World History / Unit 1: Prehistory and Early River Valley Civilizations
1.4 Ancient Egypt
Notes
Egyptian civilization grew along the Nile River, whose yearly flood left rich black soil.
- Unlike Mesopotamia's, the Nile's flood was fairly predictable, and deserts protected Egypt from invasion.
- Upper and Lower Egypt were united about 3100 BCE, traditionally by Menes (Narmer).
- The pharaoh was seen as a god-king. Egypt went through the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms.
- Old Kingdom: the pyramids at Giza were built as tombs for pharaohs such as Khufu.
- New Kingdom: Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh, expanded trade; Ramses II led armies; Akhenaten briefly promoted worship of one god, Aten.
- Egyptians believed in an afterlife and practiced mummification.
- Writing: hieroglyphics, written on papyrus. The Rosetta Stone (found 1799) helped scholars decode them.
Practice
How did geography help ancient Egypt?
The Nile provided fertile soil and transport, and the deserts were natural barriers.
Why did Egyptians build pyramids and mummify bodies?
Religious beliefs about the afterlife shaped Egyptian burial practices.
The Rosetta Stone was important because it:
It had the same text in hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek scripts.
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