultivated fields. It
was important because they could water their plants with fresh water to keep
their fields fertile.
4) What are two reasons why the Egyptians did not have to worry about
fighting many enemies?
The Egyptians did not have to worry about fighting many enemies because they
were protected on 3 sides by deserts and they had plenty of farmland and did not
have to conquer others to get more.
5) What are the positive and negative aspects of settling in Egypt?
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river flooded predictably
relying on a river
rich soil near river
dry environment
protected by deserts
have to irrigate
plenty of resources
UNIFICATION OF EGYPT
PARTS of EGYPT
UPPER EGYPT
• southern Egypt
• over 500 miles long
• first cataract
northward to the
Nile Delta
LOWER EGYPT
• northern Egypt
• It is the Nile Delta
• 100 miles long but
very wide
Unification
1) Which Egyptian king united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt and which part of
Egypt was he from?
Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt and he was from Upper Egypt
2) What was the title given to the king/ruler of Egypt?
The king/ruler of Egypt was known as the “Pharaoh”
3) What did the Egyptians believe their ruler was?
The Egyptians believed their ruler was a god
4) What were the two responsibilities of the pharaoh?
keep Egyptian society in order
protect Egypt from its enemies
5) Ancient Egypt was ruled by over thirty different dynasties. What is a dynasty?
A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family
KINGDOMS
Dates
Prehistoric
Egypt
Old
Kingdom
Middle
Kingdom
New
Kingdom
3700 – 2700
BCE
2686 – 2181
BCE
2055 – 1650
BCE
1570 – 1070
BCE
Age of
Pyramids
Period of
Reunification
Egypt’s
Golden Age
•Built the
Great
Pyramids
•Became strong •Became a
again
world power
•Achievements
by
in literature, art
conquering
and architecture others
Nickname
Important
Achievements
•Irrigation
•Formed
Government
•Hieroglyphs
PHARAOH DJOSER
Famine Stella
Old Kingdom
2630-2611 BCE
PHARAOH DJOSER
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. Reigned for 19 years
• 2. During his reign there
were new developments
in agriculture, and
increase in trade, and
the development of cities
• 3. Fought and expanded
Egypt’s territory
• 1. Built the world’s first
complete stone building,
the Step Pyramid
• 2. Brought a “miraculous
end” to a severe food
shortage (famine) by
constructing a new
temple to honor the God,
Khnum (god who
controlled the annual flow
of the Nile)
PHARAOH DJOSER
• Step Pyramid
PHARAOH KHUFU
Khufu’s only remaining statue
Khufu’s sarcophagus
Old Kingdom
2551-2528 BCE
PHARAOH KHUFU
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. He reigned for 23
years
• 1. Built the Great
Pyramid at Giza
• 2. He was very cruel
and harsh to the
people of Egypt
• 2. He was buried in
the Great Pyramid at
Giza
• 3. Few written records
left from his time
PHARAOH KHUFU
The Great Pyramid at Giza
PHARAOH SENUSRET I
Senusret I statue
Middle Kingdom
Pillar from the Jubilee
Chapel showing Senusret I
talking to a god
1971-1926 BCE
PHARAOH SENUSRET I
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. He reigned for 45 years
• 2. Expanded Egypt’s territory
by fighting Nubia and Libya
• 3. Established strong
fortresses throughout Egypt
to protect its gold, copper,
and granite sources
• 1. Improved shrines and
temples and built the Jubilee
Chapel
• 2. Encouraged cultural
development – fine jewelry
and literature
• 3. One of the greatest works
of Egyptian literature was
produced during his reign, The
Story of Sinuhe
PHARAOH SENUSRET I
The recreated Jubilee Chapel
“The Story of Sinuhe” as
written in stone
PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT
Middle Kingdom
1473-1458 BCE
PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. She reigned for 15 years
• 2. She was one of ancient
Egypt’s few female pharaohs
• 3. She became a pharaoh
when she seized power from
her nephew
• 4. When she died, her
nephew destroyed much of
the information about his
aunt and what she did
• 1. Organized trading
expeditions to foreign lands
(Punt – an African kingdom
southeast of Egypt) to get
luxury goods not available in
Egypt
• 2. Some of the luxury goods
included gold, ivory, leopard
skins, ostrich feathers,
incense, rare woods,
greyhounds and cheetahs
• 3. Thutmose III may have
played a role in her death - her
body disappeared after she
died and was found in 2007
PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT
