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Kingdom on the Nile. Walk like an Egyptian. Nile=Life. Without the Nile, Egypt would be nothing more than desert. The Nile brings the area to life Map. Nile=Life. The Nile is formed in the mountains south of Egypt. Every spring, the rains and snow melts would send a flood
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Kingdom on the Nile Walk like an Egyptian
Nile=Life • Without the Nile, Egypt would be nothing more than desert. • The Nile brings the area to life • Map
Nile=Life • The Nile is formed in the mountains south of Egypt. • Every spring, the rains and snow melts would send a flood • The Egyptians wait for this flood to deliver needed water and deposit silt. • They built dikes and ditches to control and store water for dry season.
Two Kingdoms • Initially Egypt was two kingdoms: upper and lower. • Upper Egypt started at the Nile’s first cataract, or waterfall, and ended before the delta region • Lower Egypt covered the delta region • Delta-Triangular area of marshlands formed by silt at mouth of a river
One kingdom • In 3100 BC, King Menes of Upper Egypt united the two kingdoms, and established a capital city at Memphis • Used Nile as highway to send armies, officials, whoever else was needed to unite kingdom • Traders also used it as means of travel
Family Affair • Rule in Egypt was in the hands of dynasties • Dynasty- ruling family, where power is passed down through generations • Egyptian kings were called pharaohs. • The people believed that the pharaohs were gods
Bureaucracy begins • The pharaohs took pride in establishing peace and order • Created a bureaucracy- system of government with different job functions/levels of authority • Pharaohs depended on their vizier, or chief minister, to run the kingdom • Vizier handled taxes, farming, irrigation, and managed bureaucracy
Pyramids • Because they believed in the afterlife, Egyptians would preserve bodies and provide them with what they would need in next life • Pyramids would take so long to build, pharaohs would start construction as soon as they took office
Old, Middle, New • All of this took place during the Old Kingdom. • In Middle Kingdom times, outside forces occasionally controlled Egypt • In the New Kingdom, Egypt expanded to include parts of the Fertile Crescent.
New Kingdom rulers • Hatshepsut- first female ruler, encouraged trade with parts of Eastern Mediterranean sea • Thutmose III- Hatshepsut’s grandson, expanded Egypt to largest extent • Ramses II- Military leader who bragged about accomplishments on temple walls.
Fighting the Hittites • During the rule of Ramses II, they fought many battles with the Hittites • After years of fighting, they signed the first known peace treaty • It declared that the two ”shall be at peace and in brotherhood forever”
Egypt declines • Starting in 1100 BC, Egypt was continually invaded by attackers, such as the Assyrians and Persians. • In 332 BC, their rule came to an end when the Greeks took over