Lesson 1 The Nile River Valley Notes
I. The Nile River Valley
As empires rose and fell in Mesopotamia, two other civilizations developed along the Nile River: Egypt and Kush
A. Valley Civilization
i. Ideal for settlement because of fertile land
ii. Called Ketmet for “black land” after dark, rich soil
iii. Later this northern Nile area would be called Egypt
B. The Gift of the River
i. Most ancient structures survived because of hot, dry climate
ii. Region receives little rainfall
iii. The Nile River was known as the “creator of all good”
a. water for drinking and bathing
b. water to grow crops
c. World’s longest river
d. Flows north
e. Two rivers join to create Nile River: Blue Nile and White Nile
f. Cataracts along the river make travel difficult
C. A Protected Land
i. Over the years, the river created a valley which contrasts sharply with the desert on both sides
ii. Right before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea, it splits into many branches
a. fan shaped area of fertile marshland is called a delta
iii. River borders largest deserts in the world
a. Libyan Desert to the west
b. Eastern Desert to the east
c. Deserts were called the Red Land because of scorching heat
d. Deserts kept Egypt isolated
iv. Other physical features protected Egypt
a. Cataracts along the river prevented ships from attacking
b. Delta marshes prevented attackers from the Mediterranean Sea
c. Rarely faced invasions, civilization developed peacefully
v. Trade Routes included Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Red Sea to the east
a. River flowed north and the wind helped push sailboats south
II. People of the River
A. Predictable Floods
i. Flooding of the Nile was seasonal, consistent from year to year, less destructive
a. Egyptians were not afraid of the heavy floods
ii. During late spring- heavy tropical rains in Central Africa and melting mountain snow in eastern Africa
iii. Middle of Summer- the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the land
iv. Late Fall- River returned to normal level, leaving behind fertile soil for farming
B. How did Egyptians farm?
i. Farmers planted wheat, barley, and flax seed while soil was wet
ii. During dry season- irrigated their crops
a. scooped out bowl shaped holes called basins to store river water
b. Then dug canals to water crops
c. eventually created shadoofs to lift river water into basins (still used today)
d. used geometry to measure land after floods washed away boundary markers
e. Gathered papyrus that grew wild along river
1. used the long, thin reeds to weave rope, sandals, baskets, river rafts
2. later it was used to make paper to write
C. How did the Egyptians write?
i. Developed own system of writing
a. At first had a picture symbol for everything
b. Later created symbols to represent sounds
c. Combination of picture and sound symbols was called hieroglyphics
ii. Only a few Egyptians could read and write hieroglyphics
a. Some Egyptian men attend school for careers as scribes
b. Did not write on clay tablets, wrote on papyrus
c. Carved on stone walls and monuments
III. Uniting EgyptAble to grow surpluses, not everyone had to be a farmer, artisans/merchants/traders had important roles
While trading with other societies, people learned about other ways of life
A. Forming Kingdoms
i. The need for organized government became important as farming and trade increased
a. to oversee the construction and repair of irrigation ditches and dams
b. to develop a process for storing and distributing grain during famines
c. conflict over land disputes had to be settled
ii. Over time, groups of villages merged to form small kingdoms, ruled by kings
iii. Weaker kingdoms fell under the control of stronger ones
iv. By 4000BC Egypt was divided into two large kingdoms
a. Upper Egypt- south central part
b. Lower Egypt- north delta area
B. Who was Narmer?
i. King of Upper Egypt
ii. also called Menes
iii. conquered Lower Egypt
iv. married a Lower Egypt princess to unify the kingdoms
v. first time all of Egypt was ruled by one king
vi. established capital (Memphis) on border between two parts of Egypt
1. Memphis became center of government and culture
vii. Narmer’s kingdom lasted long after his death
1. The right to rule was passed from father to son to grandson
2. A line of rulers from one family is called a dynasty
3. When one dynasty died out, another would take its place
viii. A series of 30 dynasties ruled Egypt
1. Organized into three time periods: Old, Middle, New
2. Egypt was usually under one ruler and had a stable government