S.S. Ch.4 Lesson 1

The Land of the Nile
Each year, the receding flood waters of the Nile River deposited silt along the riverbank. This fertile soil made the Nile Delta and the Nile Valley the only areas in Egypt where wheat and barley could be grown.

-The longest river in the world
-4,160 miles long
-Lower Egypt, lies at the Nile’s mouth at the Mediterranean Sea
-Higher Egypt, lies at the south and runs for more than 600 miles through cataracts, or waterfalls

Controlling the River
Over time, the Egyptians developed agricultural techniques that gave them some control of the Nile. These techniques led to growing population along the Nile and the need for government.


The Nile was “the giver of life” but also took life
Sometimes, the rain was not enough to cause the Nile to overflow
-Crops dried up
-Egyptians starved

Sometimes, there was too much rain
-River flooded wildly
-Drowned people
-Drowned crops

To control the river, they:
*Built simple irrigation systems
*Built dams and dikes
*Stored water in ponds or pools

A Source of Religion
The flooding of the Nile influenced the early Egyptians to form religious beliefs
They created stories to explain events in nature
In the stories, gods or godesses controlled a specific part of nature.
Egyptians formed a polytheistic religion

Ra(RAH), pronounced Ra (RAY) -The sun god
Hapi -God of the flood
Egyptians thought that honoring Hapi would bring good harvests
Horus -The sky god
Osiris -God of the next world
Each city had one or more special gods
As city gained strength, the god became more important
Amon- belief in the city’s god
Egyptians combined Amon and Ra, considering Amon-Ra their most powerful god.

Toward Civilization
Surplus crops allowed early Egyptians to develop an advanced civilization. With surpluses, the Egyptians traveled along the Nile to trade for other sources. Trade and travel made it possible for some towns to grow into cities. Eventually, Egypt was made up of two kingdoms.

Early Egyptians began developing an advanced civilization
Built temples to worship gods
Built stone tombs to hold bodies of rulers
Used writing on temples and tombs
Made pottery depicting stories of their lives
Mined for copper to make tools and gold for decorative art

Farming made these advances possible.
They grew a surplus of wheat and barley
The made bread, which was the main part of their diet

The Sinai Peninsula was a crossroads for early Egyptians and traders from southwestern Asia
The Nile served as a “highway” connecting settlements
Because of their location near the rivers, they became expert ship builders

Ships were able to travel up and down the Nile river
Soon, the towns grew into cities.
Egypt grew into two kingdoms- Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt

The physical setting of the Nile River supported a permanent settlements and an early civilization in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians developed agricultural techniques, such as irrigation, along the Nile River. It was these techniques that permitted the Egyptians to grow surplus food. Over time, Egyptian trade in surpluses allowed the growth of cities.