“Egypt, is wholly the gift of the Nile” – Greek historian Herodotus

Looking at these pictures, what do you think Herodotus meant by his

statement?

Human settlement almost entirely along Nile River.

Nile floods spread fertile silt, good for agriculture (“Black Land”).

Beyond river valley was dry, sun-baked desert (“Red Land”).

Two Main Regions:

Upper Egypt = Southern area (plateau)

Lower Egypt = Northern area (delta)

Pharaoh Menes unites these separate regions into one kingdom ~ 3100

B.C.E.

1. 2700 B.C.E. – 2200 B.C.E.

2. Monarchy: pharaohs and royal family held all power.

3. Achievements: Pyramids (tombs for rulers & royal families)

4. Problems: power struggles, crop failures, and the expense of pyramid-building.

1. 2050 B.C.E. to 1800 B.C.E.

2. Achievements: large river drainage project to create more farmable land, conquest & settlement of gold-rich Nubia

3. Problems: Corrupt government led to political rebellions, Nile River didn’t flood regularly, invasions by the Hyksos.

1. 1550 B.C.E. to 1100 B.C.E.

2. Powerful rulers: Queen Hatshepsut (trade) and Ramses II (conquest).

3. Achievements: building of long-distance trade networks and military conquests.

4. Problems: invasions by Hittites, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.

Akhenaton, rebelled against Amon-Re worship.

Tutankhamen, 18-yr. old king of the New Kingdom.

Ramses II, powerful king who expanded Egyptian rule.

AnubisIsis & Osiris Horus

Entrance to a burial tomb.

Abu Simbel Temple entrance.

Pyramids of Giza, built during the Old Kingdom.

Temple for Queen Hatshepsut, female pharaoh.

Early Egyptians regularly made & drank beer.

Egyptians also cultivated grapes to make wine.

The large amount of grains produced in Egyptian field led to the making of bread.

Hieroglyphic Carvings

The Rosetta Stone – a tablet with a phrase written in hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek.

List of hieroglyphic symbols.

Hunting along the Nile.

Senet was a very popular game in Egypt.

Music & dancing were appreciated in all levels of Egyptian society.

Canopic jars held the stomach, intestines, lungs, & liver. The heart was left in the body for the afterlife.

It was believed that Anubis had a specific process that must be followed for mummification.→→→→→→→

A mummy was stored in a sarcophagus, which was richly decorated with prayers & tools for the afterlife.←←←←←