Chapter 2 Section 3 – Kingdom of the Nile

8/10/2019 Chapter 2 Section 3 – Kingdom of the Nile

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•The fertile lands of the Nile Valley

attracted Stone Age farmers from the

Mediterranean area and surrounding

hills and deserts.•In time, a powerful civilization

emerged that depended heavily on the

control of river waters.



I. Geography Helps Shape Egypt – “Egypt iswholly the gift of the Nile.” – Herodotus (Greekhistorian)

A. Yearly Floods Bring Benefits – Every spring,the rains in this region send water racing downstreams that feed the Nile River

1. In ancient times, Egyptians eagerly awaited

the annual flood because it soaked the landwith life-giving water and deposited a rich laterof silt.

2. People had to cooperate to control theNile’s floods

a.) Under the direction of earlygovernments, they built reservoirs andirrigation ditches to channel the rising river .and to store water for the dry season.



B. Uniting Two Regions – Upper Egypt in

the south and Lower Egypt in the north

1. Upper Egypt stretched from theNile’s first cataract (waterfall) to within

100 miles of the Mediterranean Sea

2. Lower Egypt covered the delta

region where the Nile empties into theMediterranean Sea.

a.) delta – a triangular area of

marshland formed by deposits of silt at

the mouth of some rivers



3. About 3100 BC, Menes, the king of Upper

Egypt, united the two regions and founded

the first capital at Memphis, a site near

where the Nile empties into its delta 4. Menes and his successors used the

Nile as a highway linking the north and south

a.) They could send officials or armies

to towns along the river b.) The Nile thus helped make Egypt

one of the world’s first unified states

5. The river also served as trade route

for Egyptian merchants who traveled up anddown the Nile in sailboats and barges,

exchanging the products of Africa, the Middle

East, and the Mediterranean region



II. The Old Kingdom Forms – Ancient Egypt isdivided into three main periods: the OldKingdom (2575BC-2130 BC), the Middle Kingdom (1938 BC-1630 BC), and the New Kingdom (1539BC-1075 BC)

Although power passed from one dynasty (rulingfamily) to another, the land generally remainedunited.

A. A Strong Government Takes Hold – Duringthe Old Kingdom, Egyptian kings (pharaohs)

organized a strong,centralized state

1. Pharaohs held absolute power andplayed a key role in government and religion

2. Egyptians believed that each pharaoh

was a god but they were also seen as human a.) People expected their pharaohs to

behave morally and judged the pharaoh for theirdeeds



3. Pharaohs during the Old Kingdom ruled by

means of a bureaucracy – a system of

government that includes departments and

levels of authority

a.) The pharaoh depended on a

vizier (chief minister) to supervise

government

1. Under the vizier, various

departments looked after tax collection,

farming, and irrigation systems

4. Nobles held power locally and there was asmall middle class made up of merchants and

scribes. Most Egyptians were peasants, or

poor farmers.



5. Ptah-hotep – a vizier to a pharaoh who

took an interest in training young officials

a.) He wrote a book called Instructions of

the Vizier Ptah Hotep in which he

emphasized the importance of being humble

and honest, obedient to one’s father and

superiors, and fair in dealing with officials of

all ranks.



B. The Great Pyramids are Built – During the

Old Kingdom, Egyptian pharaohs built many

necropolises (cemeteries) containing majestic

pyramids in the areas surrounding Memphis 1. Tombs within the pyramids were

considered homes in which the deceased

would live for eternity

2. Because Egyptians believed in theafterlife, they would preserve the bodies of

their dead rulers and provide them with

everything they would need for their new lives

3. Building each pyramid took so long thatoften a pharaoh would begin to build his

tomb as soon as he came to power



C. The Turbulent Middle Kingdom – Powerstruggles, crop failures, and the cost ofbuilding the pyramids all contributed to thecollapse of the Old Kingdom.

1. After more than a century of disunity,new pharaohs reunited the land, ushering inthe Middle Kingdom

2. The Middle Kingdom was a turbulent

period a.) The Nile didn’t rise as usual

b.) Corruption and rebellions werecommon



3. Strong rulers did organize a large

drainage project, creating vast new

stretches of arable (farmable) land 4. The central state ended the

powers and privileges of the

regional aristocrats

5. Egyptian armies occupiedpart of Nubia, a gold-rich land to

the south

6. Traders had more contact

with the peoples of the Middle East

and the Mediterranean island of

Crete



7. About 1700 BC, foreign invaders called theHyksos occupied the Nile delta region

a.) Although the Hyksos took over the

governance of Egypt, there was little conflictbetween the new rulers and the Egyptianpeople.

b.) The Hyksos awed the Egyptians with theirhorse-drawn war chariots and in time the

Egyptians mastered this new military technology c.) The Hyksos were impressed with Egyptian

civilization and soon adopted Egyptian customs,beliefs, and even names

8. After more than 100 years of Hyksos rule, new

Egyptian leaders arose and established the NewKingdom



D. New Kingdom Egypt Grows Strong – During the years of the New Kingdom, a

number of powerful and ambitious pharaohscreated a large empire

1. At its height around 1450 BC, theEgyptian empire reached as far north as Syriaand the Euphrates River

2. The New Kingdom proved to be an ageof conquest that brought Egyptians intogreater contact with peoples in . southwestern Asia as well as other parts

of Africa







E. Powerful Rulers Control Egypt – During

the New Kingdom, Egypt’s first female ruler

took charge

1. Hatshepsut exercised all the rights of

a pharaoh

2. From about 1472 BC to 1458 BC, she

encouraged trade with easternMediterranean lands and along the Red Sea

coast of Africa



3. Her stepson, Thutmose III took over aspharaoh once he reached adulthood

a.) He was a great military general whostretched Egypt’s borders to their greatestextent ever

4. Much later, Ramses II became pharaoh ofthe New Kingdom

a.) During his 66 year reign he pushedEgyptian control northward again as far as Syria

b.) He may be the best known of theEgyptian rulers because he boasted of hisconquests on numerous temples and monuments(although his greatest reported victory may nothave actually taken place)



F. Egypt Battles with Its Neighbors – During the reignof Ramses II, Egypt fought a number of fierce battlesagainst the Hittites of Asia Minor

1. After years of fighting, the Egyptians and theHittites signed a peace treaty that declared thatEgypt and the Hittites “shall be at peace and inbrotherhood forever”

2. To the south of Egypt, Nubia had developed alongthe Nile and for centuries Egyptians traded or fought

with their southern neighbor a.) From Nubia they acquired ivory, cattle, and

slaves

3. During the New Kingdom, Egypt conquered Nubia

a.) Ramses II used gold from Nubia to pay

charioteers in his army b.) Nubians served in Egyptian armies and left

their mark on Egyptian culture



G. Egypt Declines – After 1100 BC, Egyptian

power slowly declined

1. Invaders, such as the Assyrians andthe Persians, conquered the Nile region

2. In 332 BC, the last Egyptian dynasty

ended as the Greeks took control

3. In 30 BC, Roman armies displaced theGreeks

4. Each new conqueror was eager to add

the fertile Nile Valley to a growing empire.

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Chapter 2 Section 3 – Kingdom of the Nile