Egypt

The people of ancient Egypt settled in a land known as the Nile River Valley. Here, the Nile River's dependable floods produced a dark, fertile layer of mud which covered their farmlands called kemet. Once the Egyptians mastered the practice of farming, their civilization grew rapidly and they produced incredible advancements in the areas of government, religion, architecture and science. After a period of thousands of years which saw the establishment of the Old Kingdom (2600 - 2300 B.C.), the Middle Kingdom (2050 - 1670 B.C.) and the New Kingdom (1550 - 1080 B.C.), Egypt began to decline in power as poor leadership from their Pharaohs and invasions from other lands ended Egypt's domanice as a major empire.

Click here for ancient Egypt Power Point Notes

Useful Links

1) This site from the British Museum has it all!

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html

2) The Cleveland Museum of art presents Egyptomania!

http://www.clevelandart.org/kids/egypt/index.html

3) A great source for learning about mummies in ancient Egypt!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/mummy/

4) Excellent description and pictures of many aspects of Egyptian civilization like clothing, food, art, science, writing, architecture and games.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/

5) This site provides a very detailed look into the different aspects of Egyptian civilization.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/index.shtml

6) Facts, maps, crafts and recipes from ancient Egypt! A must visit!!!

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_egypt/egypt.htm

7) This is a fantastic website about the pyramids of ancient Egypt!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html

8) Very simple, easy to view maps of Upper, Middle and Lower Egypt.

http://www.geog.okstate.edu/1113web/thelower.htm

9) This site from Nova gives you the chance to see items from Egypt upclose and often with a 360 degree view! You need shockwave in order to run this site.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/

Vocabulary

cataract - steep rapids formed by cliffs and boulders in a river

deity - god or goddess

delta - area of fertile soil at the mouth of a river

dynasty - line of rulers from the same family

embalming - process developed by the ancient Egyptians of preserving a person's body after death

hieroglyphics - system of writing made up of thousands of picture symbols developed by the ancient Egyptians

mummy - body that has been embalmed and wrapped in linen

papyrus - reed plant of the Nile River Valley used to make a form of paper

pharaoh - all-powerful king in ancient Egypt

pyramid - huge stone structure build by the ancient Egyptians to serve as a tomb

tribute - payment made by one group or nation to another to show obedience or to obtain peace or protection