Unit 2 – Ancient Egypt, India and China
Chapter 3 – Ancient Egypt and Nubia
Vocabulary
1. Nubia - region along the Nile River
2. cataract - rock-filled rapid river
3. delta - triangle-shaped area at the mouth of a river
4. silt - rich, fertile soil deposited by flood waters
5. pharaoh - title for kings of Egypt
6. dynasty - a family of rulers
7. absolute power - complete control
8. regent - someone who rules for a child
9. afterlife - life in which the dead are believed to live again
10. mummy - dead body preserved in a lifelike condition
11. pyramid - triangle-shaped tomb with four sloping sides
12. Giza - city in Egypt, located on the west bank of the Nile
River
13. hieroglyphs - paintings on the walls of tombs and temples
14. papyrus - Egyptian form of paper
15. astronomer - scientists who study the stars
16. ore - a type of rock that contains minerals with important
elements, including metals
- Lower Nubia - civilization located between the 1st and 2nd cataracts of
the White Nile
18. Upper Nubia - civilization located between he 3rd and 6th cataracts of
the Blue Nile
19. artisan - someone who has special skills
20. kingdoms - in Egypt, they were time periods, not places
Unit 2 – Ancient Egypt, India and China
Chapter 3 - Ancient Egypt and Nubia (3100 BC – 31 BC)
Section 1 – Geography of the Nile
Obj: How the geography of the Nile changes as the river runs its course; the types of communities that first appeared along the Nile, and how the Nile was used for trade.
Greek historian Herodotus wrote “Egypt is the gift of the Nile”. He observed Egypt, other lands and how the Nile River’s life-giving water. His basic truth was that there would be no Egypt without the Nile.
The Course of the Nile River
· The world’s longest river
· Flows north from its sources in East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea
· More than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) (distance from NY to Alaska)
· Two Main Sources
o The Blue Nile
§ Rises in the highlands of present-day Ethiopia and races down to the desert in torrents
o The White Nile
§ Calmer than the Blue
§ Begins deep in East Africa and flows northward
o The two sources meet in present-day Sudan, then begin a journey through desert lands to the Mediterranean Sea
The Nile through Ancient Nubia
· Just north of where the two sources meet, the Nile makes two huge bends 1,000 miles in length (“S”).
o Northern tip of “S” is Aswan in Egypt
o Along this stretch is Nubia (an ancient region in the Nile River valley)
§ The Nubian section contained six cataracts (rock-filled rapids)
§ Lower Nubia – located between the 1st and 2nd cataracts
· Region – desert and granite mountains
· Left very little land for farming
· Rarely rained – people had to live close to Nile for water supply
§ Upper Nubia – located between the 2nd and 6th cataracts
· Rain does fall
· People could plant in the fall and harvest in the spring
· Farmland a very narrow strip (no more than 2 miles wide on each side of the river)
The Nile through Ancient Egypt
· it ran about 700 miles through Egypt
· from the 1st cataract at Aswan to the Mediterranean Sea
o Upper Egypt – a narrow region
§ Fertile land only 6 miles wide on each side of the river
§ Continued North
§ Spread out to form Lower Egypt
o Lower Egypt –
§ A fertile-marshy area
§ Deserts stretched out on each side of the river’s green banks
· At the end of the Nile in the north
o The river split into several streams that flowed to the Mediterranean Sea (tributaries)
§ These streams formed an area called a delta (a plain at the mouth of a river – triangle shaped)
§ Flowing water deposited mineral-rich sediment
§ The Nile delta contained very fertile farmland
The Gifts of the Nile
· Every spring rushing downstream waters brought rich, fertile sediment called Silt (fine soil found on river bottoms)
· Late summer – the Nile spilled over to banks all the way to the delta.
o Floodwaters deposited a thick layer of silt
o Land ideal for farming
o Hapi (the god of the Nile) was praised in gratitude.
