Ancient Egypt the Nile, the pyramids, the Egyptian Writing summary and study guide

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Ancient Egypt the Nile, the pyramids, the Egyptian Writing summary and study guide

Ancient Egypt

Franceschini

Common Core SS Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:
6H.1.3 Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
6H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society
6G.1.1 Explain how the physical features and human characteristics of a place influenced the development of civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., location near rivers and natural barriers, trading practices and spread of culture).
6G.1.4 (3.01, 3.03) Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and adapted to their environments (e.g., invention of tools, domestication of plants and animals, farming techniques and creation of dwellings).

Common Core Reading Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:

Locate and cite details, State main ideas and summarize.
Determine meanings of words and phrases.
Determine how information is presented (sequentially, comparatively, etc.).
Integrate and analyze visuals (maps, charts, pictures) etc. with text.

Common Core Writing Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:

Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate for the task.
Use technology and internet to produce writing.
Informative and Explanatory Writing in the context of SS

Unit Vocabulary:
Students should write these words in their vocabulary journal and write their meaning with pictures (when possible) as we come across them in our readings.

Civilization
Region
place
Human-environment interaction
Conquest
Pyramid
mummification
cooperation
domestication
agriculture
innovation
movement
resources
irrigation
flood
silt
mountains
theocracy
hieroglyphics
demotic script
scribe
papyrus
pharaoh

The Egyptians- The Gift of the Nile

Objectives: SWBAT explain how the geography of Ancient Egypt isolated it. SWBAT analyze how the geography contributed to Egypt’s unique culture. SWBAT define what is meant by the term “The Gift of the Nile”
6G.1.1 Explain how the physical features and human characteristics of a place influenced the development of civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., location near rivers and natural barriers, trading practices and spread of culture).
6G.1.4 Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and adapted to their environments (e.g., invention of tools, domestication of plants and animals, farming techniques and creation of dwellings).

North Africa is the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest civilizations. The Ancient Egyptians began their civilization along the Nile River over 7,000 years ago. The Ancient Egyptians enjoyed many natural barriers. There were deserts to the east and west of the Nile River, and mountains to the south. The Mediterranean Sea was to the north These geographic features isolated the ancient Egyptians and allowed them to develop a unique culture. Egypt itself is a desert region.
The Nile is the world's longest river. It is over 4000 miles long. The Egyptians began their civilization around 3,500 BC (before Christ). The first Egyptians settled along the Nile because the soil was good for farming. Every year the Nile River flooded. Floods are periods of time when the water overflows its natural boundaries. The floods would leave a layer of rich new soil that was excellent for growing food. This rich soil layer was called silt. About 5,000 years ago the Egyptians were one of the first people to learn how to use the river to irrigate their crops. The Nile River’s water was brought to farms and towns. As a result, they were able to grow more food. With more food, the population grew. The ancient Egyptians called the fertile soil left behind after the floods “The Gift of the Nile”.
Fertile soil for crops was not the Nile's only gift. The Nile gave the Ancient Egyptians many gifts. Thanks to the Nile, these ancient people had fresh water for drinking and bathing. The Nile supported transportation and trade. It provided materials for building, for making cloth for clothes, and even for making paper. Paper was made from the wild papyrus weed that grew along the shores of the Nile.
Because of the annual flooding of the Nile, the ancient Egyptians enjoyed a high standard of living compared to other ancient civilizations. Without the Nile, Egypt would be a desert.
Essential Questions:

How did the geography Egypt help isolate it? Explain the result.
What do you think is meant by the phrase “The Gift of the Nile”?

Activity:
Use the internet to find 7 interesting facts about the Nile River.

The Nile River

Egypt Unites

Objectives: SWBAT assess King Menes impact on Egyptian history.
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society

The different regions of the Nile River were ruled and governed by tribal chiefs and kings. As the centuries passed, smaller kingdoms joined together forming larger and larger kingdoms. This continued until around 6,000 years ago when the Nile Valley consisted of only two large kingdoms. These kingdoms were called Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. Lower Egypt was in the northern portion of the Nile Valley. This group lived around the mouth of Nile River, near the Mediterranean Sea. Their king wore a Red Crown. Upper Egypt was in the southern portion of the Nile Valley. This other group lived near the mountains to the South. Their king wore a White Crown.
These two groups had much in common. They spoke the same language. They worshipped the same gods. They had the same culture. But, they did not get along. They were always fighting.
Around 5,000 years ago or 3000 BCE a powerful king from the Upper Egyptian nation led an army north in order to conquer Lower Egypt. This king's name was Narmer. Narmer is also known as King Menes. He conquered Lower Egypt. These two groups continued to fight. One day, King Menes had an idea. If the color of a crown was so important, why not invent a new crown?! King Menes created the Double Crown, a mix of white and red. His idea worked. Both Lower and Upper Egypt respected the Double Crown. They called their land "The Two Lands". Over time, The Two Lands became known as Egypt.
Narmer established a unified Egypt throughout the Nile Valley. He built a capital on the border between Lower and Upper Egypt, which he named Memphis. From Memphis, Narmer and his decedents ruled Egypt. A family that rules a nation is known as a dynasty. From 5,000 years ago until around 2,300 years ago Egypt was ruled by 30 different dynasties. Historians divide the nearly 2,500 years of Egyptian history into three periods. These periods are known as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
Essential Questions:

How did King Menes affect Egyptian history?

