Ancient Egypt

The Gift of the Nile

Egyptian Geography

• located in the

northeast corner of

Africa

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• surrounded by natural

barriers:

• desert
• mountains
• Mediterranean Sea

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PROVIDED PROTECTION

�The Nile River�

• The Nile River is the most important thing in Egypt.
• The Nile is the longest river in the world. It stretches about 4000 miles in Africa.
• Early people settled this area because of its location near a source of water.

• Branches create a triangle shaped delta from deposited silt

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• Flooding was predictable in the Nile, midsummer in Upper Egypt and in the fall in Lower Egypt.
• The Nile provided the daily necessities of life in Ancient Egypt – drinking, farming, and bathing
• Without the floods, Egypt would have never been settled.

The Important Uses of the Nile

Unification

• Around 3100 BC – Menes became the king in Upper Egypt.
• His armies invaded and took control of Lower Egypt.
• Menes was considered Egypt’s first pharaoh
• Established the first dynasty which lasted about 200 years

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UNIFICATION

Menes’s Upper Egypt army invades and conquers Lower Egypt

The Pharaoh

• The Pharaoh is an Egyptian King who has absolute power
• The Pharaoh was believed to be a god in human form
• Had to perform religious rituals along with priests to ensure positive outcomes in daily life
• People blamed him if crops didn’t grow well or if disease struck the kingdom.

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Religion

• Egyptians were polytheistic – belief in many gods
• The Egyptians had gods for nearly everything.
• They Built temples and obelisks to honor the gods

Religion

• Much of Egyptian religion focused on the afterlife, or life after death.
• Belief in two bodies: physical and spiritual (Ka) and they needed each other, even after death.
• ka – a person’s life force
• When a person died, his or her ka left the body and became a spirit.

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Pyramids

Let’s Compare! Take a guess!

How tall is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France?

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984 feet

How tall is the� Leaning Tower of Piza in Italy?

179 feet

What about the� Statue of Liberty?

305 feet

Now... The Great Pyramid of Giza,� the largest of the three Giza pyramids?

480 feet

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The Pyramids of Egypt

• Egypt’s pyramids are the oldest stone buildings in the world.
• They were built nearly 5000 years ago.
• More than 80 pyramids still stand today.
• Historians are unsure how they were built.

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The Pyramids of Egypt

• Pyramids are Tombs to honor the pharaoh
• The pyramids were built for kings, or pharaohs, to protect their bodies for the after life.
• The size and shape of the pyramids showed the importance of pharaohs.
• The average weight of a pyramid’s stone block was 2½ tons! That’s the weight of 2 medium-sized cars.

Steps to Building a Pyramid

Step One:

The enormous limestone blocks were taken off the boats near the pyramid site. If one block accidentally fell, it could crush to death hundreds of people.

Step Two:

Once unloaded, the limestone blocks were hauled on sledges over wooden rollers by gangs of men. Water or milk was poured around the sledges to help them slide.

�Step Three:�

Ramps, built of mud brick, were used to haul the heavy stones to the level where building was going on. To raise the stones higher, spiraling ramps were probably put against the pyramid sides.

Step Four:

A causeway connected each pyramid to the Nile River. Built as a highway for the sledges, it eventually served as a corridor for the funeral procession.

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The Pyramids of Egypt

• Pyramids had to be built close to the Nile so boats could carry the stones to the construction site.
• Sometimes up to 100,000 men worked for 20 seasons on one pyramid.
• There are secret passageways, hidden rooms, ramps, bridges, and false doors.

Pyramids as Tombs

Valley of the kings

• By 1600 B.C., robbers had taken the treasures, from most of the pyramids.
• Later pharaohs decided that their bodies would be safer in hidden tombs cut from solid rock.
• Many of these pharaohs are buried in the Valley of the Kings.
• 62 tombs have been found there.
• King Tut was buried in the Valley of the Kings. Practically untouched by robbers, his tomb contained weapons, furniture, and jewelry– many made of solid gold.

The Great Pyramids

The Sphinx stands before the Pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre.

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The Sphinx was carved from a single block of limestone left over in the quarry used to build the Pyramids.

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The Sphinx is said to represent the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.