tOPIC 3
ANCIENT EGYPT
EGYPT & THE NILE RIVER VALLEY
ANCIENT RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
EGYPT & THE NILE RIVER VALLEY
ANCIENT RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS
Unit 2 - Topic 3: Overview......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Unit 2 - Topic 3: Goal, GLE's, & Description............................................................................................................................................. 2
Essential Content - GLEs
Ancillary Content - GLEs
Homework: What Did You Learn in Topic 2?......................................................................................................................................... 3
Student Strategies.................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Caterpillar Writing
Thinking Like a Historian
R.A.C.E. Strategy for Reading
CER (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning)
Introducing Egypt......................................................................................................................................................................................5
Lesson Activity: Vocabulary Words - Homework................................................................................................................................. 6
Unit 2 - Topic 3: Instruction..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim - Formative Assessment........................................................................................................... 8
Lesson Activity: Prior Knowledge - Building Context...........................................................................................................................9
Lesson Activity: African Civilizations Map........................................................................................................................................... 10
Hemispheres, Prime Meridian, Latitude& Longitude, & Equator
Lesson Activity: Looking at Time Zone Maps - The World.................................................................................................................. 11
Lesson Activity: Building Context - Climate Zone Maps..................................................................................................................... 12
Lesson Activity: Political Maps - Access Your Prior Knowledge......................................................................................................... 13
Lesson Activity: Physical Map - Access Your Prior Knowledge.......................................................................................................... 14
Lesson Activity: Developing A Claim/Formative & Summative Assessment................................................................................... 15
Lesson Activity: Characteristics of Civilizations - Nile River............................................................................................................. 16
Lesson Activity: Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment........................................................................................................... 17
Ancient Egypt - Photos............................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Lesson Activity: Life Along the Nile...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Take a Trip Along the Nile River Through Photograhy....................................................................................................................... 20
Homework Activity: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. A Story of Egyptian Lives .................................................................................. 21
Lesson Activity: Building Context Harnessing the Nile .................................................................................................................... 22
Developing a Claim/Formative Assessment - Lesson Activity: Answer Questions about the Nile River and Egypt.................. 23
Building Context: Images and People of Ancient Egypt.................................................................................................................... 24
Building Context: Egypt's Greatest Leaders - Lesson Activity: Researh Eguypt's Famous Leaders............................................ 25
Lesson Activities: Different Cultures that Ruled Egypt - Timeline...................................................................................................26
Lesson Acttivity: Students Will Research One Aspect of Egyptian Life.......................................................................................... 27
Building Context: Egyptian Pyramids & Pharaohs - Lesson Activity: Researching the Pyramids and Pharaohs..................... 28
Summative Assessment: Students Discuss and Write About the Geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt - Lesson Activity: Geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt.......................................................................................................... 29
You Have Reached the End of Topic 3. If you are interested in learning more about Egypt, go to the page at the END OF THE TOPIC. You will find many interesting articles about Egypt.
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Topic 3 Description:
Students will investigate Egyptian Life. Students will also learn about the famous Pharaohs, the impact of the Nile River, the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and more.
Unit 2 Description: Students explore how physical geography and location supported the growth of ancient civilizations, the characteristics of those civilizations, and how their achievements influenced other cultures. Students will investigate different types of maps and will understand the difference between physical and political maps as well as the physical characteristics of the land where people chose to settle. Students will examine the ancient river valley civilizations in an effort to discover the impact geography and environment have on a civilization. This is key to helping them to visualize the organic growth of a civilization. Students will explore how physical geography, natural/non-renewable resources and location supported the growth of ancient civilizations, the characteristics of those civilizations, and how their achievements influenced other cultures.
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Topic 3: Goal
Students will conduct research on the Egyptian Old Kingdom after being assigned one aspect of daily life in ancient Egypt. The students will give a brief presentation about their assigned aspect of Egyptian life.
Topics (GLEs) for the unit & pacing:
Unit 2: Approximately 7 Weeks
Topic 3: Approximately 7 Class Periods
Connections to the Unit Claim
Students will investigate the Ancient Egypt civilization using their study of Mesopotamia as a model.
Claim:
How do geography and environment impact civilization?
Sub-Claim Question:
How did geography and environment shape the development of Ancient Egypt?
6.2.1 - Analyze the relationship between geographical features and early settlement patterns using maps and globes
Use maps and globes to compare geographical features, early human migration routes, and areas of settlement to draw conclusions about the relationship between settlement patterns and geographical features.
6.2.2 Examine how the achievements of early humans led to the development of civilization
6.2.3 Describe the characteristics and achievements of the ancient river civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and China
6.3.4 Determine world migration patterns and population trends by interpreting maps, charts, and graphs
6.4.1 - Identify and describe physical features and climate conditions that contributed to early human settlement in regions of the world
Describe the changes in climate conditions from the Ice Age through the Bronze Age, including ways the Ice Age affected early humans.
Describe the characteristics of different climate zones and explain how physical features, the environment, and climate conditions affected early human migration, settlement, and developing civilizations.
Explain how early humans and developing civilizations adapted to their environment, such as Otzi the Iceman, Catalhoyuk, or Jarmo.
Explain the relationship between geography and the development of agriculture in early settlements.
Explain how different physical features and climate conditions were beneficial and detrimental to early humans, and how they contributed to the success or failure of early human groups and developing civilizations.
