Lower Egypt.

• Geography played a key role in the development of Egyptian civilization -The Nile River brought life to Egypt and enabled it to thrive
• The Nile is the longest river in the world. It begins in central Africa and runs
north through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, a distance of over 4,000 miles.
Ancient Egypt included two regions:
The southern region was called Upper Egypt.
It was so named because it was located upriver in
relation to the Nile’s flow. The northern region
was called Lower Egypt.
The Nile sliced through the desert of Upper Egypt.
There, it created a fertile river valley about 13 miles
wide. On either side of the Nile lay hundreds of
miles of bleak desert sands.
• The Nile flowed through rocky, hilly land to the south of Egypt. At several points, this rough
terrain caused cataracts, or rapids, to form.
• The first cataract was located 720 miles south of the Mediterranean Sea. It marked
the southern border of Upper Egypt. Five more cataracts lay farther south
• In Lower Egypt, the Nile divided into several branches
that fanned out and flowed into the Mediterranean Sea.
These branches formed a delta, a triangle-shaped area
of land made from soil deposited by a river
• Some two-thirds of Egypt’s fertile farmland was located
in the Nile Delta
• Almost every year, the Nile flooded Upper Egypt in
mid-summer and Lower Egypt in the fall.
• The Nile’s flooding coated the land around it with a rich
silt. This silt made the soil ideal for farming.
• The river’s floods were a life-giving miracle. Without
the Nile’s regular flooding, people never could have
farmed in Egypt. The Nile truly was a gift to Egypt.
•
Nomads first moved into the Nile Valley more than 12,000 years ago
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By 4500 BC, farmers living in small villages grew wheat and barley
Farmers in Egypt grew wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables. They also raised cattle and
sheep. The river provided many types of fish, and hunters trapped wild geese and ducks
along its banks
• Egypt’s location offered another
advantage. It had natural
barriers, which made it hard to
invade Egypt – what were they?
(Mediterranean Sea, Deserts, Cataracts)
•
By 3200 BC, villages had grown and banded together to create two kingdoms —
Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt.
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Each kingdom had its own capital city where its ruler was based.
The capital city of Lower Egypt was Pe, located in the Nile Delta. There, wearing a red crown,
the king of Lower Egypt ruled
• The capital city of Upper Egypt was Nekhen, the king wore a cone-shaped white crown. For
centuries, Egyptians referred to their country as the two lands
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According to tradition, around 3100 BC Menes rose to power in Upper Egypt – He wanted to
unify the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt. He had his armies invade Lower Egypt and
take control of it
•
He married a princess from Lower Egypt to solidify his control over the newly unified country
Menes wore both the white crown
of Upper Egypt and the red crown
of Lower Egypt to symbolize his
leadership over the two kingdoms
-- Later, he combined the two
crowns into a double crown
• Egypt’s First Dynasty was a
theocracy that lasted for 200 years
• Egypt’s rulers extended their
territory southward along the Nile
and into Southwest Asia. They
improved irrigation and trade,
making Egypt wealthier
•
• Eventually, however, rivals arose to challenge Egypt’s First Dynasty for power.
These challengers took over Egypt and established the Second Dynasty. In time, some 30
dynasties would rule ancient Egypt over a span of more than 2,500 years.
MENES
(ruled for 60 years, between 3100 BC and 3000 BC)
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Considered by many to be the first pharaoh to rule Egypt and the first pharaoh of Dynasty I
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He is also thought to be the Pharaoh Narmer
The first ruler of Egypt - He inherited the throne and crown of Egypt from the
falcon-headed god, Horus
United the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt
ZOSER
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(3rd Dynasty - ruled for about 30 years starting in 2686 BC)
Ushered in the first golden age in Egypt – Old Kingdom
KHUFU
(4th Dynasty – 2551-2528 BC)
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Not much is known about his life due to
the fact that his tomb was robbed
•
Greatest accomplishment
was building the Great
Pyramids of Egypt
HATSHEPSUT
(ruled Egypt between 1479-1458 BC)
•
Ruled in a time when women were
allowed to own property and to
hold official positions
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Noted for the way she dressed
(like a male Pharaoh) and the
number of beautiful structures she
had built during her reign
THUTMOSE III
(ruled Egypt between 1479-1425 BC)
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Considered to be one of Egypt's
greatest pharaohs
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Took the throne after his father's
death, but was not considered old
enough to rule on his own, so
Hatshepsut ruled in his place
until she died
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The Napoleon of Egypt because
of his military conquests; captured
350 cities during his reign
TUTANKHAMEN
(ruled Egypt between 1332-1323 BC)
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Became king at the early age of nine
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Died mysteriously at the age of eighteen
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curse thought to be responsible for the
deaths of almost two dozen people
involved with the discovery of his tomb
RAMSES II (19TH Dynasty - ruled Egypt between 1279-1213 BC)
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Was one of the most powerful and influential pharaohs of Egypt
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Known as Ramses the Great for his contributions to Egypt, including his war
campaigns to the Mediterranean and into Nubia, as well as his construction projects,
such as cities, temples and tombs
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Thought to be the Pharaoh in the story of The Exodus