Egypt depth study key points revision

Egypt depth study key points revision

• 1.
  Ancient Egyptian Society Revision ofKey Concepts and Words Ancient Egyptian civilisation developed in the fertile floodplains of the Nile River in Northern Africa from about 3100 BCE to 1200 BCE
• 2.
  The Pharaohs Lands •All the farming land along the Nile River was owned by the Pharaoh. • Farmers had to pay a share of the food they grew to the Pharaoh as tax. • Because the river was so fertile, it farmers were still able to grow enough food for themselves.
• 3.
  The Egyptian Seasons Theannual flooding or inundation was essential to the farmer’s life. There were 3 seasons: • Akhet, from June when the Nile Flooded. • Peret, from October, when the water levels dropped. This marked the start of the growing season. • Shemu, from early March, was the harvest season
• 4.
  Before Akhet, thefarmers would build a network of irrigation canals running from the Nile out into their fields. The used the shaduf – a balanced pole with a leather bucket on one end and a weight on the other – to lift water from the river into these canals.
• 5.
  Development on theNile • Once people had discovered how many resources the river gave, they learned to farm animals and plant crops (neolithic society). • As they settled down in one place, people were able to build houses, then villages, then cities. • The rich mud of the river and the burning sun gave them everything they needed to make mud bricks for thousands of buildings.
• 6.
  Civilisation on theNile River • The nature of any land will affect the sort of society that develops there. • In the case of Egypt the desert protected the civilisation from easy invasion. • The River Nile made it possible for humans to survive, and even live very well, in its fertile valley.
• 7.
  Civilisation Develops • Egyptiansbegan in smaller tribes, then joined together until the country was ruled by a King of Upper Egypt and a King of Lower Egypt. • King Namer finally brought them together in one country in about 3100 BCE. • The Egyptians found that they only needed some people to grow enough food for everybody. • People were able to specialise and some became priests, scribes, architects, builders, artists and soldiers.
• 8.
  Governing and Records •Egypt covered a vast area and had a large population of five million people. • One of the secrets of Egypt’s success was a strong, ruler, the Pharaoh, who was served by a large number of officials who helped him rule (a bureaucracy). • It was important to have a way of telling people of new laws and recording taxes paid. • The Egyptians invented hieroglyphs (writing) and made papyrus (paper of reed leaves) to record and pass on information.
• 9.
  Death and FuneralRites • The Egyptians believed that it was possible to survive death and to go on to the afterlife, • The body was preserved in a process called mummification so that the soul could return to it. • This belief inspired great buildings, such as the pyramids for the pharaohs and the tombs found in the Valley of the Kings and elsewhere.
• 10.
  Contact - Conflicts •Civilisations can be changed by contacts with people who have different beliefs and knowledge. • At first Egyptians had no respect for other civilisations. • They were invaded by the Hyksos in about 1670 BCE who had better technology and weapons. • The Egyptians learned from the Hyksos to make wheeled chariots, composite bows and to make bronze, which is stronger than copper.
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  Contacts - Trade •Civilisations also contact each other by trade. • The Egyptians traded with other countries from their earliest days which made Egypt even wealthier. • Egyptians traded wheat, barley and dried fish for luxury goods like ebony, ivory, gems and the incense myrrh. • The Egyptians also imported camels, horses and chickens that changed the way they lived.
• 12.
  Check out theseonline activities: http://web1.beverlyhg- h.schools.nsw.edu.au/Faculty/History/LIAKOPOULOS/Land%20of%20the%20 Pharaohs/land_of_the_pharaohs.htm