6.4.2 Explain how world migration patterns and cultural diffusion influenced human settlement
6.4.3 Explain the connection between physical geography and its influence on the development of civilization.
Explain how geography influences human settlement and the rise of civilization.
Explain which geographical features are beneficial and which are detrimental to civilization (use factors such as stability, climate, location, and resources including proximity to water).
6.1.1 - Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by completing the following tasks:
Conducting historical research
Evaluating a broad variety of primary and secondary sources
Comparing and contrasting varied points of view
Determining the meaning of words and phrases from historical texts
Using technology to research, produce, or publish a written product
6.1.2 Construct and interpret a parallel timeline of key events in the ancient world
6.1.3 Analyze information in primary and secondary sources to address document-based questions
6.1.4 Identify and compare measurements of time in order to understand historical chronology
6.3.1 Identify and label major lines of latitude and longitude using a world map or globe to determimne climate zomes amd time zones
6.3.2 Plot coordinates of latitde and logitde to determine location or change of location
6.3.3 Compare and contrast pysical and political boundaries of civilizations, empires, and kingdoms using maps and globes
6.6.1 Explain the impact of job specialization in the development of civilizations
6.6.2 Analyze the progression from barter exchange to monetary exchange
6.6.3 Describe the economic motivation for expanding trade and territorial conquests in world civilizations using economic concepts
6.6.4 Explain how the development of trade and taxation influenced economic growth in the ancient world
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Directions for Homework: Before we start this new Topic, take a minute to write about what you have learned so far. Use complete sentences in your writing. Try to fill these pages with the new knowledge you have gained. Celebrating YOU, Because YOU ARE SOMEBODY!!! Don't forget it.
Dear Students, Dr. Seuss is so right! The more you read, the better you will be at reading. Most of us struggle with reading at first, but practice makes perfect. You CAN do it! Read at least 30 minutes a night. You need it for everything you do.
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Let's Check out Mr. Nicky's Video about Egypt before we start the learning process. OK, are you ready? HIT it!
GRAVE CHOICE Ancient Egyptians buried children, shown here, and adults in pots. The hollow vessels mirror the womb (mother's stomach) and may have symbolized a rebirth into the afterlife, scientists report.
The Egyptians loved cats.
Clothing worn in Egypt.
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cataract latitude
delta longitude
dynasty physical map
hieroglyphics political map
inundation pharaoh
papyrus shaduf
theocracy pyramid
Directions: Open your NOTEBOOK and complete the vocabulary for a HOMEWORK assignment. You will not be tested on all the words, but you need to know them for content. The definitions are there for you in Quizlet. Click on the link in your NOTEBOOK to go to Quizlet.
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In the previous task, we learned about the river valley civilization of Mesopotamia. In the next three tasks, we will learn about the three river valley civilizations and compare their similarities and differences. We will begin with the Nile River Valley in Egypt.
Let's go back to the Map of the Fertile Crescent from our previous task. Unit 2, Topic 2 Notebook, slide 23, shown below. See if you can locate Egypt on this map.
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First, could you find Egypt on your Mesopotamia Map on Page 6? I hope so, if not, here it is. I always associate the Nile River with Egypt. So, that is the way I remember where Egypt is located. Remember there is also Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt and based on what you know about the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia, what do you expect the geographic characteristics of Egypt to be? Brainstorm your predictions and record your thoughts in your NOTEBOOK. You may be asked to share with the class if you are virtual or in school.
Check out the video on Egypt. There will be a few questions for you to answer regarding the video. You will go to your NOTEBOOK to answer these questions.
You will see this map in your NOTEBOOK as well. I hope this will help you to brainstorm. Remember what you have learned and look at the areas surrounding Egypt.
Watch the above video and complete activity in Notebook
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You will access your latitude and longitude map of the world. Please review the concepts of parallels and meridians as well as the major lines of latitude and longitude and how to read a latitude and longitude map. If you need help, ask your teacher for help. You will plot the following latitude and longitude coordinates. By plotting these coordinates, you will discover what part of the world you will be researching. The coordinates are: 30 degrees N, 30 degrees E. If you are still struggling, you may want to go to the following site for practice.
The above video is about latitude, longitude, parallels, meridians, and hemispheres. Watch this video for a different perspective and additional information.
The video is about the different hemispheres of our Earth.
Directions: Go to your NOTEBOOK and plot the coordinates shown on this map. You will find this map in your NOTEBOOK.
Watch the videos on this page to review the lines of latitude and longitude. Answer the questions in your NOTEBOOK about the lines of latitude and longitude.
Students will go to On-Course to complete this Task. A grade will be assigned. Note to Teachers: Please review this assessment looking at questions and point values before assigning to your students. As is with all of the assessments in this learning venue.
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Directions: NOTEBOOK: Look at the map of Africa and review the main components of a map. Where is the title? Complete the compass rose in your NOTEBOOK. Use text boxes to put the directions in on your compass rose. Yes, you have done this before, but practice makes perfect. What is a map key or legend? Is there one on this map?
Draw an "X" on the above map in the approximate location of Egypt. You may use the African map shown on the next page. Look at the map below, where is the Equator drawn on the map? Where is the Prime Meridian on the map? On your copy of the African Civilizations map shown above, draw those lines. Go to your NOTEBOOK and draw the lines there.
