Daily Focus Skills 2–1

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Section 1

Focusing on the Main Ideas

The Nile Valley

• The Egyptian civilization began in the fertile Nile River valley, where natural barriers discouraged invasions. ⇓

• The Egyptians depended on the Nile’s floods to grow their crops. ⇓

• Around 3100 B.C., Egypt’s two major kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, were combined into one.

• The Egyptian civilization began in the fertile Nile River valley, where natural barriers discouraged invasions.

Locating Places

• Egpyt (EE·jihpt) ⇓ • Nile River (NYL) ⇓

• Sahara (suh·HAR·uh)

The Nile Valley

Meeting People

• Narmer (NAR·muhr) ⇓

Building Your Vocabulary

• cataract (KA·tuh·RAKT) ⇓

• hieroglyphics (HY·ruh·GLIH·fihks) ⇓

• dynasty (DY·nuh·stee)

• delta (DEHL·tuh) ⇓

• papyrus (puh·PY·ruhs) ⇓

The Nile Valley

Interactive Map

After today’s lesson, I can…

• recognize significant epics as historical sources (i.e., Iliad, the Odyssey).

• recognize reasons that cultural groups develop or settle in specific

physical environments.

• identify how early writing forms in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus

Valley influenced life (i.e., legal, religious, and culture).

• recognize how migration and cultural diffusion influenced the character of

world societies (i.e., spread of religions, empire building, exploration,

• languages)

• recognize an example of a barter economy.

• recognize the importance of economic systems in the development of

early civilizations around rivers

• identify the location of early civilizations on a map

• recognize types of government

• recognize the steps that give rise to complex governmental organizations

(i.e., nomadic, farming, village, city, city-states, states).

• recognize the roles assigned to individuals in various societies

Settling the Nile (pages 39–40)

The earliest Egyptians moved

into the Nile River valley from

less fertile areas. They farmed

and built villages along the

riverbanks.

The Nile River is the longest

river in the world, about 4,000

miles long.

Egyptians used the Nile River for many things. They

used river water to drink, clean, farm, and cook. They

ate fish from the river.

The Nile Valley is a narrow, green valley in Egypt. The

northern end of the valley is a fertile area of land called

a delta.

The Sahara, the largest desert in the world, lies west of

the Nile Valley. The Eastern Desert lies to the east of the

valley. The ancient Egyptians called the deserts “the Red

Land.”

Egypt has several

natural borders to

protect it. The

deserts, the

dangerous rapids

(cataracts) of the

Nile, and marshes in

the delta kept

enemies from

entering Egypt.

However within

Egypt, the Egyptian

villages had

frequent, friendly

contact with one

another, unlike the

Mesopotamian city-

states.

The Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the

east allowed trade with other peoples. Within Egypt, people

traveled on the Nile to trade with each other.

The River People (pages 41–42)

Floods along the Nile were predictable and were not devastating. Each spring the Nile would flood and leave a dark, fertile mud along its banks.

Farmers learned about the waters of the Nile. They used the soil left behind by the floods to grow wheat, barley, and flax seeds.

Farmers learned about irrigation. They dug basins to trap

floodwaters, dug canals to channel water to the fields, and built dikes to strengthen the basin walls.

Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the Nile, was used to make baskets, sandals, and river rafts. Later, it was used to make paper.

The Egyptian system of writing was called hieroglyphics. This system consisted of thousands of picture symbols. Some Egyptian men learned to read and write. They attended schools to learn to be scribes.

A United Egypt (pages 43–44)

Because the people in Egypt had surplus food, some people became

artisans instead of farmers. Artisans wove cloth, made pottery, carved

statues, and crafted weapons and tools.

Egyptians traded with each other and with others in Mesopotamia.

Craftsmen

(A) POTTERY Pots of many shapes and sizes were made from local clay. It was shaped by hand in a mold made of stiff sand, given a glaze, and hardened in fire. (B) GOLD The Egyptians had plenty of gold, mostly from mines in Nubia. Jewellery and gold-plated objects were made. Statues and even a king's coffin were made of solid gold.

(C) SANDALS The shoemaker's trade was simple, because the only shoes people wore were sandals, made of leather or papyrus reed. Usually they went barefoot. (D) WOOD CARVING This man is making a wooden animal. Most woodworking tools, such as saws and chisels, have not changed much since.

New jobs available for talented craftsmen Surplus food Production allows for their wages to be paid New Products and Skills Develop Some with medical application!

A few strong chiefs united groups of villages into kingdoms. Eventually, the

strongest kingdoms overpowered the weaker ones. In this way, two large

kingdoms emerged—Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt.

Narmer united the two kingdoms. He ruled

from the city of Memphis, and his kingdom

lasted long after his death. Narmer’s

descendants passed the ruling power on

from father to son to grandson, forming a

dynasty.

Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties that historians have grouped

into three time periods—Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New

Kingdom.

Old Kingdom

2650-2134 BC

Middle Kingdom

2040-1640 BC

New Kingdom

1550-1070 BC

Achievements

Built enormous

tombs &

pyramids.

Land drained for

farming.

Traded with lands

along the Red &

Mediterranean Sea.

Decline

Power struggles,

crop failures, &

cost of pyramids.

Hittites invaded &

conquered.

Nubians, then

others, invaded.

Old Kingdom

2650-2134 BC

Middle Kingdom

2040-1640 BC

New Kingdom

1550-1070 BC

Achievements

Built enormous

tombs &

pyramids.

Land drained for

farming.

Traded with lands

along the Red &

Mediterranean Sea.

Decline

Power struggles,

crop failures, &

cost of pyramids.

Hittites invaded &

conquered.

Nubians, then

others, invaded.

Egyptian Timeline

• Old Kingdom (2700-2150)

– Hieroglyphics and religion

develop in Egypt

– pyramids built

• Middle Kingdom (2040-1786)

– extension of Egyptian control into

Nubia

• New Kingdom (1570-1075)

– militaristic - Hebrews enslaved

– mummification perfected

Early Egyptian Life (pages 45–46)

Ancient Egypt had social classes. The pharaoh was the

highest power. The upper class consisted of nobles, priests,

and government officials. The middle class included

merchants, artisans, shopkeepers, and scribes. Farmers

were the largest group of people and were in a lower class

than the middle class. Unskilled workers were the lowest

class of people in ancient Egypt.

Although men were the heads of households, women had

more rights in Egypt than in other ancient civilizations. They

could own and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make

wills, and obtain divorces.

Few children went to school in

ancient Egypt. Children had time to

play games and had toys.

Egyptian girls learned to sew,

cook, and run a household. Boys

learned farming or a skilled trade.

In what ways was ancient Egypt like Mesopotamia?

(Both had access to powerful rivers, economies

based on farming and trade, government to help the

people, artisans to create products, and

technological advances.)

Make a Venn diagram comparing Mesopotamia to

Egypt.

(chart on page 44 in book)