Answer each question with no more than 2 words or a number

Ancient Egypt

In discussing agriculture and early civilizations, we’ve been approaching history through the lens of (1)______________ distribution and geography. And just as the violent and capricious Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the worldview of early Mesopotamians, the Nile shaped the worldview of the Egyptians.

The Nile was regular, navigable, and benign, making for one of the safest and richest agricultural areas in the world. Each (2)______________ the river flooded the fields at precisely the right time, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt for planting season.

Unlike most river valley civilizations, Egyptian communities existed ONLY along the Nile, which was navigable enough to get valuable resources downstream from timber to (3)______________, which the Egyptians considered the divine metal.

The Nile is also easily (4)______________. While other river valley civilizations needed complicated and labor-intensive hydraulic engineering projects to irrigate crops, the Nile was so chill that Egyptians could use a simple form of water management called (5)______________ irrigation, in which farmers used floodwaters to fill earthen basins and canals for irrigation.

In short, the awesomeness of the Nile meant Egyptians could create big food

(6) ______________ with relatively little work, allowing time and energy for some pretty impressive projects.

Also, the Nile may help explain the ancient Egypt’s general optimism:  while ancient Sumerian religion, for instance, saw the (7)______________  as this gloomy, dark place, Egyptians were often buried with things that were useful and pleasurable to them in life, because the afterlife was seen as a (8)______________ of this life, which, at least if you lived along the Nile, wasn’t half-bad.

Historians have divided Egyptian history into three broad categories:

• OLD KINGDOM:  This was really the glory age of ancient Egypt, the (9)______________ at Giza, the sun king Ra, and the idea of divine kingship.  The pyramids were built partly by (10) ______________  who were required by Egyptian law to work for the government a certain number of months per year, and partly by slaves.  Old Kingdom Egypt was also remarkably (11)______________:  They had two forms of writing, hieroglyphics for (12) ______________ and then demotic script for recording contracts and agreements and other boring stuff.

• MIDDLE KINGDOM:  restored Pharaonic rule in 2040 BCE but with some distinct changes:  First, the new rulers were outsiders, from downriver in Nubia.  Second, they fostered a new pantheon of gods, the star of which was Ammun, which means hidden.  So Ammun eventually merged with Ra to form the god Ammun-Ra, all the Middle Kingdom pharaohs made temples for him and devoted their entire surplus to his glory.  The Middle Kingdom also developed an interest in conquering; they were able to conquer much of Egypt using superior military technology like (13)______________ weapons, compound bows, and chariots. One group, the Hyksos, were able to conquer all of Egypt, but rather than like destroying the Egyptian culture, they just relaxed like the Nile and (14) ______________ into the Egyptians.

• NEW KINGDOM:  Anyway, after all this conquering and being conquered, Egypt eventually emerged from its geographically imposed (15)______________.  New Kingdom Egypt continued this military expansion but it looked more like an empire, particularly when they headed south and took over land in an attempt to find gold and(16)______________.

Probably the most expansive of the New Kingdom pharaohs was Hatshepsut, a (17)______________ who ruled Egypt for about 22 years and who expanded Egypt not through military might, but through (18)______________.

But most new kingdom pharaohs being dudes, focused on (19)______________ expansion, which brought Egypt into conflicts with the Assyrians, and then the Persians, and then Alexander the Great and finally, the Romans.

New Kingdom Pharaoh Akhenaton tried to invent a new (20)______________ for Egypt, Aten.  After his death he was replaced by his wife, and then a daughter and then a son, Tutankaten, who turned his back on the weird god Aten.  And that is about all King Tut did before he died...probably around the age of 17. Honestly, the only reason King Tut is famous is that most Pharaohs had their graves robbed by ancient people; and King Tut had his grave robbed by 20th century (21)______________ people. Since the tomb was discovered in (22)______________, technology has established that Tut probably died of an infected broken leg and/or malaria.

King Tut leads us nicely to the really crucial thing about Egyptian culture. Because King Tut lived right around the same time as the pyramids right? Wrong. Remember the pyramids were built around 2500 BCE during the (23)______________. King Tut died in 1322 BCE, 1200 years later! But because Egypt was so similar for so long, it all tends to blend together when we imagine it.

Ancient Egypt lasted 1000 years longer than (24)______________ has been around, and about 800 years longer than that other super-long lived civilization, (25)______________. So there was an entire culture that lasted longer than Western Civilization has existed and it had run its course before “the West” was even born.

