Egypt 1.3: The Nile River

Egypt 1.3: The Nile River

Guided Question: How did Egypt become united?

​Uniting Egypt

• ​Farmers were able to grow surpluses of crops

• ​Extra food meant people could work as artisans, merchants, and traders

• ​as goods became more available, villages along the Nile traded with one another

• ​caravans carried goods to Nubia in the south and place outside their borders like Mesopotamia

Open Ended

Looking at this map of Early Trade Routes, why do you think trade routes run along waterways?

​Forming Kingdoms

• ​As farming and trade increased, there was a need for a larger, organized government in Egypt

• ​a government could help with the following:

  • overseeing construction and repair of irrigation ditches and dams

  • ​developing a process for storing and distributing grain when there was little food

  • ​settling conflicts over land ownership

Open Ended

Why was a government necessary in Egypt?

​Forming Kingdoms

• ​small villages along the Nile formed into kingdoms ruled by a king

• ​weaker kingdoms fell to the stronger kingdoms

• ​By 4000 BC, Egypt was made up of two kingdoms

  • ​Upper Egypt - south Egypt

  • ​Lower Egypt - along the delta in the north

​Who Was Narmer?

• ​Narmer was a king of Upper Egypt

• ​Around 3100 BC, he let his armies north to the Nile's delta and conquered Lower Egypt

• ​He also married a lower Egypt princess which helped unify Lower and Upper Egypt into one kingdom

Open Ended

Why did Narmer (or Menes) make the red and white joint crown?

​Who was Narmer?

• ​Narmer established a new capital at Memphis on the border between Upper and Lower Egypt

• ​He governed both parts of Egypt from this city

• ​Memphis grew to be a center of government and culture along the Nile

​Who was Narmer?

• ​Narmer's kingdom last long after his death because the right to rule was passed down to his family

• ​This was known as a dynasty or a line of rulers from one family

• ​For almost 3,000 years, Egypt had 30 dynasties

• ​these dynasties are organized into three categories: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms

• ​throughout these three time periods, Egypt was usually united under one single ruler and enjoyed stable government

​Let's Review

​

Multiple Choice

a line of rulers from one family

• shadoof

• dynasty

• theocracy

• pharaoh

Multiple Choice

The three main time periods of Egypt's dynasty were known as the __________________.

• Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom
• First, the Second, and the Third Kingdoms
• the Best, the Okay, and the Worst kingdoms.
• Times of Their Lives

Multiple Choice

Why was the pharaoh Narmer considered to be such a great ruler?

• He united Upper and Lower Egypt, which began one of the most stable civilizations in history.
• He was able to free all the slaves 
• He built a kingdom that allowed everyone in it to have a say in daily matters.
• He took care of his family.

Open Ended

How did the separate kingdoms of Egypt unite?