Directions: Go to your NOTEBOOK and answer the questions on the maps below. Look at these maps and tell me in which hemispheres is Egypt located. Record the answer on your African Civilizations graphic organizer under hemispheres. Where is the equator and the prime meridian located? Which direction does the equator run, which direction does the prime meridian run?
Directions: Answer the questions above and below, for the maps shown, in your NOTEBOOK.
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Interesting Facts About Time Zones: Look, I know this is going to sound very strange to you, but I wanted you to know about time zones and how they are across the globe.
A time zone is a region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time.
Some higher latitude and temperate zone countries use daylight saving time for part of the year, typically by adjusting local clock time by an hour. Many land time zones are skewed toward the west of the corresponding nautical time zones. This also creates permanent daylight saving time effect.
How many time zones do we have in the United States? What about the rest of the world? Can a place have more than 1 time zone? Yes, they can. Time is based on 24 hours. There is 24 hours in a day, so it was agreed that there would be 24 time zones. Railroad companies in the U.S. finally began using Sir Fleming's standard time zones on November 18, 1883. An International Prime Meridian Conference was held in Washington, DC, in 1884 to standardize time around the world and selected the Prime Meridian, or the meridian that is designated 0Âş from which all other longitudes are measured (often referred to as Greenwich Mean Time or GMT, because the place they chose as the Prime Meridian was Greenwich, England). The International Date Line, the imaginary line where travelers change from one date to another, is located at roughly 180Âş, exactly halfway around the world from Greenwich (conveniently drawn through the Pacific Ocean so no countries are divided into separate days).
In the United States, most states began adhering to the Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones by 1895, but the use of time zones did not become mandatory until Congress passed the Standard Time Act of 1918. Today the U.S. and its territories cover nine time zones. At one time, Alaska was broken up into four of the eight U.S. time zones, but in 1983, the entire state, except the westernmost Aleutians, was united into the 6th zone, Alaska standard time.
Watch the above video on Time Zones in the world
Formative Assessment - Time Zone Map: Let's see if we can figure it out. It may be challenging, but I think we are up for it. What about you? OK, here goes!
If a person living in Baghdad, Iraq, today called their friend in Cairo, Egypt at 1 pm (Iraq time), at what time in Cairo would their friend receive the call?
First, let's break down the question, If Baghdad, Iraq time = 1 pm, what time is it in Cairo at 1 pm Iraq time?
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Directions: While you are looking at these maps, you will determine the the major climate zones. You need to look at the colors on the maps and use the legends to determine what the climate and temperature conditions are. Once you have determined this information, return to your NOTEBOOK page with the African Civilizations form, to complete that section.
1ST STEP
Directions: You will go to the African Civilizations Graphic Organizer in your NOTEBOOK to complete the section on Major Climate Zones using these 3 maps.
Directions: Click on the Climate Types for Kids Map (on the right hand side of these directions) in order to research the different climate zones you put on your map. Once you are on the site, click on the tabs for each climate zone in the assigned part of the world we are working on in order to investigate the characteristics of each climate zone including temperature, common plants and animals. You will have a form in your NOTEBOOK to complete with your findings.
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Do you remember the definitions of political maps and physical maps? Well, let's see. Maps in simple terms represent a geographical area in a way that enables people to find places and/or to better understand the features of a particular destination. Two of the most common forms are political and physical maps. What is a physical map?
Physical maps often include much of the same data found on a political map, but their primary purpose is to show landforms like deserts, mountains, and plains. Their topography style presents an overall better picture of the local terrain.
Look at the physical map of Egypt. What do you see? What are the ridges, what do the different colors mean, do you see roads, railroad tracks, and so on?
Directions: You will need your NOTEBOOK. If you are in school, look at this map and draw the major rivers and mountains that are present around Egypt onto your map. Virtual students will drag and drop onto your map the approximate location. Add symbols in the physical features section of the chart on your African Civilizations worksheet.
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What is a physical map? A political map represents countries, states, and towns. Often they are painted different colors so we can see them better. This map shows names and boundaries.
A political map is different from other types of maps because it focuses on government or administrative boundaries rather than geographical or physical features. Instead of showing viewers what exists in the land, it shows those imaginary lines that serve to separate countries, states, territories, and cities.
Egypt is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Gaza Strip, Israel, and the Red Sea, on the south by Sudan, and on the west by Libya. Less than one-tenth of the land area of Egypt is settled or under cultivation.
This territory consists of the valley and delta of the Nile, a number of desert oases, and land along the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Suez, an arm of the Red Sea. More than 90 percent of the country consists of desert areas, including the Libyan Desert in the west, a part of the Sahara, and the Arabian Desert, which borders the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez, in the east.
How is this map different from the physical map? How can you find out what is represented on the two maps shown on this page?
Directions: You will need your NOTEBOOK. If you are in school, draw a representation of the Nile River, including a delta, on your African Civilizations worksheet. Label Lower and Upper Egypt on your map. You will have to go to the page in your NOTEBOOK with the map of Africa.
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Directions: Answer the questions below to help you develop your claim, answer in your NOTEBOOK.
What would attract a group of humans to settle in this area?
How might this area's climate zone affect conditions for human settlement?
What physical features would attract or repel human settlement?
Below you will see a blank map of the world. Can you identify on the map below where you expect human settlement to occur?