Answers

#4—Crash Course World History

Ancient Egypt

In discussing agriculture and early civilizations, we’ve been approaching history through the lens of (1)resource distribution and geography. And just as the violent and capricious Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the worldview of early Mesopotamians, the Nile shaped the worldview of the Egyptians.

The Nile was regular, navigable, and benign, making for one of the safest and richest agricultural areas in the world. Each (2)summer the river flooded the fields at precisely the right time, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt for planting season.

Unlike most river valley civilizations, Egyptian communities existed ONLY along the Nile, which was navigable enough to get valuable resources downstream from timber to (3)gold, which the Egyptians considered the divine metal.

The Nile is also easily (4)tamed. While other river valley civilizations needed complicated and labor-intensive hydraulic engineering projects to irrigate crops, the Nile was so chill that Egyptians could use a simple form of water management called (5)basin irrigation, in which farmers used floodwaters to fill earthen basins and canals for irrigation.

In short, the awesomeness of the Nile meant Egyptians could create big food

(6) surpluses with relatively little work, allowing time and energy for some pretty impressive projects.

Also, the Nile may help explain the ancient Egypt’s general optimism:  while ancient Sumerian religion, for instance, saw the (7)afterlife as this gloomy, dark place, Egyptians were often buried with things that were useful and pleasurable to them in life, because the afterlife was seen as a (8)continuation of this life, which, at least if you lived along the Nile, wasn’t half-bad.

Historians have divided Egyptian history into three broad categories:

• OLD KINGDOM:  This was really the glory age of ancient Egypt, the (9)pyramids at Giza, the sun king Ra, and the idea of divine kingship.  The pyramids were built partly by (10) peasants  who were required by Egyptian law to work for the government a certain number of months per year, and partly by slaves.  Old Kingdom Egypt was also remarkably (11)literate:  They had two forms of writing, hieroglyphics for (12) sacred writing and then demotic script for recording contracts and agreements and other boring stuff.

• MIDDLE KINGDOM:  restored Pharaonic rule in 2040 BCE but with some distinct changes:  First, the new rulers were outsiders, from downriver in Nubia.  Second, they fostered a new pantheon of gods, the star of which was Ammun, which means hidden.  So Ammun eventually merged with Ra to form the god Ammun-Ra, all the Middle Kingdom pharaohs made temples for him and devoted their entire surplus to his glory.  The Middle Kingdom also developed an interest in conquering; they were able to conquer much of Egypt using superior military technology like (13)bronze weapons, compound bows, and chariots. One group, the Hyksos, were able to conquer all of Egypt, but rather than like destroying the Egyptian culture, they just relaxed like the Nile and (14) assimilated into the Egyptians.

• NEW KINGDOM:  Anyway, after all this conquering and being conquered, Egypt eventually emerged from its geographically imposed (15)isolationism.  New Kingdom Egypt continued this military expansion but it looked more like an empire, particularly when they headed south and took over land in an attempt to find gold and(16) slaves.

Probably the most expansive of the New Kingdom pharaohs was Hatshepsut, a (17)woman who ruled Egypt for about 22 years and who expanded Egypt not through military might, but through (18)trades.

But most new kingdom pharaohs being dudes, focused on (19)military expansion, which brought Egypt into conflicts with the Assyrians, and then the Persians, and then Alexander the Great and finally, the Romans.

New Kingdom Pharaoh Akhenaton tried to invent a new (20)god for Egypt, Aten.  After his death he was replaced by his wife, and then a daughter and then a son, Tutankaten, who turned his back on the weird god Aten.  And that is about all King Tut did before he died...probably around the age of 17. Honestly, the only reason King Tut is famous is that most Pharaohs had their graves robbed by ancient people; and King Tut had his grave robbed by 20th century (21)British people. Since the tomb was discovered in (22)1922, technology has established that Tut probably died of an infected broken leg and/or malaria.

King Tut leads us nicely to the really crucial thing about Egyptian culture. Because King Tut lived right around the same time as the pyramids right? Wrong. Remember the pyramids were built around 2500 BCE during the (23)Old Kingdom. King Tut died in 1322 BCE, 1200 years later! But because Egypt was so similar for so long, it all tends to blend together when we imagine it.

Ancient Egypt lasted 1000 years longer than (24)Christianity has been around, and about 800 years longer than that other super-long lived civilization, (25)China. So there was an entire culture that lasted longer than Western Civilization has existed and it had run its course before “the West” was even born.