Ancient EgyptThe Gift of the Nile

Ancient Egyptian Time

An Explanation

BC - Means "Before Christ" BCE – Before the Common Era

AD - Means "Anno Domini" (The Year of Our Lord)CE – After Common Era

Both BC and AD were adopted during the early formation of the Roman/Christian calendar.

First, the Egyptians developed a lunar calendar of 354 days.

In time, the Egyptians created a more accurate 360-day solar calendar

INTRODUCTION TO EGYPT

•Egyptian Civilization developed because of the Nile River

•Egyptian Civilization was called "The Gift of the Nile" by Herodotus, a Greek historian. Why?

The Nile River• Flows north more than 4,000• miles into the Mediterranean Sea • World’s longest river• Early people settled this area because

of its location near a source of water. • The Nile River Valley had virtually no

rainfall of its own• Without the river, civilization would not

have thrived – no water means all desert!

Why was the Nile Important?

1. Drinking & Bathing

• The Nile provided the daily necessities of life in Ancient Egypt

2. Farming

The Nile provided rich soil (from the silt) and water, producing three to four times more crops than regular rain-fed soil

Why was the Nile important?

3. Transportation• Egyptians built boats and traveled the Nile• The Nile linked all Egyptians - encouraged

community life• Encouraged trade

The Important Uses of the Nile

Egyptian

Geography

located in the northeast corner of Africa

Important because it is surrounded by natural barriers:

•desert•mountains•Mediterranean Sea

PROVIDED PROTECTION – 2,000

years, only three attacks!

Contributions of Ancient Egypt

They made important contributions to our civilization! They were the first to:

•Domesticate cats and honey bees

•Train carrier pigeons

•Tan leather

•Make glass

•Design mosquito netting

Contributions, cont… • Construct large canals and resevoirs

• Write on paper

• Study human anatomy

• Create a solar calendar

• Use scientific method of investigation

Vocabulary

• Delta – Maze of smaller rivulets that meander through green marshes until they finally empty into the Mediterranean Sea.

Vocabulary

• Wadis – Dried up river beds. Occasionally these fill with water after a heavy rain.

Vocabulary

• Cataracts – Waterfalls along southern part of the Nile. Creates a natural protective buffer.

Vocabulary

• Papyrus – a kind of paper made from plants

Vocabulary

• Artifact – tools, weapons, objects of art