Directions: "Envrionmenatal Impact on Human Settlement:" You will need your NOTEBOOK. Students will develop a claim identifying the areas around and within Egypt that present the best environment for human settlement to develop. You will reference climate and geographic features in your response, and include details from task materials and information within this topic. Your teacher may chose to grade this activity using the claims rubric. Take a look at the map below, it may help you in stating your claim.
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How did Ancient Egypt's rulers use the land's resources and geography to found a civilization?
Geography: The Nile River in Egypt was central to the development of Egyptian civilization, providing water, fertile soil for planting crops, and easy access to trade routes.
Government: Ancient Egypt was governed by a long series of strong rulers called pharaohs who had complete authority over all religious, civil, and military matters. This type of government is called theocracy.
Military: During the New Kingdom, Egypt grew powerful and its army expanded the empire. Egypt became rich from war and taxes from conquered lands.
Knowledge of Medicine, Science, and Mathematics: Ancient Egyptian advances in medicine, science, and mathematics helped the Egyptians understand human anatomy, treat illnesses, develop a calendar, design buildings, and become successful in trade.
Directions: You will fill in the information as you find the answers through the passages that follow. You will complete this form in your NOTEBOOK.
Directions: You will go to your NOTEBOOK to complete the above graphic organizer and your map of Africa when instructed to do so.
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Directions: You will need your NOTEBOOK. Students will evaluate the similarities and differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Make sure that you use evidence from the sources and outside knowledge to support your answers. Use the following questions to help you establish your claim.
What physical features are present in Egypt?
What similarities are there between the climate and physical geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt?
What significant differences are present in these two culture's climate or geography?
Famous Egyptian Woman Pharaoh Queen Nefertiti, Cleopatra
Egyptian Irrigation
Although the climate around Egypt is arid desert, the area along the Nile River is rich and fertile, especially near the river's delta. In ancient times, as well as today, Egyptian civilization was based along this river. People have always depended on the Nile for food and transportation.
Ancient Egypt Agriculture & Tools
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Pictures of Ancient Egypt, Priest, Pharaohs, Clothing, Pyramids, and More.
Queen Nefertiti
Pharaoh
Clothing of the Pharaoh and Queen
The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Pyramids
Ceasar
Alexander the Great
The Sphinx
Hatshepsut
First, let's watch the video to the right to hear some interesting facts about Egypt and the Wholly Mammoths, What, What, wait. Interesting, check it out.
I want to introduce to everyone a wonderful WEBSITE. There is so much information on this page. You may have students use this for investigative purposes. This is simply to provide additional information for both teachers and students.
Click on the blue bar below and go to the site. All of your questions will be answered. Explore and imagine.
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None of the achievements of the remarkable ancient Egyptian civilization would have been possible without the Nile River. There is always a connection between landscape and how a people develop. It does not take the wisdom of a sphinx to understand why.
Archaeologists and historians don't know exactly how Egyptian civilization evolved. It is believed that humans started living along the Nile's banks starting in about 6,000 B.C.E. For the earliest inhabitants of the Nile Valley food was not easy to find. There were no McTut's selling burgers, and, though there were a lot of crocodiles, those critters were pretty hard to catch.
Over time, however, despite being in the midst of desert surroundings, people discovered that the Nile River provided many sources of food. Along the river were fruit trees, and fish swam in the Nile in great numbers.
Perhaps most importantly, they discovered that, at the same time each year, the Nile flooded for about six months. As the river receded, it deposited a rich, brown layer of silt that was suitable for growing wheat, beans, barley, or even cotton. Farmers learned to dig short canals leading to fields near the Nile, thus providing fresh water for year-round irrigation. Planting immediately after a flood yielded harvests before the next year's flood.
In order to know when to plant, the Egyptians needed to keep track of the days. They developed a calendar based on the flooding of the Nile that proved remarkably accurate. It contained a year of 365 days divided into 12 months of 30 days each. The five extra days fell at the end of the year.
Here's a problem that the Sphinx might have trouble answering: How did the ancient Egyptians make their calendars? What material did they use? Remember, there was no paper. Need a clue? Take a dip in the Nile.
Large reeds called papyrus grew wild along the Nile. The Egyptians developed a process that turned these reeds into flattened material that could be written on (also called papyrus). In fact, the English word "paper" has its root in the ancient Greek word "papyrus." Among the first things written on papyrus were calendars that tracked time.
Papyrus had many other uses. Boats were constructed by binding the reeds together in bundles. Baskets, mats, rope, and sandals were also fashioned from this multipurpose material.
Egyptians writing system - Hieroglyphics
People have settled on the banks of the River Nile for thousands of years. It provides sustenance for their lifestyles.
The Nile River has always been the defining feature of ancient Egyptian civilization. Its floodwaters irrigated crops, its papyrus was used to make a type of paper, its waters provided trade and commerce routes, and the limestone along its banks was used to build the Great Pyramids.
Directions: Go to your NOTEBOOK to complete the notes page after watching the videos to write about what you learned from the 2 videos.
The Nile River at Sunset
Egyptians writing system - Hieroglyphics
The changing role of women in Egyptian Art: From Beauty to Power
Explore the ancient civilization of Egypt through the eyes of Ahtet, a young student whose journals offer a guided tour of his country. Part history, part geography, and part journal-writing, this animated series makes the ancient world relevant to today's students. Introduce students to ancient Egypt through the journals of Ahtet, a young boy who writes about his life and civilization. In this episode, explore the geography of the Nile and learn about the development of irrigation and agriculture in Egypt. See how papyrus is harvested and made into paper, examine the origin of hieroglyphs, and hear the timeless story of Isis and Osiris.
