Pyramids on the Nile Flashcards
Why did the Egyptians build pyramids?
used as a resting place after death
Herodotus remarked that Egypt was the
“gift of the Nile.” What did he mean by that?
- egypt wouldn’t exist without the nile, which provided fertile soil for farming, so they could create a civilization
Time Period
27-17 BCE
River
The Nile River
cities
alexandria, memphis
physical boundaries
deserts
religious foundation
polytheistic
style of political/government rule
A god for each city and priests that descended from gods
notable achievements
pyramids, rosette stone
reasons for collapse/end
the hyksos invasion
the Nile River had what type of flooding?
Predictable
Mummification
- The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body
- used to preserve bodies in a lifelike way
- If the body was destroyed, the spirit could be lost and not make its entrance into the afterlife
Cataracts
- where boulders turn the river into churning rapids
- Between the first Cataract and the Mediterranean there are two different regions
Hieroglyphics
egyptian form of writing
Pharaoh
- god-kings
- It was the pharaoh who caused the sun to rise, the Nile to flood, and the crops to grow. It was the pharaoh’s duty to promote truth and justice
“Old Kingdom”
2613-2181 BCE, known as the age of the pyramids
King Narmer
- The King that unified Upper and Lower Egypt, turning it into an empire.
- wore a white and red crown bc Upper Egypt had a white crown and lower egypt had a red one
Delta
- a broad, marshy, triangular area of land formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of the river
- merges into the meditteranean
- Good soil for farming
Papyrus
- grown in the fields
- used for paper
Theocracy
- The governing of egypt by the power of religion
ex. their kings were gods
Nubia
- ancient region in northeastern Africa
- near the First Cataract in Upper Egypt
- known for its rich deposits of gold
major crops
- wheat
- barley
Osiris
- god of the dead and rebirth
- determined the fate of kings when they died
Ra (Re)
- king of the deities and the father of all creation, sun god
Isis
- a role model for women, was a principal deity in rites for the dead, and cured the sick
- married to Osiris
The Nile River
- Reliable system of transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt
- Helped unify Egypt’s villages and promote trade - Flows north
Risks of Egyptian Life
- If the Nile had a water level a few feet below normal, the amount of fresh silt and water was largely reduced
- Thousands starved - When floodwaters were just a few feet higher than normal, the access water destroyed houses, granaries, and seeds needed for planting
- The deserts on either side of the Nile were natural barres between enemies/invaders (good)
- Egyptians were forced to live on a very small portion of land and interaction was reduced between others (bad)
