Terms to Know Delta – triangle-shaped mouth of a river where silt accumulates

Terms to Know

• Delta – triangle-shaped mouth of a river where silt accumulates

• Cataracts – rocky stretches of a river where water moves rapidly

• Pharaoh – the Egyptian king

• Theocracy – a state ruled by religious figures

• Bureaucracy – highly structured organization managed by officials

Geography

• Egypt is mostly desert, except along the Nile River, where the land is really fertile

• Nile river is over 4,000 miles long and flooded on a predictable schedule

• Because the Nile is so long, the river’s delta is one of the largest and most fertile in the world

• The cataracts prevented invasions because the river was too treacherous to move troops

• Land is divided into Lower Egypt (in the North) and Upper Egypt (in the South)

• Different kingdoms emerged in Lower and Upper Egypt

Two Kingdoms

• The Northern kingdom occupied the Nile delta where the climate was milder

• This area was known as Lower Egypt because it was lower in elevation

• They worshipped a cobra goddess and the kingdom’s symbol was a snake

• The Southern Kingdom stretched from the bottom of the delta to the first cataract

• These people worshipped a vulture goddess and used the vulture as their symbol

The Old Kingdom

• Period in Egyptian history marked by strong and stable rulers

• Created many of the structures that characterize Egypt today (pyramids)

• Since Egypt was so big, the pharaoh relied on other people to help him rule

• Old kingdom lasted for about 500 years

The Pharaohs

• Term literally means “great house”

• Pharaohs had absolute power in Egypt and owned all of the land – they also made all of the laws and ran the military

• Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was a god in human form

• He worked with priests to perform daily rituals to ensure prosperity for Egypt

• The Egyptian government became a theocracy

Bureaucracy

• Egypt was too complex for just one person to govern

• He created a group of people to carry out his wishes and make the country run smoothly – they did not have any official power

• There were very powerful government officials, though

• The Vizier was the most powerful advisor to the pharaoh and helped him carry out important orders

• There were also hundreds of lesser officials and census takers

The Middle Kingdom

• Came to power 200 years after fall of Old Kingdom, lasted for around 400 years

• Increased trade with neighboring civs

• Tried to increase defense, but fell to invaders

The New Kingdom

• Rulers strengthened the military for defense

• Conquered lands to create a buffer zone around the heart of the empire

• Ramses II ruled for 60 years, built many temples and monuments

• He became the most admired pharaoh

• His successors could not rule the empire nearly as well

Creation Myth (continued)

• Geb and Nut had relations, and Nut got pregnant

• Shu got really mad at his kids and separated them; he also forbade Nut from having a child on any day of the year

• Nut bargained with the moon god to have 5 days added to the year; she gave birth to five children, one on each day

• Two of those children, Osiris and Isis, became very powerful gods

• They married and had a child, Horus

• Osiris, Isis and Horus are the most powerful Egyptian gods