Black Land and Red Land
· Kemet – “the black land” (dark soil left by the Nile’s floods)
· Beyond the fertile river banks – “the red land” the vast desert.
o It spread out on either side of the river
§ To the west – most of the Sahara
§ To the east – part of the Sahara
o Land not friendly to human life
o Useless for farming
o Only those who knew the deserts well dared travel over them
Desert Protection
· Hot sands shielded Egypt and Nubia from foreign attack
o Protection Mesopotamia did not have
· Over a period of 2,000 years, Egypt and Nubia faced few invasions
· But they were not isolated
o Nile River Valley provided a path for trade with Central Asia
o Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea provided access to Southwest Asia
The Growth of Communities and Trade along the Nile
· Settled hunting and fishing communities may have appeared in Nubia around 6000 BC
o Unlike those of the Fertile Crescent that settled after taking up agriculture, the Nubians formed settlements before they began to farm.
· Settled farming communities began to appear in both Egypt and Nubia sometime around 5,000 BC.
· As these communities grew, so did their trade
Living along the Nile
· Egypt’s farming communities settled in the delta and valley region
o People of the delta region –
§ Built villages around river beds
§ Homes built of straw or mud bricks (mud and straw)
o Upper Egypt region-
§ People built scattered farming villages along river banks
o Nubia –
§ Less farmland along Nile than Egypt
§ Added fishing and hunting ducks and other birds
A Highway for Trade
· Nile used to transport goods
o Ships sailed up and down the river
o Links ran east across the desert to the Red Sea or Mesopotamia
o Caravans loaded with gold, silver, copper and fine pottery traveled over land routes
o Cedar from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and gold from Nubia were sold in bazaars of Egyptian towns
Routes Through Nubia
· Because of cataracts, people could not travel through Nubia by river
· Nubians developed trade routes over land
o They carried goods from central Africa and Nubia into Egypt and southwestern Asia and brought other goods back
§ Donkeys were used
* a throwstick , a type of boomerang, was one item brought back for hunting
Section 2 – The Rulers of Egypt
Obj: the history of kingship in ancient Egypt; Egypt’s accomplishments during the three kingdoms; what characterized the rule of Egypt during the New Kingdom
Egyptian pharaohs controlled the wealth and power of their civilizations. Although the title Hatshepsut, Cleopatra)
Egyptian Kingship
· Egyptian pharaohs
o Some were wise
o Some were cruel
o Some were careless
· Egypt’s fortunes rested on the strength of its pharaohs
From Dynasty to Dynasty
· Egypt had 31 dynasties (a dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family or ethnic group)
· These dynasties spanned from around 3100 BC until it was conquered in 332 BC
· These dynasties are grouped into three major time periods (called Kingdoms)
o Remember kingdoms were not a place, but a time period
§ The Old Kingdom – the earliest
§ The Middle Kingdom
§ The New Kingdom – the latest
**When looking at time frame remember any gaps between the kingdoms were times of troubles:
· Wars
· Invasions
· Weak rulers
**gaps were rare, most of ancient Egyptian history, rule was stable
Egypt is Unified
· Legend –
o Egypt’s first dynasty began when a king named Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt.
§ He built a city named Memphis (present-day Cairo)
§ Ruled over the “Two Lands” (name given to Upper and Lower Egypt)
§ Narmer carvings wearing two crowns (Narmer is thought to be Menes)
· White Crown – Upper Egypt
· Red Crown – Lower Egypt
· Blue Crown – War
All-Powerful Pharaohs
· Pharaohs had absolute power
· they had advisors to help with decision making
· they appealed to Ma ‘at, the goddess of truth
· In the end, the pharaoh made the final decision
· Ancient Egyptians believed that pharaohs were the earthly forms of Horus (the falcon god)
· Over time they were connected to other gods
o Re (the sun god)
· The pharaohs were believed to be god-kings
The Three Kingdoms
The Old Kingdom – 2686 BC – 2125 BC (Dynasties 3 – 8)
· known for its well-run system of government
· Kept the peace and traded with Nubia (only occasional conflicts)
· Sent merchants to find timber to build, off the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
· Toward the end of the kingdom – governors in the provinces began to challenge the power of the pharaohs government
· Egypt’s unity crumbled and the dynasties grew weak
The Middle Kingdom – 2055 BC – 1650 BC (Dynasties 11-13)
· Early rulers restored order and reunited the country
· Pharaohs spent nation’s wealth on public works instead of wars
o Buildings and irrigation projects
· Egypt grew richer
· Later weak and less able rulers followed.
