The Nile Valley

The Nile Valley

Settling the Nile Between 6000 and 5000 BC, hunters and

gatherers moved into the Nile River Valley

They settled down and created dozens of villages along the river banks

These people became the earliest Egyptians

A Mighty River Egypt received little

rain

The Nile River was the only water source for bathing, drinking, farming, etc. Longest river in the

world

A Mighty River The Nile actually begins

as two separate rivers (Blue and White Nile) The meet and form the

Nile just south of Egypt

There are narrow cliffs and boulders in the Nile that form wild rapids called cataracts

A Mighty River The river runs through a

narrow green valley and splits into branches shortly before reaching the Mediterranean Sea

These branches fan out over an area of fertile soil called a delta.

A Sheltered Land There are vast deserts

on both sides of the Nile To the west is the

Sahara The largest desert in the

world

To the east is the Eastern Desert

A Sheltered Land these deserts served as protection against

outside armies

A Sheltered Land Egypt had even more

protective features in their geography. To the south were the

dangerous cataracts in the Nile

Blocked enemy boats

A Sheltered Land In the north, delta marshes provided no harbor

for invaders approaching from the Mediterranean Sea.

A Sheltered Land In Mesopotamia there were few natural

barriers to protect the cities Constantly had to fight off attackers

Egypt rarely faced threat because of their geography Allowed them to grow and prosper

A Sheltered Land Egyptians were not

completely closed to the outside world The Mediterranean and

the Red Sea gave Egyptians a way to trade with people outside Egypt

A Sheltered Land Within Egypt, people used the Nile for trade

and transportation 

As a result Egyptian villages had frequent friendly contact with one another.

Unlike the hostile relations between Mesopotamian city-states

Regular Flooding Like the Mesopotamians the Egyptians also

had to cope with river floods The Nile floods were much more dependable

though Allowed Egyptians to farm and live securely

How Did the Egyptians Use the Nile?

Through wise irrigation, Egyptians grew more than enough food to feed themselves and the animals they raised 

Importance of Papyrus Papyrus, a reed plant

that grew along the shores of the Nile, became a useful resource

Used to make baskets, sandals, river rafts, and later paper

What were Hieroglyphics? Egyptians system of writing

made up of hundreds of picture symbols

some symbols stood for objects and ideas

Other symbols stood for sounds 

A United Egypt Egypt's skillful farming led to surpluses

Extra amounts of food

This freed some people to work as artisans instead of farmers

The Rise of Government Governments eventually emerged due to the

need of organization

Egypt was made of two kingdoms Lower Egypt (in the Nile delta) Upper Egypt (up river)

Egypt’s Ruling Families The two kingdoms were

untied around 3100 BC, thanks to Narmer (King of Upper Egypt).

Members of his family passed on the ruling power from father to son to grandson

A line of rulers from a single family is called a dynasty

Egypt’s Ruling Families Ancient Egypt would be ruled by 31 dynasties

across 2,800 years

The dynasties are grouped into 3 Kingdoms Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New

Kingdom

Egypt's Social Classes