Even today, the world around the Nile is quite barren. Outside of the narrow swath of greenery next to the river, there is sand as far as the eye can see. To the Nile's west exists the giant Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world.
From north to south, the Sahara is between 800 and 1,200 miles wide; it stretches over 3,000 miles from east to west. The total area of the Sahara is more than 3,500,000 square miles. It's the world's biggest sandbox.
And, as if there weren't enough sand in the Sahara, east of the Nile are other deserts.
Although sand had limited uses, these deserts presented one tremendous strategic advantage: few invaders could ever cross the sands to attack Egypt — the deserts proved too great a natural barrier.
After learning to take advantage of the Nile's floods — and not having to fear foreign attacks — the Egyptians concentrated on improving farming techniques. As the years passed, Egyptians discovered that wheat could be baked into bread, that barley could be turned into a soup (or even beer), and that cotton could be spun into clothing.
With many of life's necessities provided, the Egyptians started thinking about other things, such as art, government, religion, and philosophy — some of the basics needed to create a civilization. Eventually, pyramids, mummies, Cleopatra, and the Sphinx of Giza became touchstones of this flourishing culture.
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Video on the Nile Nile River in Egypt
Map of Egypt
Along the Nile River
Along the Nile River
Nile River
Nile River
Nile River
Nile River
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NOTE: Your teacher will let you know if you have to do this homework.
This is additional information about the lives of Egyptians. It is full of information that may help you in this Topic. Please go to your NOTEBOOK and complete the activity for this "Expository Nonfiction" story about the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Answer the 5 questions at the end of the book.
Why did the Greeks call Egypt "the gift of the Nile"?
How do ancient Egyptian meals compare to your meals today?
How did the Nile River influence life in ancient Egypt?
How was ancient Egyptian medicine different from modern medicine of today? How are the two the same?
Which detail from the book made the biggest impression on you? Why?
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By John Baines Page 1
Throughout antiquity, Egypt's standing relied on its agricultural wealth and, therefore, on the Nile. Agriculture had not been the original basis of subsistence, but evolved, together with the land itself, during the millennia after the last Ice Age ended around 10,000 BC, expanding greatly from about 4500 BC onward.
By 3100 BC, the Nile Valley and delta had coalesced into a single entity that was the world's first large nation-state. As well as providing the region's material potential, the Nile and other geographical features influenced political developments and were significant in the development of Egyptian thought.
The land continued to develop and its population increased until Roman times. Important factors in this process were unity, political stability, and the expansion of the area of cultivated land. The harnessing of the Nile was crucial to growth.
It is uncertain how early and by how much the inundation was regulated. By the Middle Kingdom (c.1975-1640 BC) basin irrigation, in which large sections of the floodplain were managed as single units, was well established, but it may not have been practiced in the Old Kingdom (c.2575-2150 BC), when the great pyramids were built. The only area where there was major irrigation work before Graeco-Roman times was the Faiyum, a lakeside oasis to the west of the Nile. Here Middle Kingdom kings reclaimed land by controlling the water flow along a side river channel and directing it to irrigate extra land while lake water levels were lowered. Their scheme did not last. (Picture shown below)
The Nile River Picture above
and Video below
Harnessing the Nile: Trade
What is a Delta? Deltas are wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water. The Nile delta, created as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea, has a classic delta formation. The upper delta, influenced by the Nile's flow, is the most inland portion of the landform. The wide, low-lying lower delta is more influenced by the waves and tides of the Mediterranean.
Canals dug to get water to crops
Annual Flooding of the Nile
The Nile River and Delta after Flood
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Paragraph 1: Egyptian texts say little about irrigation and the provision of water. Exceptions are biographies of local leaders of the disunited First Intermediate Period (c.2125-1975 BC), who claimed that they built canals and supplied water to their own people when others had none. In more prosperous times such matters may have been taken for granted or not thought worth mentioning in public texts.
Paragraph 2: The Nile's annual inundation was relatively reliable, and the floodplain and Delta were very fertile, making Egyptian agriculture the most secure and productive in the Near East. When conditions were stable, food could be stored against scarcity. The situation, however, was not always favorable. High floods could be very destructive; sometimes growth was held back through crop failure due to poor floods; sometimes there was population loss through disease and other hazards. Contrary to modern practice, only one main crop was grown per year.
Vegetables grown in small plots needed irrigating all year...
Paragraph 3: Crops could be planted after the inundation, which covered the Valley and Delta in August and September; they needed minimal watering and ripened from March to May. Management of the inundation in order to improve its coverage of the land and to regulate the period of flooding increased yields, while drainage and the accumulation of silt extended the fields. Vegetables grown in small plots needed irrigating all year from water carried by hand in pots, and from 1500 BC by artificial water-lifting devices. Some plants, such as date palms, whose crops ripened in the late summer, drew their water from the subsoil and needed no other watering.
Directions: Before reading the entire article, go to paragraphs 2 and 3 to explore how Egyptians learned to use the floods to their benefit. (In other words, how did the Egyptians use the flooding waters to help them.)
Go to your NOTEBOOK to write down your ideas.
