Test on: Wednesday, December 11, 2013
* = “ADVANCED” or “CHALLENGE” (not required)
1. What is the longest river on Earth, crossing nearly half of Africa?
The Nile River
2. What two rivers create the Nile?
The White Nile and the Blue Nile
*Where did these rivers originate?
The White Nile rises from Lake Victoria and heads north through Uganda, and the Blue Nile descends from the highlands of Ethiopia.
3. Into what sea does the Nile flow?
The Mediterranean Sea
4. Before reaching the sea, the Nile fans out into a delta. This word also means “triangle” in Greek.
5. What direction does the Nile flow?
North -This is due to elevation, not latitude (north and south on a map)
*Approximately how many miles long is the Nile?
4,000 miles
6. How did the Nile’s seasonal floods help the farming culture?
The Nile’s seasonal floods irrigated a wide flood plain on both sides of the river, depositing silt and other minerals to create extremely fertile soil for farming. These flood plains were known as the Black Lands for their dark, rich soil.
7. The Greek historian Herodotus once wrote, that Egypt was “Gift of the Nile.” What does this mean?
This quote means that Egypt and the entire Ancient Egyptian Civilization is a product of the Nile, or there because of the Nile. Without the Nile, not only would Egypt be barren, a completely dry desert, but the civilization would never have occurred.
8. Why is it that without the Nile, there would be no Egypt? How is the Nile the ultimate source of the entire Ancient Egyptian civilization?
Because of farming, the Egyptians could store their food. With a surplus of food, (or extra food) the Egyptians had more leisure time, or free time. With this free time, they could spend their time on science, mathematics, engineering, and astronomy. Because of farming, this civilization could turn from daily survival to works of the mind. They created the 365-day calendar, and the 24-hour day.
9. Around what time did the first glimmers of Egyptian civilization begin to appear?
Around 4,000 BCE
10. What were the two powerful kingdoms that emerged between 4,000 and 3,000 BCE?
Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt
11. What was the symbol for Lower Egypt? The papyrus plant
12. What was the symbol for Upper Egypt? The lotus blossom
13. Which kingdom, Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt, was more sophisticated? Upper Egypt
14. Which Kingdom conquered the other? Upper Egypt. This is more sophisticated and technologically advanced society conquered Lower Egypt and united the two.
15. Was the conquest peaceful or bloody? The conquest appeared to be bloody – the outcome of war.
16. What is the one artifact that seemed to prove that the conquest was bloody?
Narmer’s Palette
*How does studying the different crowns on each side of the pallet reveal that it was a bloody conquest? On one side of the palette showed King Narmer wearing a red crown, representing Lower Egypt. On the other side, it depicted King Narmer wearing a white crown of Upper Egypt. In each pictures it shows bloody scenes of punished or decapitated prisoners from a war.
17. What did the white and red, double crown symbolize?
The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
18. Why were there images of Ramses II and other pharaohs leading into battle when they probably weren’t actually involved?
They were used as symbols of power to make the every Egyptian people feel like their Pharaoh was protecting them from dangerous animals and foreign invaders. Although he was not necessarily fighting on the front lines of battle, it comforted the people to believe that they were protected by a brave warrior.
19. Why did the people of Egypt grant their pharaohs absolute power and worship him like a god?
Many different forms of chaos and dangers could strike at any moment, and it made the common people feel better if they knew that their pharaoh was also a powerful god who could protect them from the dangers of Egypt.
20. Although the pharaoh was a god, he was also a man. He was going to die. Therefore, what did the pharaohs do in order to insure immortality?
The pharaohs made preparations for mummification and built colossal pyramids to ensure they would go straight to heaven and unite with the sun god, Ra.
21. Who was the goddess of order? Ma’at
22. Who was the god of chaos? Seth or Set
23. What were some forms of chaos that the everyday Egyptians experienced?
Floods, famines, sandstorms, dangerous animals, foreign invaders
24. The pyramids of Giza near modern Cairo were the world’s largest monuments for over 4,000 years.
25. Which pyramid is the oldest and the largest pyramids at Giza? The Great Pyramid
For what pyramid was the Great Pyramid built?
*King Kufu
26. How was the pyramid the “vehicle to immortality”? The Egyptians believed that it the pyramid served as a staircase to heaven, that would take them directly to the sun god, Ra, and to insure everlasting life.
27. Egypt’s first pyramid ever constructed was called The Step Pyramid. This was also the first manmade structure ever built out of stone.
28. Why was The Step Pyramid built? It was designed to be literally a staircase in the heavens and the afterlife.
*What is now known as The Bent Pyramid would have surpassed the pyramid at Giza if the builders had stuck to their plans.
*Called The Red Pyramid it is the first true geometric pyramid, and Egypt’s fourth tallest.
*At the base of the Great Pyramid was a temple, supplying food and drink for the dead pharaoh. Why did the Egyptians do this? The Egyptians believed that even dead pharaohs needed to eat.
29. King Khafre (Khufu’s son) added something new to the pyramid complex: The Sphinx.
30. What was the Sphinx?
The Sphinx was a stone monument with the body of a lion (or closer to a jackal to represent Anubis) and the head of a man to proclaim power and protection over pyramids.
31. Built of limestone, the Great Pyramid took approximately 20 years to build with 20,000 workers.
32. How is it believed that the pyramids were built? (Remember, they did not have a wheel at that time.)
It is now believed that the Egyptians used ramps to slide the blocks of limestone up, and often used up to 20 people on each block.
33. After almost 1,000years of pyramid building, the Egyptians suddenly stopped building pyramids. Why did they stop, and where did they then begin burying their kings?
Due to grave robbers, the pharaohs stopped building pyramids for their tombs and started hiding them in the Valley of the Kings. This was a more secret canyon on the West Bank of the Nile where they hoped grave robbers wouldn’t find them.
