Chapter 2 Section 1 The Nile Valley
Chapter 2 Section 1 The Nile Valley
Chapter 2 Section 1 The Nile Valley
Early Civilizations
World History
Fall 2008 Hasquin
Section 1 – The Nile Valley
Setting the Scene
Terms:
Monarchy, Dynasty, Theocracy, Bureaucracy,
Pharaoh, Empire, Polytheism, Hieroglyphics
People to Meet:
Narmer, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Akhenaton,
Ramses II
Places to Locate:
Nile River valley, Memphis, Thebes
Ancient River Valley Civs
A River Valley & It’s People
One of the First civilizations developed on
the Nile
Kemet – “black land”
Greeks name it Egypt (Aígyptos)
Land receives little rainfall
People rely on the Nile
4160 mi, longest river in the world
650 miles are navigable
Ends in delta
The Importance of the Nile
Gifts of the river
Black rich soil
Tropical rains in central Africa and melting
snow in east Africa feed the river
5000 BC – hunter gatherers began to settle
along the Nile
• Took up farming and grew wheat and barley
• Provided ducks, geese and fish
• Harvest papyrus – made rope, matting, sandals,
baskets and eventually paper
The Nile River Compared to the
United States
Uniting Egypt
Protected from invasion by desert & cataracts
• Farming villages prosper
• Strong leaders unite villages into kingdoms –
monarchies
• Weak kingdoms loose control to the stronger ones
4000 BC
• Two large kingdoms left
• Lower Egypt & Upper Egypt
3000 BC
Narmer – King of Upper Egypt
• Led forces from the south to invade Lower Egypt
• Set up a government and ruled both from Memphis
Near the border of the two kingdoms
Narmer’s reign establishes the first dynasty
A line of rulers from one family
• From 3000 BC to 332 BC, 30 dynasties have ruled
Egypt
Historians organized these dynasties into 3 great periods
Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom
Narmer Unites Egypt
The Old Kingdom
2700 BC- 2200 BC
• Before 2700, Upper and Lower kept separate
identities
• Kings eventually build up a strong national govt
Build the basic features of a civilization
1700’s
• Local leaders began to challenge authority
• Peace comes to an end
• Egypt is invaded by the Hyksos from West Asia
Hyksos had bronze weapons and chariots
Egypt had copper and stone weapons
The Hyksos rule for 110 years
The New Kingdom
Amenhotep
• Assumes power in 1370 BC
• Wife Nefertiti
• Breaks polytheistic tradition
• Should only worship Aton – sun disk god
• He claims to be Aton's equal
Changes name to Akhenaton
“Spirit of Aton”
Recovery and Decline
• 1200’s – Pharaohs work to restore the prestige
• Ramses II fights Hittites for the control of Syria
Ramses the Great
Led to a standoff at the Battle of Kadesh in 1285 BC
The two empires sign a treaty
Pledge to keep the peace and to fight as allies against
enemies
Treaty of Kadesh
Ramses II (the Great)
Life in Ancient Egypt
At height Egypt was home to 5 million people
Society was divided into classes
• Lower classes could improve their status
Levels of Society
• Royalty, nobles, and priest form the top of the social order
Control religious and political affairs
• Middle Class
Artisans, scribes, merchants and tax collectors
• Poor Class
Farmers
Paid pharaoh rent for the farm land
Worked on building projects
Life -- Continued
Worship
• Polytheistic
• Gods and Goddesses were part human and part animal
Horus – God of the Sky
Head of a Hawk
• Many worshipped local deities
Ra the Sun God
Combined with Amon to make Amon-Ra
Osiris is the most popular
God of the Nile & God of life, death and rebirth
His wife was Isis
They determined the fate of the dead
Believed in an afterlife
Life - Continued
“Cursive” Hieroglyphics
Life Continued
Achievements in Science
• Developed a system of Math that allowed the
calculation of area and volume
• Developed an accurate 365 day calendar
• Used the movement of the Moon and Sirius
• Knowledge of Anatomy was exhibited in their
embalming processes
• Papyrus scrolls demonstrated knowledge of use of
bandages, splints and compresses and also remedies
for many diseases.