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The river provided the principal source of protein. The principal crops were cereals, emmer wheat for bread, and barley for beer. These diet staples were easily stored. Other vital plants were flax, which was used for products from rope to the finest linen cloth and was also exported, and papyrus, a swamp plant that may have been cultivated or gathered wild. Papyrus roots could be eaten, while the stems were used for making anything from boats and mats to the characteristic Egyptian writing material; this too was exported. A range of fruit and vegetables was cultivated. Meat from livestock was a minor part of the diet, but birds were hunted in the marshes and the Nile produced a great deal of fish, which was the main animal protein for most people.
These features are known from finds of plant and animal residues and from texts. The Egyptians also celebrated their world in the decoration of tombs. There we see many images of agriculture and animal husbandry, but the Nile itself is largely absent. Instead, the focus of watery scenes is on marshes where game was hunted and on small watercourses that were crossed by peasants and herders. Pictures in temples of major festivals and of the return of trading and transport expeditions that used large ships are the main representations that show the river explicitly. These scenes brought glory to the king, who commissioned the expeditions.
The shape of the land was significant in other ways. The Delta and its mouths posed obstacles to invaders. Travel into the desert or to Asia was altogether more difficult than movement within Egypt, where the ease of boat travel on the Nile was a major unifying force in such a long, thin country. In social terms, however, the river could also separate people. The image of a poor man was someone who had no boat, whom the more fortunate should ferry across. Dying was 'coming to land' on the other side, and the passage into the next world was a 'crossing.'
Government - Kings controlled agricultural resources
Government Officials
Ancient Egyptian Government
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The compactness of Egypt focused on the Nile, favored political unity, which brought both potentials for exploiting the land's fertility and obligations for rulers. Kings controlled agricultural resources through ultimate ownership of land, taxation of its produce, administrative measures to ensure that it was cultivated, and compulsory labor. In return for control, they were responsible for storage and for provision against failures, so that they took upon themselves much that is achieved through cooperation in small societies.
The increasingly centralized organization of the third millennium BC created a disciplined labor force, which was used to build vast royal monuments and elite tombs. This force worked to create the fortifications and pyramids of the Middle Kingdom, and following the imperial expansion built the temples and tombs of the New Kingdom (c.1550-1070 BC). It also made possible the building and other activities of the Graeco-Roman period.
Effective organization and the productivity of inundation agriculture made all this possible, freeing people to follow specialized and elite occupations while releasing them temporarily from the land during the slack summer months. When central control collapsed, chiefly in the three Intermediate periods (c.2125-1975, 1630-1520, 1075-715 BC), few monuments were constructed and there was little political expansion.
...after reunification monumental projects and high culture revived...
Despite this, the agricultural basis of power and prosperity was not destroyed, and after reunification monumental projects and high culture revived. However, for most people, the diversion of labor made possible by high productivity was not a personal benefit but served rulers and elites. Except in times of great political instability, the lot of many may have been as good or better in the Intermediate periods, although traditional values probably always favored centralized government to some extent.
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The Nile god Hapy, from a statue of Ramesses II in the temple of Luxor
The Nile, so fundamental to the country's well-being, did not play a very prominent part in the religious life of Egypt. The Egyptians took their world largely for granted and praised the gods for its good features. There was no name for the Nile, which was simply the 'river' (the word 'Nile' is not ancient Egyptian). The bringer of water and fertility was not the river but its inundation called 'Hapy', who became a god. Hapy was an image of abundance, but he was not a major god.
Kings and local potentates likened themselves to Hapy in their provision for their subjects, and hymns to Hapy dwell on the inundation's bountiful nature, but they do not relate him to other gods so that he stands a little apart. He was not depicted as a normal god but as a fat figure bringing water and the products of abundance to the gods. He had no temple but was worshipped at the start of the inundation with sacrifices and hymns at Gebel el-Silsila, where the hills meet the river, north of Aswan.
The major god most closely connected with the Nile was Osiris. In myth, Osiris was a king of Egypt who was killed by his brother Seth on the river bank and cast into it in a coffin. His corpse was cut into pieces. Later, his sister and widow Isis succeeded in reassembling his body and reviving it to conceive a posthumous son, Horus.
Osiris, however, did not return to this world but became king of the underworld. His death and revival were linked to the land's fertility. In a festival celebrated during the inundation, damp mud figures of Osiris were planted with barley, whose germination stood for the revival both of the god and of the land.
Egyptian Art
Hapi, god of science
Egyptian God
Life of Nobleman and their families
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The Nile and its inundation were basic to the Egyptian world-view. Unlike most peoples, the Egyptians oriented towards the south, from which the river came, so that the west was on their right - with the result that it was the 'good' side for passage into the next world. The year and calendar were adjusted to the Nile and the stars. New Year was in mid-July when the river began to rise for the inundation; this coincided approximately with the reappearance of the star Sirius (Egyptian Sothis) in the sky after 70 days' invisibility. Sothis provided the astronomical anchor for the 365-day calendar. The river defined three seasons of four months: 'Inundation' and 'Emergence' (November-March) when the land reappeared and could be cultivated, and 'Heat' or Harvest when crops were gathered and the water was lowest.
...they termed rain in other countries an 'inundation in the sky'.
In some ways, the Nile's fundamental importance for the sustaining of human life may be more obvious to us than it was to the ancient Egyptians. They thought of its regular flooding, so essential for the fertility of the land it ran through, as the natural state of affairs - so much so that they termed rain in other countries an 'inundation in the sky.'
The Egyptians had a relatively matter-of-fact attitude to the river...