A picture depicting
the Egyptian trade
ships leaving for Punt
A column from one of Hatshepsut’s temples
PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT
Hatshepsut’s mummy
PHARAOH AKHENATEN
New Kingdom
1353-1335 BCE
PHARAOH AKHENATEN
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. He reigned for 18 years
• 2. His real name was
Amenhotep until he changed
it to Akhenaten – to honor the
god, Aten
• 3. Abandoned the capital city
of Thebes and started a new
capital city called Akhetaten
• 1. Changed the religion of
Egypt from worshipping many
Gods to one God, Aten - the
Sun God
• 2. Changed artwork to show
people more natural looking
and he attacked other gods by
destroying their sites and
statues
• 3. The Egyptian people were
so angry that when the
pharaoh died, his successors
destroyed almost everything
he did, as well as, his corpse
PHARAOH AKHENATEN
Remains of the capital city of Akhetaten
PHARAOH RAMESSES II
New Kingdom
1290-1224 BCE
PHARAOH RAMESSES II
FACTS and SIGNIFICANCE
• 1. He reigned for 66 years
• 2. Considered one of the
most important pharaohs of
Egypt
• 1. Constructed many things –
palaces, a new capital,
monuments, wells, quarries,
mines, tombs, and temples --Ramesseum
• 3. He lived well into his
eighties, had more than 100
wives and over 100 children
• 2. Courageous military leader
who fought many battles to
expand and protect Egypt’s
territory
• 3. Fought the Hittites to a draw
even though he was greatly
outnumbered
PHARAOH RAMESSES II
The Great Temple of Ramesses II
PHARAOH RAMESSES II
EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHS
A stone was found near the Nile River by French troops in the city of Rosetta,
Egypt in 1799. This stone had the same short story written on it in Greek, in
Egyptian Demotic (the popular language of Egypt at the time), and in ancient
Egyptian hieroglyphics. Since the year 300 or so, no one in the world
remembered how to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. However, in 1822,
Jean Francois Champollion deciphered the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone
and allowed modern scholars to read and understand all of the hieroglyphic
messages left to us from the ancient Egyptians.
Since the discovery of and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, there has been a
great interest in ancient Egyptian writing. Egyptian hieroglyphics, holy
writing, is a picture-based language. Egyptians started using hieroglyphics
around 3000 BCE, and writing soon became a well-developed craft. Scribes
(Egyptian writers and teachers) were held in high esteem and given great
importance.
Scribes wrote everyday messages on papyrus, a type of paper made from the
papyrus plant growing by the Nile. Very important information was carved into
stone so that it would last forever. Scribes kept records of supplies and taxes,
wrote letters and messages, designed the inscriptions carved into tombs and
wrote manuals on just about anything. They worked in temples, markets, army
barracks, government offices or anywhere their skills were needed.
Pictorial symbols represented specific sounds. What made this system
confusing was that often the same symbol also represented entire words.
For example, the symbol
meant either the letters “c” or “k” or the word
“basket”. Hieroglyphics are written in rows, and originally they were read
from right to left. Scribes were often talented designers and paid attention to
how the entire text appeared. Because of this, the scribe would sometimes
write the symbols in a row (from top to bottom, bottom to top or left to right)
or even stack the hieroglyphs. Finished inscriptions looked very decorative
and were colorful. But there are common clues in hieroglyphic writing.
Symbols of animals or people are always facing in the direction of the
beginning of the row or stack, and each row or stack of symbols is separated
by a line drawn underneath the writing.
Names of the pharaohs are enclosed in a cartouche, an oval with a line at the
end indicating the person’s royal stature. In reading hieroglyphic text, a
cartouche is easily recognized. It was believed that this nameplate would
protect the person or site. In ancient Egypt, a cartouche was attached to the
coffin of the dead pharaoh and his tomb. The ancient Egyptians believed
that you had to have your name written down somewhere to be protected so
that you would not disappear when you died.
HIEROGLYPHIC ALPHABET
ROSETTA STONE
JEAN FRANCOIS
CHAMPOLLION
HIEROGLYPHS and
CARTOUCHES