CH 11 Section 1: Geography and Early Egypt
The Big Idea
The and soils of the NileValley enabled a great civilization to develop in Egypt.
Main Ideas
•Egypt was called the of the Nile because the NileRiver was so important.
•Civilization developed after people began along the NileRiver.
•Strong unified all of ancient Egypt.
Main Idea 1: Egypt was called the gift of the Nile because the NileRiver was so important.
•The NileRiver, the river in the world, brought life to and enabled it to thrive.
–It begins in central Africa and runs through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
–The civilization of ancient Egypt developed along a -mile stretch of the Nile.
•Ancient Egypt included two regions, southern and northern.
–Southern Egypt was called Egypt because it was upriver in relation to the Nile’s flow.
–Northern Egypt, or Egypt, was downriver.
The Nile
•South of Egypt, rocky terrain caused , or rapids, to form.
– The first cataract marked the southern border of Upper Egypt.
– Five more cataracts lay farther south.
•In Lower Egypt, the Nile divided into several that fanned out and flowed into the Mediterranean Sea.
– These branches formed a , a triangle-shaped area of land made from soil deposited by a river.
– Two-thirds of Egypt’s farmland was located in the Nile Delta.
•Each year rainfall south of Egypt caused in Upper Egypt in mid-summer and in Lower Egypt in the fall.
– The Nile’s flooding the land around it with a rich .
– Without the Nile’s regular flooding, people never could have in Egypt.
Main Idea 2: Civilization developed after people began farming along the NileRiver.
- Hunter-gatherers first moved into the NileValley more than 12,000 years ago.
- By BC farmers living in small villages grew and .
- Over time farmers in Egypt developed an system.
- Egyptians enjoyed a , with wheat, barley, fruits, vegetables, cattle, sheep, fish, wild geese and ducks.
Two Kingdoms
•Egypt’s location had barriers, which made it hard to
invade Egypt.
– To the west, the was too big and harsh to cross.
– To the north, the Mediterranean Sea kept many enemies away.
– To the east, more desert and the were barriers.
– To the south, Nile made sailing into Egypt hard.
•Villages grew— farmers became leaders— strong leaders controlled several villages— villages banded together to form two kingdoms.
•Capital of Lower Egypt was Pe in the Nile Delta.
•Capital of Upper Egypt was Nekhen on the Nile’s west bank
Main Idea 3: Strong kings unified all of ancient Egypt.
•According to tradition, rose to power in Upper Egypt around 3100 BC.
–Invaded Lower Egypt and married one of their to unify the two kingdoms
–Many consider Menes to be Egypt’s first , the title used by the rulers of ancient Egypt.
–Founded Egypt’s first , or series of from the same family.
–Built a new capital city, Memphis, at the southern tip of the Nile Delta.
•Egypt’s First Dynasty lasted for about years.
•In time some dynasties would rule ancient Egypt over a span of more than years.