The Nile Valley Chapter 2:ia

Pre-dynastic Egypt

“The Land of the Pharaohs.”

The Greek historian

Herodotus once referred to Egypt as

being “the Gift of the Nile.”

[Image source: http://www.williston.k12.nd.us/larsen/Unit3%20Egypt/Herodot2.htm]

Nomadic hunter-gatherers of northeastern Africa by settled by the Nile River as early as 5000 B.C.

[Image source: http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/egcl02e.html]

The green Nile Valley contrasted sharply with the surrounding

deserts.

Early Egyptians called their land Kemet, meaning

“black land,” after the dark soil.

[Image source: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/9624/egypt.html]

The rich alluvial

soil of the river and the delta provided

good farm land for

the people of Egypt.

[Image source: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/6539/pic.htm]

Early Egyptians took up farming and grew cereal crops such as wheat and barley.

The Nile also provided Neolithic farmers with ducks and geese in its marshlands and fish in its waters.

The Nile River also served as an important transportation route.

[http://www.natashascafe.com/cgi-bin/dbase.cgi?royalboat]

Egyptians harvested papyrus reeds to make paper, rope, baskets, etc.

Virtually everyone lived in the floodplain of the Nile River.

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/nilevall.gif]

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/irrigata.gif]

Egyptian farmers

were able to increase their crop yields by using the

Nile River to irrigate their fields.

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/irrico1a.gif]

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/irrico2a.gif]

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/irrico3a.gif]

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/irrico4a.gif]

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/piccione08.gif]

Cataracts, rapids and waterfalls, made it difficult to navigate more

than 650 miles (1,040 Km) upstream.

[Image source: http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/COSTUME1_INDEX.HTML#Plate1]

Over time, strong leaders united these villages into

kingdoms, or monarchies,

each under the unrestricted

ruled of a powerful king.

By 4000 B.C., ancient Egypt consisted of two

large kingdoms . . .

Lower Egypt in the north,in the Nile Delta, and . . .

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/delta185.gif]

Upper Egypt in the south, in

the Nile River Valley.

[Image source: http://www.library.nwu.edu/class/history/B94/upegnom.gif]

King Narmer (Menes) of

Upper Egypt conquered

Lower Egypt and unified the country circa

3000 B.C.[Image source: http://campus.northpark.edu/history//Classes/Sources/Narmar.html]

The unification of Upper and

Lower Egypt can be seen in the

combination of the two crowns.

[Image source: http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/OSU_profile/bslweb/afancient.html]

Narmer (Menes) ruled the unified

kingdom of Egypt from his

new capital, Memphis, which he built on the border between

the two kingdoms.

Memphis

King Narmer (Menes)

established the first dynasty,

or line of rulers from one family.

[Image source: http://campus.northpark.edu/history//Classes/Sources/Narmar.html]

Tomorrow• Make sure you have

read all of section 1 in Chapter 2

• Do map assignment the Nile Valley