Additional Questions

What other names was King Menes known as?
What was Memphis?
What do we call the 3 major periods of Ancient Egyptian history?

Directions- Now write 2 questions and answers of your own for each paragraph.

The 3 Kingdoms of Egypt

Objectives: SWBAT discriminate between the kingdoms of Egypt by identifying the differences amongst each
6H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time

The Old Kingdom- 2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.
Egypt's ancient history covers a huge block of time. Archaeologists noticed something very interesting. They realized that much Egypt's ancient history could be divided into three big blocks of time. In each block, all of the pharaohs behaved in a certain way. Scientists have named these blocks "The Old Kingdom", "The Middle Kingdom", and "The New Kingdom".
The Old Kingdom began around 2700 B.C. and lasted until about 2200 B.C. These four centuries are most notable for the way that the Upper and Lower Kingdoms maintained their separate identities. They were ruled by the same leader, but they were in essence different nations. During the Old Kingdom, Egyptian rulers grew in power and influence. Their people began to consider them not just kings, but also gods. They became know as Pharaohs. Pharaohs had absolute power and authority over all aspects of the lives of the people they ruled. Pharaohs were considered gods on earth. A government where the political power and religious power lie in the same person is known as a theocracy.

To honor their pharaoh the Egyptian people built great buildings called pyramids. Pyramids were triangular buildings built as tombs for their pharaoh. A tomb is a place to bury the dead. Since the pharaoh was considered a god, he needed a great building to be buried in after he died. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife. The pyramid would hold everything the pharaoh needed in the next life. Pharaohs were buried in pyramids only during this time period in history – the Old Kingdom. After building pyramids, at great expense to the state, it occurred to pharaohs that pyramids were rather easy to spot. As a result they were much easier to rob than a hidden tomb. Things would change during the middle kingdom.
Today many of these pyramids still stand. Thousands of people still go to see these buildings every year.
Questions:

Who were the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom?
Explain why Ancient Egypt was considered a theocracy.
What was the purpose of building the pyramids?

Assignment- Now write 2 questions and answers of your own for each paragraph.

The Middle Kingdom- 2100B.C.-1800B.C.

For over four centuries Egypt had enjoyed peace and prosperity. In 2200 B.C., this was all about to change. The peace gave way to a series of civil wars that would last for the next 150 years.
Local leaders rose in rebellion against the powerful king, and eventually crumbled the empire. For the next 150 years Egypt would be ruled by a number of local leaders.
Then, around 2050 B.C. a new king united Egypt once again. This leader moved the capital from Memphis to Thebes where he and his descendents would rule Egypt for the next 1,800 years.
The Middle Kingdom was Egypt's Golden Age. Trade flourished, arts and literature flourished. Egypt built strong armies to defend herself against her neighbors. During the time period of the middle kingdom, pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise rulers.
Instead of building huge expensive pyramids, when pharaohs died, they were buried in hidden tombs. These tombs were all over ancient Egypt. Most probably, there are tombs yet to be discovered.
Questions:

Why was the Middle Kingdom referred to as the Golden Age?
Where were the pharaohs buried during the Middle Kingdom? Why do you think they stopped using pyramids?

Assignment- Write 5 questions and answers of your own.

The New Kingdom- 1700B.C.-1000B.C.

In 1700 B.C. two things happened that once again shattered the peace of the Egyptian nation. These two things were a renewed civil war, as well as the threat of invasion by a desert people known as the Hyksos. Using superior weapons and technology, the Hyksos eventually conquered the Egyptians and would rule for the next century. However, the Egyptians despised them and eventually were able to overthrow them, beginning the period known as the New Kingdom.
The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period. Egypt expanded her borders through military conquest and became a world power. During the time period of the new kingdom, pharaohs were all powerful, and pharaohs were all buried in the same geographic area called the Valley of the Kings. Templeswere the holy buildings where the Egyptians worshipped their gods. They worshipped a wind god, a sun god, a river god and many others as well.
By around 1,000 BC Egypt had become weak from many wars trying to keep its large empire together. The Kingdom of Kush developed on the southern part of the Nile around the same time as the Egyptians. For a while Egypt controlled them. By 1,000 BC it was powerful enough to separate from Egypt. Kush even became powerful enough to conquer Egypt around 730 BC for a period of about 80 years. Kush was powerful for around 500 years. Around AD 200 another group of people from Axum took over the empire. The people of Axum became Christian. The area known as Axum is today Ethiopia. Today Ethiopia is still mostly Christian even though most of North Africa practices Islam.
Ancient Egypt was powerful for about 2,500 years. Eventually groups of people from both Asia and Europe weakened the power of Egypt. Egypt finally collapsed in 332 BC when Alexander the Great of the Greeks defeated the Egyptian pharaoh. Today Egypt is still a very important country in Northeast Africa.

