Ancient Egypt

❓ Where is Egypt located geographically?
💡 At the crossroads of the African and Asian continents, giving it strategic importance to both.

❓ What were the ancient boundaries of Egypt?
💡 Mediterranean Sea to the north, Aswan to the south, and deserts to the east and west.

❓ What is the most important geographic feature of Egypt?
💡 The Nile River, which runs the length of the country from south to north.

❓ How did Egypt’s climate and landscape change over time?
💡 It was once mostly temperate with fertile, well-watered delta land (like a big oasis), but climate changes dried up most land except the Nile River basin.

❓ What were the two main regions of ancient Egypt?
💡 Upper Egypt (south, long narrow strip south of the Delta)
Lower Egypt (north, consisting of the Nile Delta)

❓ What is Lower Egypt and what does it consist of?
💡 The northern region of ancient Egypt, consisting of the delta formed by the Nile River as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

❓ When did people begin settling along the Lower Nile Delta?
💡 About 5000 BC.

❓ What was the primary occupation of most people in Egypt before settlement along the Nile Delta?
💡 They were shepherds.

❓ What natural event allowed a new civilization to arise in the Nile Delta?
💡 The Nile River’s annual summer floods left rich deposits of soil along its banks, creating fertile land.

❓ Who united Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom, and approximately when did this happen?
💡 Menes, the king of Lower Egypt, united them around 3000 BC.

❓ What was the capital of the unified kingdom?
💡 Memphis.

❓ What period followed the unification of Egypt, and what significant development occurred in it?
💡 The Old Kingdom period, during which hieroglyphics (Egyptian writing) was developed and written on papyrus scrolls.

❓ What was the political structure of ancient Egypt during the Old Kingdom?
💡 Egypt was a highly centralized state united by a god-king and an imperial bureaucracy. The king was considered a god on earth and the chief mediator between humanity and the higher gods.

❓ What was the purpose of the pyramids built around 2650 BC?
💡 Pyramids were specialized burial chambers from which it was believed the king’s soul would ascend to the heavens and reside with the gods. Eternal life was considered the exclusive privilege of the king at that time.

❓ Who made up the social hierarchy beneath the king in Old Kingdom Egypt?
💡 Beneath the king were priests, nobles of the court, local notables in the nomes (provinces), scribes, and other bureaucratic staff. About 80% of the population were serfs who farmed and were conscripted for building projects.

❓ Who actually built the pyramids according to historical and archaeological evidence?
💡 The pyramids were built mostly by local farmers, they spent three months farming and the rest of the year on state building projects.

❓ What caused the collapse of the Old Kingdom government around 2180 BC?
💡 The collapse was caused by economic strain from lavish pyramid construction, power struggles between nobles and priests for control of the kingdom, civil war among local notables, and resulting famine and disease.