In order to appreciate the Nile's position in antiquity, we should see it through ancient eyes, remembering the ancient distinctions between the divine and the human. The Egyptians had a relatively matter-of-fact attitude towards the river, whose inundations could sometimes cause destruction but were seen as a beneficent moral force. Egyptian gods, by contrast, were seen as complex beings whose abode was outside the physical world of the land and river. It was left to the Greeks and Romans to make a god of the Nile, as they had of the other rivers of the world.
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Students, if possible, we will hold a discussion in which you all will evaluate the similarities and differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia. We will use conversation stems that your teacher will provide. If we are unable to have a discussion, students will prepare a VENN DIAGRAM instead. Either way, you will need to provide evidence from the sources and outside knowledge to support your answers. Here are some questions that we can consider to aid in our discussion or Venn diagram. Questions should be answered prior to the discussion or completion of the Venn diagram.
QUESTIONS:
Why was the Nile River important to the ancient Egyptians?
How did the Egyptians use the Nile?
How was the development of Egypt's culture influenced by its physical geography?
How was the influence of the Nile River on the Egyptians different from the influence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers on Mesopotamia?
The Nile River
Take a boat ride on the Nile
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Students, please stop for a moment and brainstorm about images and people that come to mind when you think of Ancient Egypt. Go to your NOTEBOOK and create a word page. Insert text boxes, outline them with the color feature and place them any way that you would like to on the page. I can't wait to see all the words you come up with. I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about in your NOTEBOOK. I think I have an idea about what you might be thinking. Your words should reflect the height of the ancient Egyptian civilization, from about 3000 to 1000 BCE, when pharaohs ruled Egypt. (HINT) You can Google Ancient Egyptian civilization from 3000 to 1000 BCE - words. See what you get.
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Students will complete the Egypt's Greatest Leaders task to learn about the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. You will view a number of video clips from the Egypt's Golden Empire Website along with content from the Pharaohs feature of the Website. As you watch and read, record information you learn about each of the pharaohs on the list below. Be sure to include as much detail as possible. Read over the details you should be focusing on before viewing the clips and website content. If time permits, we could possibly use this information to create a project related to the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Your Research Guide could be GRADED.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra
Cleopatra
Pharaoh
'Pharaoh' is the term we use today to describe the rulers of ancient Egypt.
'Pharaoh' is actually a Greek word that is based on an Egyptian word that meant 'great house.' When this word was first used, it referred to the palace and its greatness, not just to the ruler himself. However, later in Egyptian history the title 'pharaoh' meant ruler.
Click on the website below through Egypt Tours Portal to see the most famous pharaohs of Egypt to help in your research. Try the ancient history list as well. Let's go! Click on the blue buttons (next to the red dots) listed below to take you to the world of Egypt.
The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple.'
As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the lands, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honor the gods.
Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.
Pharaoh Hatshepsut
Pharaoh Ramesses II
Queen Nefertiti served alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 BCE)
Queen Nefertiti
Pharaoh Amenhotep III
Pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut)
Pharaoh Tuthmosis III
Pharaoh Akenhaten
Students will research Egypt's greatest leaders to learn about the the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Students will complete a table with 4 of the great Pharaohs shown above in their NOTEBOOK. Teacher's Choice. Students are welcome to do more.
The Egyptian who proved women could be powerful pharaohs
BY JOHNNA RIZZO
Hatshepsut, like other pharaohs, was the child of a king. Unlike the others, she was a woman.
One of only a few female pharaohs in thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history, Hatshepsut didn’t inherit her rulership like a man would have—only sons were allowed to succeed their fathers. She was born around 1504 B.C., and when her father, King Thutmose I, died without sons, Hatshepsut married her half-brother, Thutmose II, to help him become pharaoh.
When he died, his son—Hatshepsut’s stepson—became pharaoh, even though he was just three years old. Hatshepsut ruled in his name, but he was still considered the only pharaoh. But when Thutmose III was about eight years old, she took the throne herself and officially became his coruler around 1473 B.C. Some historians think she made the move because other people wanted to steal the throne, and she knew if they were both pharaohs they would be too powerful to overthrow. Hatshepsut and Thutmose III would rule together as pharaohs for the next 22 years.
Considered one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs—man or woman—Hatshepsut brought great wealth and artistry to her land. She sponsored one of Egypt’s most successful trading expeditions, bringing back gold, ebony, and incense from a place called Punt (probably modern-day Eritrea, a country in Africa). She secured her legacy by building structures that still stand today. She added two hundred-foot-tall obelisks at the great temple complex at Karnak. (One is still intact.) And she built the mortuary Temple of Deir el Bahri, a structure with several floors of columns in front, where she’d eventually be buried.
Hatshepsut's burial temple at Deir el Bahari sits beneath towering cliffs on the west bank of the Nile River, near Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
During her reign as pharaoh, Hatshepsut was often depicted in a male form, with a beard, male body, and wearing the traditional king’s kilt and crown. This was likely due to a lack of words or symbols to portray a woman with a pharaoh’s status, and not due to a desire to trick people into thinking she was a man.
As pharaoh, Hatshepsut re-established trade routes that had been disrupted by the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550 BC). She was also responsible for the first recorded attempt to transplant foreign trees, when she brought 31 live myrrh trees from Punt.
