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Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt: the Nile, pharaohs, pyramids, mummies, writing and the social pyramid. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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The Nile

Egypt
Egypt and the Nile, which flows from south to north.
The NilefloodsRich blacksilt is leftFarmersplant wheatand flaxHarvest;part paid astax
Where the Nile reaches the sea it forms a triangular delta.

The Egyptians called the Nile Iteru, and the black, fertile land along it Kemet. Most Egyptians were farmers; wheat was the main crop, and flax was grown for linen. A shaduf lifts water from the Nile: a weight helps lift the bucket. Most of Egypt is desert (the “red land”), so almost everyone lived on the narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile and in the delta. The Nile was also Egypt’s main road: boats floated north with the current and sailed south with the wind, carrying people, grain and stone for the pyramids. The year had three seasons: flood, planting and growing, and harvest.

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Society

PharaohNobles, officials, high priestsScribesCraftsmenFarmersSlaves and servantsmost powerleast powerFarmers were the biggest group.
People believed the pharaoh was a god on earth.
  • The vizier was the pharaoh’s chief official who ran the country. Priests looked after the temples and ceremonies.
  • Scribes could read and write, which few could; that is why they were above farmers. Craftsmen: potters, carpenters, goldsmiths.
  • Farmers gave part of the harvest as tax, and worked on the pharaoh’s building projects during the flood.
  • Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh. The pyramid stones were moved on sledges by workers.
  • Temples were seen as the homes of the gods. Priests cared for the god’s statue inside and held ceremonies and festivals there. Famous temples are Karnak and Luxor at Thebes, and Abu Simbel, built by Ramesses II.
The pyramids at Giza beside the Nile.
The pyramids at Giza beside the Nile.
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Death and the afterlife

OrgansremovedBody driedWrapped inlinen stripsIn a tombwith gravegoods
Grave goods were buried with the pharaoh, because he would need them later.

Anubis (jackal-headed) was the god of mummies and tombs; Osiris ruled over the dead. Cats were often mummified, linked to the goddess Bastet. We know so much about Egypt because they wrote, and tombs were preserved.

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Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • The Nile was the heart of Egypt: the yearly flood left rich black soil — “the gift of the Nile”.
  • The Nile flows from south to north into the Mediterranean; the White Nile starts at Lake Victoria, the Blue Nile at Lake Tana (Ethiopia).
  • The kings were pharaohs; the pyramids (at Giza, near Cairo) were their tombs.
  • Hieroglyphics is picture writing on papyrus; the Rosetta Stone helped scholars decipher it.
  • A mummy is a body preserved for the afterlife.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

The Nile flows “up” the map to the sea: it starts in the south and flows north into the Mediterranean. Rivers flow downhill, not ‘down’ the map.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

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Test yourself · Part 2

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