Social Studies: Egypt under the Pharaohs

Question 1

What is cataract??

Answer 1

A group of rocky rapids

Question 2

What is a delta?

Answer 2

A flat plain formed on the seabed where a river deposits materials over many years

Question 3

What is an artisan?

Answer 3

Skilled worker who practices a handicraft

Question 4

What is a pharaoh?

Answer 4

A king of ancient Egypt

Question 5

What is a dynasty?

Answer 5

A series of rulers from the same family

Question 6

What is a bureaucracy?

Answer 6

A system of many government officials who carry out government rules and regulations

Question 7

What is a mummy?

Answer 7

A body that has been preserved so it will not decompose

Question 8

What is environmental?

Answer 8

Having to do with natural surroundings

Question 9

What is devotion?

Answer 9

Strong feeling of love, loyalty or commitment

Question 10

True or False: the Huang River is the world’s longest river.

Answer 10

False.

The Nile is the longest river in the world.

Question 11

Which region today was known as Kush in ancient times?

Answer 11

North Sudan.

Question 12

How does The Nile contribute to fertile soil in Egypt?

Answer 12

The river carries silt from sources in East Africa and deposits the silt on its banks and as it slows down, which, over thousand of years, forms river deltas.

Each summer, heavy rainfall led to floods along The Nile which also served to deposit silt along the river.

Question 13

What does “Kemet” mean, and why did ancient Egyptians use this term to describe their country?

Answer 13

It means “black land”, which was ancient Egyptians call their country because the black fertile soil was so important.

Question 14

What does “red land” refer to?

Answer 14

The ancient Egyptians refer to deserts beyond The Nile as red lands.

Question 15

True or false: people in Egypt began growing grains on their fertile soil over 7,000 years ago.

Answer 15

True.

Question 16

How did ancient Egyptian farmers irrigate their land?

Answer 16

They built earthen walls to trap flood water from The Nile, which then irrigated their land.

Question 17

How did cities develop?

Answer 17

Agriculture techniques like irrigation led to a surplus of food. Rulers collected food surplus as a tax, which they then used to buy cloth, jewelry and luxury goods supplied by merchants and artisans.

As these merchants and artisans stared to settle near the rulers, these settlements grew into large and powerful cities.

Question 18

Who was the first pharaoh, and what was he known for?

Answer 18

Narmer was the first pharaoh. He was known for uniting the 2 major cities of Egypt. He founded the earliest Egyptian dynasty.

Question 19

What best describes what the Old Kingdom was like?

Answer 19

It was a time of political strength, prosperity and cultural achievement.

Question 20

What best describes what the Middle Kingdom?

Answer 20

The Middle Kingdom was formed after civil wars. There were major floods during the Middle Kingdom, which the pharaohs dealt with by building canals.

Question 21

What best describes what the New Kingdom?

Answer 21

The New Kingdom was marked by wars and invasions. It was the high point of ancient Egyptian power and prosperity as Egypt conquered parts of Asian and Africa. But the New Kingdom fell apart as it was invaded by others, including the Persian Empire and later by Greeks led by Alexander The Great.

Question 22

How did pharaohs govern?

Answer 22

They relied on a bureaucracy to handle the business of government, including collecting taxes and distributing surplus crops.

Question 23

Who is the vizier?

Answer 23

The head of the bureaucracy.

Question 24

Describe Egypt’s social pyramid from the top classes to the bottom.

Answer 24

The rulers are at the top: Egyptian people saw them as god-kings.

Then came the nobles, priests, officials and scribes who helped the pharaoh govern.

Below them were merchants and artisans such as painters, stone cutters, and builders.

Then came farmers. Most of the people in Egypt were farmers in this class.

Slaves were at the bottom. Many were prisoners of war or debtors who were freed after a period of time.

Question 25

How did Egyptians view their gods? How did they worship their gods.

Answer 25

Egyptians believed in hundreds of gods who controlled everything from weather to death, and they can be kind of dangerous. Many gods were associated with animals.

Egyptians built temples and offered prayers and gifts to worship their gods.

Question 26

Who is Amon-Ra?

Answer 26

One of the most important Egyptian gods, the sun god.

Question 27

Who is Osiris?

Answer 27

God of the under world, or the dead.

Question 28

Who is Isis?

Answer 28

The wife of Osiris, known as the mother goddess of Egypt and represented love, caring and protection.

She brought Osiris back to life after he was killed by Seth, a rival god.

Question 29

Who is Horus?

Answer 29

Son of Osiris and Isis. He fought and defeated Seth, and united Egypt. Every pharaoh was thought to be Horus in human form.

Question 30

People believed that the pharaoh was both human and a god. How did this help pharaoh govern?

Answer 30

People would obey pharaoh and his officials out of fear of angering the gods. This also made people afraid to overthrow their king, which helped the pharaoh to remain in power.

Question 31

Why were priests powerful?

Answer 31

People believed that priests could help them gain favor with gods. which made the priests very powerful.

Question 32

Did Egyptians believe in life after death?

How did this impact their burial practices?

Answer 32

Yes, they believed that if you live a good life, they would have life after death and live forever.

Wealthy Egyptians were buried with many objects to use in the afterlife, including cups and dishes but sometimes also their mummified pets!

Question 33

Why did Egyptians have mummies?

Answer 33

They believed that in order to have an afterlife, they needed to preserve their bodies. So wealthy Egyptians would make their dead bodies into mummies to be buried in the desert.

Question 34

Who were the 3 important pharaohs of the New Kingdom?

Answer 34

Hatshepsut, Ramses II and Thutmose III.

Question 35

How did Hatshepsut become king?

Answer 35

She was the wife of a pharaoh and had a son Thutmose III who was to become a pharaoh. When her husband died, her son was too young to be a ruler, so sha made herself as the pharaoh.

Her rule was peaceful, and Egypt’s wealth and power grew during her reign through trade.

Question 36

What is Ramses II known for?

Answer 36

He became pharaoh at a very young age and ruled for 66 years.

He led the army to conquer many territories. His most famous battle was the Battle of Kadesh.

He brought tremendous wealth to Egypt and built many temples. He was a beloved pharaoh by the Egyptian people.