CHAPTER 5ANCIENT EGYPT

6th GradeII Quarter

The Nile River

• It is the longest river in the world. It is more than 4,000 miles long.

• It flows from a lake deep in Africa to the hot desert land of Egypt.

• The people of the Egypt need water from the Nile. Their country gets little rain.

The Nile River Valley• People began moving

into the Nile River Valley in Egypt over 10,000 years ago.

• They stayed because the land near the river was fertile.

• Every summer the Nile flooded the land around it. These floods left a layer of fertile soil on the land. Farmers planted their crops in the soil.

The First Pharaoh

• Over time, the small villages became larger. About 5,000 years ago, a man named Menes ruled over several villages in Egypt.

• Menes became the first king of Egypt. He built a new capital called Memphis.

• Egypt’s king was always called the pharaoh, which meant “great palace” or “great house.”

Government Under the Pharaoh

1.- The pharaoh made laws for all the people of Egypt. Everyone worked for the pharaoh in some way.

– For example, the farmers had to give some of the food that they grew to the pharaoh.

2.-The second most powerful group of people were the nobles, who ran the government.

3.-Artists – makers of statues and building- had less power than the nobles.

4.-Farmers and other workers had little say in the government.

Egyptian Religion• Like the people of

the Mesopotamia, the Egyptians believed in many gods. They believed that the sun was a god named Ra.

• The Egyptians developed a way to protect bodies called mummification.

They put chemicals on the bodies. Then they wrapped the bodies in long strips of cloth.

Finally, they covered the bodies with a mixture like tar.

Today we call these preserved bodies mummies.

NO!! Not that type of mummy.

This type of mummy.

The Pyramids• The largest tombs were built for the pharaohs. These tombs were called pyramids.

• The largest pyramid in Egypt is called the Great Pyramid. It was built 4,500 years ago.

• It is shaped like a

triangle and it is as tall as a 45 story building.

• It took 20 years to build it.

• Egyptians invented the following things:• Their own calendar.• Made a writing material

called papyrus. (The word paper comes from papyrus.)

• Invented their own writing called hieroglyphics, or picture writing.

The Fall of Egypt• About 3,000 years ago, Egypt began to

grow weak because of the following reasons:

– The pharaohs did not rule the people well.

– Number of floods did not bring enough water for farmers to grow crops.

– Foreign armies soon began to invade Egypt (Egypt was conquered by people from Mesopotamia, later by Greeks, and then by Romans).