Ancient EgyptMs. Means' 6th Grade Social Studies Class

October 2013

Geography

• The Nile River runs 4,000 miles north to the Mediterranean Sea.

• The land was dry and hot until the Nile flooded it. • The Nile flooded Upper Egypt in midsummer and Lower

Egypt in the fall, coating the land around the river with rich soil.

• These branches formed a Delta, a triangle shape area of land made of soil deposited by a river.

Government

• Egyptian kings and queens were called Pharaohs.• Pharaohs were believed to be both a king and a god.• To help with his duties, the pharaohs hired government

officials. • Egypt also founded some of the first dynasties (a series of

rulers from the same family).

Religion

• Egyptians believed in polytheism.• The afterlife was a big part of Egyptian religion.• Egyptians believed someone’s ka (life force) became a

spirit when they died. • Mummification had to be performed to preserve the body

for afterlife.

Egyptian Art

• Artisans were sculptors, builders, carpenters, jewelers, metal, workers, and leather workers.

• Artisans made statues, furniture, jewelry, pottery, footwear, and other items.

• Artists were employed by the state temple.• Artists often worked in the pharaohs tombs painting

detailed pictures.

Trade

• Queen Hatshepsut helped the people of Egypt by sending traders faraway places.

• They traded with Asia Minor, Greece, Kingdom of Punt, Sarai, and Nubia.

• They traded turquoise, copper, wheat.• They received gold, ivory, slaves, stone, and wood.

Social Order

• 2 million people in 2200 BC were in the Egyptian society.• The social order: Pharaohs, nobles, scribes, craftspeople,

farmers, slaves, servants.• A complex society required people to take on different

jobs.

Architecture

• The science of building was called architecture.• Egyptians were most famous for their pyramids.• Near Giza lies the biggest pyramid, The pyramid of Kufu. • The Egyptians also built the famous Sphinx and Obelisk.

Written Language and Major Achievements

• Their written language was called hieroglyphics. • They wrote on papyrus or carved in stone.• Rosetta stone: a stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics

helped us to understand the language.• Major achievements: pyramids, temples