STD 6

History
Chapter 3
The River Valley Civilisations: Egyptian Civilisation
I. Tick the correct answer.
1. The tombs of Pharaohs were called
Ans: Pyramids
2. On banks of which River did Egyptian Civilisation flourish?
Ans: Nile
3. The middle class included
Ans: Merchants
4. Who built the Great Pyramid?
Ans: Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu)
5. The most important God of ancient Egypt was
Ans: Ra

II. Fill in the blanks

1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaoh.
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies.
3. The old kingdom is known as the period of the Pyramids.
4. The staple diet of the Egyptians was wheat and bread.
5. Agriculture was the chief occupation of the Egyptians.

II. Write True or False against the following statements.

1. The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming. True
2. The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar. False
3. The famous pyramids have been found at Cairo. TRUE
4. The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods. True
5. Women were ill-treated in Egyptian civilisation. False

IV. Match the following:

1. Pyramid - Tombs of Pharaohs
2. Sphinx - A mythological creature
3. Papyrus - Paper
4. Hieroglyphics - Script of Egyptians

V. Answer the following questions:

Q1. What was the position of the king in the Egyptian society?
• The king occupied the top position in the Egyptian society. He had absolute power
over his people.
• People worshipped him as God and his statues were placed in temples. His
achievements were described on the walls of the temples. The king was called the
Pharaoh.
Q2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians in the field of astronomy.
Ans: Egyptians developed the first Solar Calendar. They made the first known calendar of
365 days in a year of 12 months, each month of 30 days.

Q3. Why is the Egyptian civilization called the “Gift of the Nile”?
• The Egyptian civilization flourished on the banks of the river Nile. Without the river
Nile Egypt would have been a desert and an uninhabited region.
• There is hardly any rainfall in Egypt. The alluvial soil deposited by Nile, makes the
region fertile. Therefore, the Egyptian civilization is called the “Gift of the Nile.”

Q4. Describe the important features of Egyptian art and architecture.

• The Egyptians built great structures. The most well-known are the Pyramids. They
were the tombs of Pharaohs. They were huge triangular structures. The Great
Pyramid at Giza near Cairo still stands today.
• The Sphinx is the fine example of Egyptian sculpture. It is a mythological creature
having the body of a lion and the head of a man. It is carved out of single stone.
• The temples at Karnak and Abu Simbel are very impressive. The temples and
pyramids have paintings on the walls that depict scene from daily life.

Q5. What do you mean by the term 'Hieroglyphic'? Explain its features also.
• The Egyptians developed a kind of picture writing known as hieroglyphics which
means sacred writing.
• The word ‘Hiero’ means ‘holy’ and ‘glyphics’ means writing. Pictures and signs
represented their ideas. It had 500 signs.

Q6. How was the Egyptian History divided?

Ans: The Egyptian history was divided into three periods:
• The Old Kingdom - (3000 BCE - 2000 BCE): This is known as the period of the pyramids.
• The Middle Kingdom (2000 BCE-1750 BCE): During this time trade expanded. Its end came
about with the invasion of Hyksos who conquered the Egyptians.
• The New Kingdom (1580 BCE-1085 BCE): This period lasted for about 5 centuries after the
Egyptian kings regained their lost territory. This period saw great heights and the grandeur
of the Egyptian kings reached its peak.

Picture Study:
1. Identify the picture.
Ans: Pyramids
2. Who built it and when?
Ans: Pharaoh Cheops built in 2650 BCE.
3. What things did it contain?
Ans: Pyramids contained the embalmed body(mummy) placed in a coffin, clothes, jewellery
and many precious items.