UNIT 4 STUDY GUIDE

Egypt Summative ExamMr. Davis & Mrs. Burnette

Social Studies 7 – Dec 5, 2014

1. Explain factors that influenced where people settled.

• WATER: fresh drinking water, bathe and wash to prevent disease, rivers serve as “highways” for trade

• TOPOGRAPHY: people are more likely to settle in areas where it is easy to build homes and farm

• VEGETATION: plant life provides food, resources, and shade

2. What was the most important physical feature of Ancient Egypt and Kush?

• Fresh water through the Nile River

3. Define the term delta

• An area of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river

4. How did deserts play an important role in the development of Egypt?

• They formed a natural barrier to protect people living near the Nile.

5. How did the Nile River provide natural irrigation and fertilization?

• Every summer, the river overflowed and soaked the dry ground.

• When the water receded, it naturally fertilized the land, leaving rich silt behind.

6. Why did settlements in Egypt and Kush cluster around the Nile River?

• The Nile provided a source of fresh water—this provided people with animals to hunt, fresh water to drink and use to bathe and wash clothes, and a source of vegetation.

• Since there wasn’t much vegetation in the nearby desert, people settled near the Nile since plants grew easily.

7. What was the MOST important factor in early human settlement?

• Water

8. Define the term topography.

• The shape of the land

9. Who was the Egyptian pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid of Giza and…?

• Khufu

10. Pharaoh Hatshepsut is famous for what?

• She was Egypt’s first female ruler, but she still demanded the same respect as a male pharaoh.

• She was afraid people might challenge her because she was a female.

• She intended to keep her position no matter the cost—even if it meant dressing as a man and being portrayed as a man.

11. Which ruler controlled Egypt for over 60 years?

• Ramses II

12. With which group was the world’s first peace treaty created?

• Ramses II signed a peace treaty with the Hittites.

13. What does the ankh symbolize?

• The ankh is an Egyptian symbol for immortality

14. Who was the most important god the Egyptians?

• Ra, the god of the sun

15. Who was the judge of the dead?

• Anubis, who weighed the deceased person’s heart to determine their afterlife

16. Which group of people ranked third on the social pyramid…?

• Priests were ranked third on the social pyramid, were well-respected, and played an active role in the burial process

17. Explain key points about social class in Ancient Egypt

• Most people belonged to the same social class their parents did.

• All classes cherished family life.• People married within their own social class

and children were highly valued.

18. What rights did women have in Ancient Egypt?

• They had more rights than any other civilization at this time:

• They could own land• They could file for divorce• They could own their own businesses

19. What were the top three government official jobs?

• VIZIER – the pharaoh’s top advisor, manager of infrastructure, chief judge

• CHIEF TREASURER – managed all of the tax collection and the government wealth

• GENERAL OF THE ARMIES – military leader, head of national security, had power to form alliances

20. Describe the embalming process

• All organs were removed except the heart.• The body cavity is filled with natron to dry out• The process took about 70 days• The body was wrapped in linen to be

preserved for the afterlife

21. Describe life as a scribe

• They spent about 12 years learning hieroglyphics

• They had to memorize over 700 symbols• They were eventually allowed to write on a

paper called papyrus• School was harsh—lasted from dawn to

sunset, teachers were strict, often gave beatings

22. What was life like for artisans?

• Highly skilled laborers and artists• Specialized in any number of crafts• Carpenters, jewelers, potters, painters, metalworkers,

sculptors, weavers• Many were men, but some women wove fabric, beaded

clothing, or made perfume• Stone carvers – important in tomb building• Modest homes with work and living space• Work in 10-day stretches, depended entirely on employers

for food• Very skilled, but often viewed as common laborers

23. Describe the three seasons of the Nile

• FLOODING SEASON = June to September, the Nile overruns its banks and fertilized the land with silt deposits, peasants labored on royal projects for the pharaoh

• PLANTING SEASON = October, most important crops were wheat and barley, which were made to make bread and beer

• HARVESTING SEASON = March, peasant families work the harvest

24. What was the Rosetta Stone?

• A large stone slab used to translate hieroglyphics

• It has Greek, Demotic Egyptian, and Hieroglyphic writing

25. What are some key traits of Egyptian art?

• Different mediums: canvas, papyrus, plaster, pottery, wood

• Subjects vary: history, religion, everyday life• Unique style: heads and legs to the side, torso

straight on• Important people and things were always

pictured larger

26. What type of writing system did Egyptians use?

• Hieroglyphics

27. What natural embalming agent did they use during mummification?

• Natron was an embalming agent that drew up all of the moisture in the body during mummification

28. Belief in multiple gods is known as…

• Polytheism

29. What was the economy of Egypt based upon?

• A barter system that traded goods and services

30. Know your vocabulary terms!

• These are all located on the first three pages of your Unit 4 Interactive Notebook.

EXTENDED RESPONSE

• What is a social hierarchy? Can you describe it?• Tell ALL you know about the levels of Ancient Egyptian social

hierarchy (the info in parentheses is NOT enough to answer the response… explain the importance of these people and their jobs)

• PHARAOH (god-king, absolute ruler)• GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (vizier, treasurer, general)• PRIESTS (high priest, temple priests, religious leaders)• SCRIBES (record-keepers, writers)• ARTISANS (craftspeople and skilled laborers)• PEASANTS (unskilled workers, farmers)