o In time, they lost control of the country to foreign invaders
The New Kingdom – 1550 BC – 1069 BC (Dynasties 18-20)
· Egyptian princes became strong enough to drive out foreign invaders
o 1567 BC
· Pharaohs wanted to build an empire
· Created huge armies
o Foot soldiers
o Mounted warriors
o Charioteers
o Bronze swords
o Body armor
**all helped make Egypt nearly unbeatable
· Pharaohs were also scholars during this period
o King Tutankhamen became ruler while still a child
o Died at the age of 18
o Archaeologists discovered his tomb in 1922
Rule during the New Kingdom
· 1504 BC – Thutmose III, a child, began his reign.
· Because of his age he was appointed a regent (someone who rules for a child until they are old enough to rule)
· His stepmother, Hatshepsut, ruled for him
o Not content to be regent, had herself proclaimed pharaoh
§ Even wore a tiny beard (traditionally worn by her male counterparts)
o She ruled Egypt as pharaoh for about 15 years
o She was a good ruler
§ Bold leader
§ Created a great peace
§ Economic success
§ Encouraged trade
o When Thutmose III grew up, she refused to give up the throne to him
o After her death, Thutmose III became pharaoh and destroyed all Hatshepsut’s statues
**unsure if he had a part in Hatshepsut’s death
Thutmose III Rules
· Became one of the greatest pharaohs of the New Kingdom
· Led armies in wars against Syria and Phoenicia (Southwest Asia)
· His troops advanced as far east as the Euphrates River and south into Nubia
· He was more than a conqueror
o Well-educated
o Loved to study plants
o Unlike most rulers of his time, he treated those he defeated with mercy
Ancient Egypt After the New Kingdom
· Civil War left Egypt weak and poorly defended
· 332 BC - long after the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt fell to Alexander the Great of Macedonia
o The Macedonians continued to rule Egypt for another 300 years
· 51 BC - Queen Cleopatra VII became the last Macedonian to rule Egypt
o She shared the thrown with other members of her family until conquered by the Romans
· 31 BC – Egypt becomes part of the Roman Empire
o Cleopatra commits suicide to avoid the humiliation of being paraded through Egypt as a sign of Rome’s conquest
**Egypt would not govern itself again for almost 2,000 years
Section 3 – Egyptian Religion
Obj: Egyptian gods and goddesses; the Egyptian’s belief in the afterlife; how and why the pharaohs’ tombs were built
The Egyptians believed in the afterlife. They said prayers during the funeral, hoping to help the pharaoh’s soul on its way to the afterlife. Then the nobles and royal family followed the body at it was carried to the royal tomb. Workers closed the tomb and the mourners went home. The pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife had begun.
Ancient Egyptian prayer chanted over the body by the priest:
“You will live again. You will live forever. Behold, you will be young forever”
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
· Religion was an important part of daily life to ancient Egypt.
· They believed their gods and goddesses controlled the workings of nature
· They built temples to honor their gods, and offered them food, gifts and prayers
Regional Differences
· Early on, Egyptian town had their own gods and goddesses with their on temples
o Depicted with human bodies and animal heads
o All worshiped principal gods (Re (sun god) and Horus (falcon god)
· Over time, all ancient Egyptians came to believe in several groups of gods
Important Gods
· Amon-Re (chief god)
o Protected the rich and poor
o Believed he was born each morning in the east with the sunrise
o Believed he died each evening in the west with the sunset
**that was why the desert area to the west was believed to be the home of the dead
· Other powerful gods:
o Osiris (god of the living and the dead)
o Isis (wife of Osiris , and was the great mother who protected her children)
§ Horus the sun god was their son
Belief in the Afterlife
Artifacts and art left behind by the ancient Egyptians was the evidence in the belief in the afterlife.