The Great CoursesWorld History: Lesson 2

Egypt: The Gift of the Nile

#1. What were the three periods of Egyptian history?

Old Kingdom: 2660 BCE – 2180 BCE

Middle Kingdom: 2080 BCE – 1640 BCE

New Kingdom: 1570 BCE – 1075 BCE

#2. What king united the two parts of Egypt?

King Menes – c. 3100 BCE

#3. What is a

pharaoh?

King of Egypt

“god – kings”

King Tut

#4. What were some

of the beliefs of

the Egyptian religion?

Pharaoh caused…

The Sun to rise

The moon to set

The Nile to flood

The crops to grow

*Also believed in the immortality of the soul, provided the person’s body was available for the ka to return to at the end of each night.

#5. Who was Hatshepsut, and what was her rule like?

1st woman to openly rule Egypt

Her rule was one in which trade was more important

than war.

#6. How did typical nobles and peasants

live?Nobles

Typically, lived in luxury

Had slaves and servants

Peasants

Lived tedious lives

Planted crops in the hot sun

During flood seasonWorked to

construct tombs, canals, & other bldgs.

#7. What are hieroglyphics?

The form of writing used by the ancient Egyptians

#8. What is Maat?

Was the belief in justice, truth, right, and order.

To live according to maat, meant to act rightly and justly.

#9. What happened that allowed hieroglyphics to be read after

having been unreadable for 1,500 years?

Egyptian hieroglyphics were unreadable to modern people until 1799, when French soldiers found the Rosetta Stone.

It took scholars from both England and France more than two decades to decode it fully.

#10. What is papyrus?

A paper-like material made from thin strips of reeds found along the Nile Delta.

Explain how the Nile and its surrounding deserts shaped

Egyptian civilzation?Predictability of the Nile’s floods brought fresh

soil from as far away as Ethiopia each year

Crops grew easily due to the fresh dirt

Deserts protected Egypt from invasions from many directions So did cataracts…

River and deserts allowed a stable, well-organized culture to emerge that lasted for several thousand years.

Explain how the pharaoh’s powers and position shaped Egyptian society and

religion.

Belief in the pharaoh’s absolute control of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as his ability to bring about the yearly Nile floods and the kingdom’s overall well-being.

Pharaoh was also the center of Egyptian religion, for it was believed that his spirit continued to assist in the rule of the kingdom after the death of his physical body.

To ensure that the pharaoh’s spirit would continue, the body was mummified for a 70 day period.