Location and Kingdoms Location and Kingdoms Location and Kingdoms Location and Kingdoms •The Ancient Egyptian civilization flour- ished in northeastern Africa around the Nile River for over 3,000 years. This civilization was divided into three different political pe- riods — the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. •The Egyptian civilization began to coalesce around 3150 BCE with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt (the South- ern and Northern Egyptian Kingdoms along the Nile). The Old King- dom began around 2680 BCE, and lasted approxi- mately 500 years. •Because of its extensive focus on construction, the Old Kingdom is referred to as the “age of pyramids”. Ancient Egypt SLMS/16 The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile… •Location, location, location! It was ex- tremely important for the Egyptians. The Nile river flowed through a hot and arid desert land. It flowed north and fanned out into a triangular delta before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. •The Nile divided the desert into what the Egyptians called the Eastern and West- ern deserts. These deserts were hostile, and provided a natural barrier to invasion. •Most importantly, the Nile provided water for the people living in this arid land. It flooded predictably every year, leaving behind a thick fertile mud known as silt silt silt silt. This, coupled with water for crops was essential for the survival of this civilization. This is why the Greek historian Herodotus suggested that Egypt was “the gift of the Nile.” Political Construct Political Construct Political Construct Political Construct •The Egyptian political structure differed from the independent Sumerian city-states found in Mesopotamia. With the unification of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of Egypt around 3150 BCE, the Egyptians had a uni- fied system ruled by a central leader. This leader was called a pharaoh pharaoh pharaoh pharaoh. •When the Old Kingdom was established, the role of the pharaoh was as well. In contrast to Mesopotamian Kings who repre- sented the gods, the pharaoh was actually considered divine. The pharaoh was considered the son of Ra (the sun god), and was guided by the spirit of Horus (god of the sky). Images of the pharaoh of- ten include a sun-like disc (Ra), and the head of a falcon (Horus). Decline & Conquest Decline & Conquest Decline & Conquest Decline & Conquest •The Old Kingdom declined as a result of re- curring famine, and finally fell around 2180 BCE. This led to a period of de-centralized rule for over 100 years. •Pharaohs re-asserted control around 2040 BCE and established the Middle Kingdom, which lasted until 1640 BC when it was conquered by a group of people known as the Hyksos. They ruled over Egypt for about 100 years. The New Kingdom was established around 1570 BCE, and lasted about 500 years before falling to invaders.

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Page 1: LL Ancient Middle East - 1.cdn.edl.io · Location and Kingdoms Location and Kingdoms •Location, location, location! It was ex-•The Ancient Egyptian civilization flour-ished in

Location and KingdomsLocation and KingdomsLocation and KingdomsLocation and Kingdoms

•The Ancient Egyptian civilization flour-ished in northeastern Africa around the Nile River for over 3,000 years. This civilization was divided into three different political pe-riods — the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. •The Egyptian civilization began to coalesce around 3150 BCE with the political unifica-tion of Upper and Lower Egypt (the South-ern and Northern Egyptian Kingdoms along the Nile). The Old King-dom began around 2680 BCE, and lasted approxi-mately 500 years. •Because of its extensive focus on construction, the Old Kingdom is referred to as the “age of pyramids”.

Ancient Egypt SLMS/16

The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile… The Gift of the Nile…

•Location, location, location! It was ex-tremely important for the Egyptians. The Nile river flowed through a hot and arid de-sert land. It flowed north and fanned out into a triangular delta before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. •The Nile divided the desert into what the Egyptians called the Eastern and West-ern deserts. These deserts were hostile, and provided a natural barrier to invasion. •Most importantly, the Nile provided water for the people living in this arid land. It flooded predictably every year, leaving behind a thick fertile mud known as siltsiltsiltsilt. This, coupled with wa-ter for crops was essential for the survival of this civilization. This is why the Greek historian Herodotus suggested that Egypt was “the gift of the Nile.”

Political ConstructPolitical ConstructPolitical ConstructPolitical Construct

•The Egyptian political structure differed from the independent Sumerian city-states found in Mesopotamia. With the unification of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of Egypt around 3150 BCE, the Egyptians had a uni-fied system ruled by a central leader. This leader was called a pharaohpharaohpharaohpharaoh. •When the Old Kingdom was es-tablished, the role of the phar-aoh was as well. In contrast to Mesopotamian Kings who repre-sented the gods, the pharaoh was actually considered divine. The pharaoh was considered the son of Ra (the sun god), and was guided by the spirit of Horus (god of the sky). Images of the pharaoh of-ten include a sun-like disc (Ra), and the head of a falcon (Horus).

Decline & ConquestDecline & ConquestDecline & ConquestDecline & Conquest

•The Old Kingdom declined as a result of re-curring famine, and finally fell around 2180 BCE. This led to a period of de-centralized rule for over 100 years. •Pharaohs re-asserted control around 2040 BCE and established the Middle Kingdom, which lasted until 1640 BC when it was conquered by a group of people known as the Hyksos. They ruled over Egypt for about 100 years. The New Kingdom was estab-lished around 1570 BCE, and lasted about 500 years before falling to invaders.