Ancient Egypt & Kush

[Pages:30]Ancient Egypt & Kush

I. Egypt Under the Pharaohs

A. The Nile 1. longest river in the world (4,100 miles) 2. flows north into Mediterranean Sea 3. Upper Nile is in South 4. Lower Nile is in North 5. Flooded every summer, making soil rich with silt

*Notice the triangular shape of lush, green land at the end of the Nile. This area is where a majority of great minerals and soil from farther upstream pile up. This triangular shaped area is called a delta due to its resemblance to the Greek letter (delta).

B. Trade and Commerce

1. Major Crops a. wheat & barley

b. flax ? clothing was made from this plant

c. farmers grew many other crops (e.g. lentils, onions, dates, figs, and grapes)

2. Other Resources a. stone ? for building houses and temples

b. gold & silver ? for jewelry c. copper ? tools, weapons d. papyrus ? for paper, baskets, mats, boats,

sandals, ropes, etc.

C. Growing into a Nation

1. c. 3050BCE, warrior king Menes (or Narmer) united Upper and Lower Egypt, made Memphis the capital

2. beginning of 3,000 years of Egyptian history, comprised of 30 dynasties

3. first hieroglyphic writing dates to this time

D. Old Kingdom (c. 2686 ? 2181 BCE)

1. King Djoser orders first pyramid to be built 2. religious devotion strong, many temples built 3. King Khafre orders Sphinx to be built 4. many other monuments are built during this time 5. Central government became weak*, unity crumbled

Step Pyramid of Djoser

*too much spending at the top, local rulers grew in wealth and power, among other factors

E. Middle Kingdom (c. 2055-1650 BCE)

1. After a century of civil wars, Egypt was reunified 2. Thebes made new capital 3. kings had canals built to control floods

and irrigate the land 4. built pyramids, but smaller ones 5. brought to abrupt end by invading Hyksos*

*Hyksos are still a mystery to scholars, but it's thought they came from SW Asia. They effectively took control of the Lower Nile for a while.

F. New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069BCE)

1. Hyksos driven out of Egypt after nearly 200 years 2. rulers started using term pharaoh

meaning "great house" 3. great warrior-pharaohs, like Thutmose III and Ramses II,

expanded their territory into Asia 4. more massive building projects

5. weakened by a series of civil wars and then being passed into foreign hands

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