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What does this picture tell you about the population density trends in the Middle East?
Essential Questions
1. How did the Nile River contribute to the development of Egyptian Civilization?
2. What evidence indicates that Egyptians were creating a civilization?
3. What kind of rule characterized the height of each Egyptian kingdom?
4. How did the Ancient Egyptians adapt to and modify their environment to meet their
basic economic (food, clothing, shelter) needs.
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Vocabulary
hieroglyphics: A form of writing using signs, pictures, and symbols that was developed by Nile River valley people by about 3000 B.C.
papyrus: A kind of paper made by Egyptians from the papyrus plant
Rosetta Stone: A black stone found by French soldiers in A.D. 1798 that is inscribed in Greek and hieroglyphics. It gave scholars the first clue to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.
dynasty: A family of rulers in which the right to rule passes on within the family
pharaoh: Meaning "great house," the title given to an Egyptian ruler who held absolute power and was seen as a god
Empire: A form of government that unites different territories and peoples under one ruler
Polytheism: Belief in the existence of many gods
Monotheism: Belief in the existence of one god
Ramses II: A pharaoh who ruled from 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C. and built many temples and monuments
Section 1 Summary
Egyptian civilization was built along the Nile, the world’s longest river. It flows 4,160 miles north into the Mediterranean Sea. Each summer the Nile flooded, leaving fertile soil behind. Egyptian farmers dug canals to irrigate their fields and harvest crops before the floods came. Thanks to Egypt’s warm climate they grew two or three crops a year.
The Nile Valley offered other advantages. People moved goods northward with the river’s flow, and sailed boats southward with the wind, promoting trade. Stone from the valley provided building material. The surrounding deserts and sea provided protection against invaders. The Isthmus of Suez, a land bridge, allowed trade with Asia.
Hunger-gatherers lived in the Nile Valley by 12,000 B.C. A Neolithic farming culture developed by 6000 B.C. By 3800 B.C. the people mined copper and made bronze. By 3000 B.C. the people developed hieroglyphics (hy·ruh·GLI·fiks), a form of writing using signs, pictures, and symbols.
Hieroglyphics were carved in stone and later marked on a kind of paper called papyrus, made from thin slices of the papyrus plant. In A.D. 1798 a French officer discovered a black stone in the village of Rosetta. The Rosetta Stone was carved with hieroglyphics and passages in Greek. It gave the first clue to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Two kingdoms developed, Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. After 3200 B.C.,
Egypt had a series of dynasties, (dynasty=ruling family) in which the right to rule passes on within the family. The people built temples and tombs to honor their ruler or pharaoh, which means “great house.” Pharaohs were seen as gods and held absolute, or unlimited, power. Historians divide their rule into three periods, or kingdoms. In the Old Kingdom, from 2680 B.C. to 2180 B.C., Egyptians built the Great Sphinx and the largest pyramids.
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The lower class of peasants and farmers built the canals and pyramids. The upper class included the royal family, priests, and officials. Later the nobles grew powerful, starting 100 years of civil wars.
In 2050 B.C. a new dynasty ushered in the Middle Kingdom, Egypt’s “golden age.” By 1780 B.C. powerful nobles and priests were again making the kingdom unstable. By 1650 B.C. The Hyksos (HIK·sos), or “foreigners,” had conquered Egypt with their new tools of war, including chariots.
From 1570 B.C. until 1080 B.C. a new line of pharaohs ruled during the New Kingdom. They conquered new lands and built an empire (form of government that unites many territories and peoples under one ruler). Egyptians believed in many gods (polytheistic).
1. How did the Nile River contribute to the development of Egyptian Civilization?
The Nile River contributed to the development of civilization by making the soil fertile through floods, providing a smooth route of transportation for trade, and linking people throughout the region into one kingdom. The Nile River Valley also offered a warm climate, winds for sailing, and stone for building materials. Its surrounding deserts and seas provided protection against invaders.
2. What evidence indicates that Egyptians were creating a civilization?
Evidence that Egyptians were creating a civilization includes their ability to produce surplus food by irrigating their fields and growing two or three crops a year. They also formed permanent settlements. They were mining copper to make tools and jewelry, making bronze, and making pottery, indicating a division of labor. They also developed a system of writing, hieroglyphics.
3. What kind of rule characterized the height of each Egyptian kingdom?
At the height of each Egyptian kingdom it was being ruled by a strong pharaoh with absolute power who was able to protect its borders from invasion.
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