Questions:

What is meant by the expansion period and how did it actually weaken Egypt in the end.
Where were the pharaohs buried during the new kingdom

Directions- Now write 2 questions and answers of your own for each paragraph.

Essential Question

What were the essential differences that divided each era in Egyptian history? Make a graphic organizer to answer this question.

The Egyptians Built Pyramids

Objectives: SWBAT interpret the significance of the pyramids. SWBAT state when they were used. SWBAT design their own models of an Egyptian pyramid with factual information.
6H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society > pharaohs

The Egyptian people believed that their rulers were gods. They believed that after they died, these rulers would continue to work in behalf of the Egyptian nation. The death of a king/pharaoh was an important event.
It was only during the time of the old kingdom that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids to hold the royal tombs of their kings. Pyramids were huge structures. Pyramids had storage rooms, courtyards, secret passageways, and all kinds of fancy traps designed to catch robbers who tried to break into the pyramid to rob it. Egyptians went to great efforts to honor their deceased ruler and to insure them a successful trip to the afterlife. These kings were buried with elaborate treasures, food supplies, and often even servants.
The bodies of the kings as well as those of other important individuals were preserved from decay through the process of mummification. These remains were then laid to rest within burial chambers inside the pyramid. The pyramids were massive stone buildings that stretched upward into the sky. These pyramids took decades and many thousands of laborers to construct. They stand as a testament to the awesome power and might of the Egyptian Kingdom.
When people around the world think of Egypt, they think of pyramids. While other peoples of the ancient world built these interesting structures, the countryside of Egypt is best known for them. These ancient structures stretch up from the sandy desert ground toward the skies. They remind us of the power the Ancient Egyptians held.
Some people believe that a huge slave population built the pyramids. While some slave labor probably played an important role, not all the workers were slaves. For four months of the year, the Nile River floods, making it impossible for farmers to work the land. It is likely that, during this time, farmers worked alongside the year-round workers to construct the massive monuments.
Why would so much effort and so many man hours be put into a monument? Egyptians believed that pharaohs were gods. One of dozens of gods, the Pharaoh was the protector of the heavens and of the sun god. Once the ruler passed away, he became god of the dead. Even though he was gone from the earth, a part of his spirit stayed with his body. Because of this, his body stayed important to the Egyptians. They made sure it was mummified (kept from decay). In the tomb he had food, weapons and sometimes even slaves in his pyramid-tomb. Not all Egyptian pyramids held the bodies and property of Pharaohs and their queens. Some were erected by wealthy individuals who just wanted to be remembered after they died. The age of the pyramids lasted approximately 1000 years, ending around 1700 BC.
Essential Questions:

When were the pyramids built and what were their purposes?
Explain why Egypt was a theocracy.

Directions- Now write 2 questions and answers of your own for each paragraph.

The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid, was built around 2700 BCE, nearly 5000 years ago! Pyramid construction was abandoned after the time of the Old Kingdom. It was simply too easy to find a pyramid. Grave robbers knew exactly where the pharaohs were buried.

The Great Pyramids

Hieroglyphics

The Sphinx

Egyptian Writing

Objectives: SWBAT explain the significance of Egyptian writing. SWBAT the significance of the Rosetta Stone
6H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time

Over 5000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians wrote things down using a picture writing called hieroglyphics. The people who did the actual writing were called scribes. The scribes had a problem. The ancient Egyptians wrote everything down, absolutely everything! Although hieroglyphics were very pretty, it took time to write in pictures.

Scribes needed a faster way to write things down. They created a new form of writing called Demotic script. They could write much more rapidly with some of the new scripts they created. The Demotic script was used for writing business, legal, scientific, literary and religious documents. It was written from right to left in horizontal lines and mainly in ink on papyrus. Demotic inscriptions on wood and stone are also known. During the Ptolemaic Period it was regularly carved in stone.
The Demotic Script > Looks more like an alphabet
Archaeologists discovered beautiful hieroglyphic writing on the walls of ancient Egyptian pyramids and tombs. The archaeologists had a problem. They knew hieroglyphics had meanings. Although lots of archaeologists could read Demotic script, there was no one left in the world who remembered what the ancient hieroglyphics meant. It was very frustrating
Two hundred years ago the Rosetta Stone was found in Egypt. It is the most famous example of Demotic Script. This stone had the same short story written on it in Greek, in Demotic, and in hieroglyphics. Scientists could read Greek. Scientists could read Demotic. And now, scientists could begin to read hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone held the key for deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Today, the Rosetta Stone is on display for everyone to see. Currently, it makes its home in the famous British Museum in London.

Essential Questions:
What was the significance of the Rosetta Stone?
Directions- Now write 2 questions and answers of your own for each paragraph.

Activity: Create your own writing system with symbols and a key to decipher it.

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