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Use the timeline below to list the different cultures who ruled Egypt in the major civilizations section of your African Civilizations worksheets. (The African Map)
Following dates:
3000 BCE: Upper and Lower Egypt united: first pharaohs
2670 BCE – 2181 BCE: Egypt's Old Kingdom: Pyramids built at Giza
2181 BCE – 2060 BCE: Egypt ruled as separate Upper (Thebes) and Lower (Memphis) kingdoms
2055 BCE – 1802 BCE: Egypt's Middle Kingdom: Upper and Lower Egypt reunited
1802 BCE – 1550 BCE: Egypt ruled by Hyksos invaders
1550 BCE – 1077 BCE: Egypt's New Kingdom: King Tut rules (9 years)
1077 BCE – 332 BCE: Egypt ruled by Libya, then Nubia, then Persia
332 BCE – 309 BCE: Egypt ruled by Macedonia (Alexander the Great), then Rome (Cleopatra)
Look at the timetable to the left to get the information you need to put into your African Civilizations worksheet.
Ancillary Content
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Teachers you can put your students in Chat rooms if you are virtual or if you are in the classroom, you can put students in groups or let them work independently with one aspect of daily life in ancient Egypt from the following list:
religious beliefs (polytheistic)
fishing/hunting
burial customs
architecture/housing
farming/agriculture
government
food/drink
writing/song/dance/games
clothing/jewelry/cosmetics
inventions/achievements
-Students, you will conduct research on the Egyptian Old Kingdom in order to complete a brief presentation about your assigned aspect of Egyptian life. The presentations should include as many details as possible including pictures or drawings of at least five relevant artifacts.
-While students are presenting, the rest of the class will record details of Egyptian civilization on the Characteristics of Civilizations organizer.
Here are some links to check out:
https://www.historyforkids.net/ancient-egyptian-games.html website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMCRaqdKTfs video needs to be converted
https://www.q-files.com/history/ancient-egypt/fishing-and-hunting-on-the-nile Ancient Egypt
There are many interesting facts in this textbook to help you with some information on these topics. You may use Google to research your topic. Remember to ask Google the right questions or you will get bad information. If you need help, please ask your parents or someone to help you. Check out the book imbedded in this textbook - above. I think it mentions many of these topics about the daily life in ancient Egypt. You will also need to find pictures. I will provide an example of the work that you will need to do.
Essential Content
Egyptian Jewelry
Website - Use for Research
I will provide an example for you.
Click on the Ancient Egptian Games picture to the left to go to the Website for research, or simply click #1 below:
1. https://www.historyforkids.net/ancient-egyptian-games.html
2. https://bentimmyegyptmuseum.weebly.com/social-classes.html
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Historians and archaeologists have determined that the Egyptian pyramids were constructed by tens of thousands of workers laboring across two to three decades on each. What remains less certain, is who these workers were. In this lesson, students will complete the Egyptian Pyramids task to determine who built the famous structures and the importance of the pyramids.
The Pyramids of Giza are one of the most famous monuments in the world. In this lesson, learn how, when and why the famous pyramids were built and their significance to Egyptian history.
The Pyramids of Giza are the largest and most recognizable pyramid structures in the world. They were built to honor certain Pharaohs of the fourth ruling dynasty of Egypt during a period known as the Old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom was the first great era of Egyptian civilization and lasted from 2686 to 2181 BCE. The pyramid complex at Giza consists of three main pyramids as well as the famous Sphinx statue. Today, Giza is located just outside of Cairo, Egypt.
The pyramid of Khufu is the largest of the three pyramids at Giza and holds the record for the world's largest stone structure, standing over 480 feet high. It was built during the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu, the second Pharaoh of the fourth dynasty. The second-largest pyramid at Giza is that of Khufu's son, Khafra. The famous Sphinx statue is believed to have also been constructed to honor and resemble the Pharaoh Khafra and stands beside his pyramid. The third and smallest of the main pyramids at Giza is that of another Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, Menkaure. It stands at just over 200 feet high. Each of these pyramids forms the center of their own complex of structures, which includes smaller tombs, chambers, work camps, and cemeteries for lesser elites.
Pyramids were constructed throughout Ancient Egyptian history as a means for Pharaohs to display their power. Upon the death of a Pharaoh, his body was mummified and entombed, sometimes in a pyramid or in an adjacent tomb, along with valuable possessions and often times even mummified servants and pets for use in the afterlife. It was believed that a Pharaoh was a semi-divine being who ruled on Earth during life and then passed into an afterlife amongst the gods. Religion stood at the very center of Egyptian society, and the Pharaoh served as both a religious and secular leader.
The Sphinx of Giza - One of the most famous
Pyramid of Khufu - The largest of three pyramids.
Large pyramids like those at Giza are evidence that ancient Egyptian society was well organized, prosperous, and very hierarchical. Such pyramids could not have been built without massive inputs of labor from tens of thousands of workers laboring for years on end. Similarly, such labor could not have been marshaled without strict oversight and a rigid social hierarchy.
The actual task of constructing the pyramids would have required extensive planning and organization. The giant stone blocks used to build them weighed several tons and were transported over great distances to the building site using riverboats and specially constructed ramps. Labor was likely seasonal, as many working on the pyramids had to tend to their crops during the spring and summer.
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Answer the following questions to help you write about the Geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt:
Why were so many outside cultures compelled to invade and conquer Egypt?
What about the physical geography, climate, or environment of the homelands of invading cultures that might have driven them towards Egypt?