Randolph IB Middle SchoolMr. Hardy

Unit 1

Walk Like an Egyptian:Ancient Egypt

Location, Location, Location

Egypt is located in Africa’s northeast corner.

Border by the Mediterranean Sea to the north.

Egypt is slightly more than 3 times the size of New Mexico.

Capital: CairoDeserts in the west

and east.

Egypt’s Lifeline:The Nile River

Longest river in the world.Flows south to north. In the south the

river is called the Upper Nile because it has a higher elevation.

Each year, the river floods due to upstream rain, depositing rich black soil called silt.

Most of Egypt’s population is clustered in the Nile’s river valley and delta (the river’s mouth forming a triangle).

Cataracts, or high waterfalls, make it hard to navigate in the south.

Think, Pair, ShareWhy would the river be considered Ancient Egypt’s Lifeline? What purpose does the river serve for the people?

How did the Nile flooding help farmer’s in ancient Egypt?

How did ancient Egyptians use the Nile’s water for farming?

Upper and Lower EgyptAncient Egypt is one of the world’s first

great civilizations.Geography kept Egypt isolated. Think

about what surrounds it. Why would this be so?

People created farming villages around the Nile about 4000 BC.

These villages became known as Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt at the Nile delta. Why?

Uniting Upper and Lower EgyptTradition says that King Menes of Upper

Egypt conquered Lower Egypt around 3100 BC and united the two kingdoms.

Modern Historians believe King Menes may have been a legend, and that it took several rulers to join the kingdoms.

King Menes founded the first Egyptian dynasty (series of rulers from one family).

Rulers came to be known as Pharaohs (meaning “great house” in Egyptian).

Old, Middle, and New KingdomsOld Kingdom2686 – 2181

BCStrong

Central Government

Supervised the construction of the pyramids

Middle Kingdom2055 – 1650 BC•Egypt conquered Nubia to the south- modern day Northern Sudan.•Nubia provided Egypt with slaves, soldiers, and gold.•Pharaoahs tombs were in the desert sands.

New Kingdom1550 – 1069 BC•Egypt became the strongest power in the world.•Queen Hatshepsut had a strong military, lots of trade, and built splendid temples.•Power peaked under Ramses II and his 66 year reign.

ConquestAfter the death of Ramses II, Egypt declined

(around 1213 BC).It fell to foreign invaders, including the

KUSH kingdom of Nubia.In 332 BC, Alexander the Great of

Macedonia conquered Egypt.Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals,

became king of Egypt and started a dynasty that lasted nearly 300 years.

Cleopatra and Marc Antony

One of the last Ptolemies was Queen Cleopatra who married Marc Antony (co-ruler of Rome).

They attempted to seize power from Antony’s co-ruler.

MAJOR FAIL! (31 BC)

The next year, Egypt became a Roman territory.

SummarizeList the civilizations that interacted with ancient Egypt.

Which do you think had the most impact?

Egyptian GodsPolytheistic SocietyPharaohs were earthly versions of

gods.Afterlife resembles life on earth so

they preserved a person’s body for the next life.

Tombs were packed with items they thought would be valuable in the afterlife including mummified pets.

MUMMIES!Preservation of the body for the next life.Embalmed, dried, and then wrapped in

linen bandages.

ContributionsPicture writing – hieroglyphicsPapyrus – paperlike scrollsEgyptian CalendarMedicine – pulse rate and setting broken

bonesGeometry – set land borders and design

buildings

Social SystemsThe social classes of the ancient Egyptians

forms a pyramid.The pharaoh at the top, then a small upper

class such as priests and nobles.Skilled workers and the educated made up

the middle classes.Government officials, scribes, craftsmen, and

merchants.Below the skilled workers were the farmers.Finally, at the bottom, the majority of the

population were the laborers and slaves.

Think About ItWhich social groups made up the “middle

class” in ancient Egypt?How did ancient Egyptians contribute to

language?How did the belief in an earthly kind of

afterlife affect the way Egyptians dealt with deaths and burials?

What does the level of priests in social hierarchy tell you about the role of religion in ancient Egypt?

Why do you think farmers were placed above the slaves and laborers?

AssignmentCreate a “Social Hierarchy Pyramid” by

creatively illustrating a pyramid with each of the Egyptian social roles and classes. Make sure that your pyramid illustrates each of the jobs and shows the hierarchy of the classes. Remember that the placement of each class should be based on how populated it is thus creating a pyramid shape.

Answer these questions:1. Why did ancient Egyptians cluster around

the valley and delta of the Nile River?2. Explain the importance of silt to the

ancient Egyptians.