The Egyptian

Civilization
By-Manjunath and Virel
 The Gift of the Nile
• Herodotus, a Greek historian, nicknamed the region "the Gift of River
Nile" because Ancient Egypt owed its survival to the Nile. The
Kingdom depended on the annual flooding of the river which deposited
silt in the region. The sediment provided the Egyptians with about three
crops annually.
 About Egypt
When and how was it founded :-
• Egypt was first settled about 5000 B.C. (7000 years ago) by nomads.
• Egyptian Civilization developed because of the Nile River.

Geography
• Located in the northeast corner of Africa.
• Surrounded by natural barriers:
 Desert
 Mountains
 Mediterranean Sea
 The Nile River
• Flooded every year.
• Provided fertile soil for crops when the “silt”, from the bottom of the river bed, full of vitamins
and minerals would flood the earth.
• Was the “Lifeline” for Egypt.
• Transportation Route.
• Used for Irrigation.
• Flows south to north .
(opposite of every other river)
 The Three Seasons of Egypt based on Nile
• Inundation: June - October – SHAIT
Time of rising flood waters .
Farmers had time to build (pyramids and other projects)
• Emergence: November - February- PIRUIT
The return of the water to the river
Planted crops & trapped water for irrigation
• Drought: March - June – SHEMU
 Harvest time (picking the crops)
 Food
• Irrigation systems watered crops.
• Main crops were barley, wheat and flax.
• Main food was bread, fish, vegetables and fruit.
• Only the wealthy ate meat.
 Clothing
• Egypt’s weather is very warm.
• People wore linen robes.
• Women wore make-up and jewelry.
• People shaved their heads and wore wigs for special occasions.
 Social Pyramid
Egyptian Social Classes were based on wealth, jobs and education.
• Egypt’s lowest class were slaves.
• SLAVERY - the practice of one person owning another person. Slavery was the lowest
level in Ancient Egyptian society.
• Slaves came from the conquered lands & did the hardest work:
 Mined gold
 Planted crops
 Dug canals
 Worked as house servants
 Language
• Egyptians developed a form of picture or symbol writing known as
hieroglyphics.
• They developed this language in order to keep track of government records and
laws, taxes, and the passage of time.
• This Egyptian “alphabet” was made up of about 800 picture-symbols called
hieroglyphs.
• The word hieroglyphics means “sacred writing”.
• Had Scribes like the Mesopotamians.
 Pharaoh
• The word “pharaoh” means “Great House,” a reference to the palace where the
pharaoh resides. While early Egyptian rulers were called “kings,” over time, the
name “pharaoh” stuck.
• As the religious leader of the Egyptians, the pharaoh was considered the divine
intermediary between the gods and Egyptians. Maintaining religious harmony and
participating in ceremonies were part of the pharaoh’s role as head of the religion.
As a statesman, the pharaoh made laws, waged war, collected taxes, and oversaw
all the land in Egypt (which was owned by the pharaoh).
• Many scholars believe the first pharaoh was Narmer, also called Menes.
 Narmer Or Mene
• The Egyptologist Flinders Petrie (1853-1942 CE) concluded that the name 'Menes' was
actually an honorific title meaning "he who endures", not a personal name,
• And the first historical pharaoh of Egypt was Narmer (c. 3150 BCE) whose existence was
firmly established both by the written record and archaeological evidence (most notably,
the Narmer Palette, a siltstone engraving depicting Narmer's victory over Lower Egypt).
• In the modern day, Petrie’s* claim is the most widely accepted and Menes is associated
with Narmer (though there are some scholars who associate the name with Narmer's son
Hor-Aha).
*Flinders Petrie-Egyptologist
The First Dynasty
 Believed to be the same person as Menes and to
Narmer have unified Upper and Lower Egypt. Possibly Around 3100 BC
married Neithhotep.
Greek form: Athotís. Led an expedition against
Hor-Aha the Nubians. Married Benerib and Khenthap. Around 3050 BC
Greek form: Uenéphes (after his Gold name In-
nebw); His name and titulary appear on the 
Djer Palermo Stone. His tomb was later thought to be 54 years
the legendary tomb of Osiris.
Greek form: Usapháis. Possibly married 
Djet Ahaneith. 10 years
Possibly first female Pharaoh(or ruled as regent
to her son Den or ruled as both king/queen and
Merneith regent). Merneith was buried close to Djet and Around 2950 BC
Den. Her tomb is of the same scale as the tombs
of the (other) kings of that period.[

Greek form: Kénkenes (after the ramesside

diction of his birthname: Qenqen). First pharaoh
Den depicted wearing the double crown of Egypt, 42 years
first pharaoh with a full niswt bity-name.

Greek form: Miebidós. Known for his

Anedjib ominous nebwy-title. 10 years
Greek form: Semempsés. First Egyptian ruler
Semerkhet with a fully developed Nebty name. His 8½ years
complete reign is preserved on the Cairo stone.

Greek form: Bienéches. Ruled very long, his

Qa'a tomb is the last one with subsidiary tombs. 34 years
Very short reign, correct chronological position
Sneferka unknown. Around 2900 BC
Very short reign, correct chronological position
Horus Bird unknown. Around 2900 BC
 King Menes was a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt
credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt
and as the founder of the First Dynasty. 
Reign 3407 to 3346 B.C.
Lower Egypt
Located along the northern Nile
Good farmland
Access to copper mines in Sinai Peninsula

Upper Egypt
Located along the southern Nile
King Menes Conquered lower Egypt, unifying the kingdom and
establishing the first dynasty
Capital at Memphis(around 3100 BCE; It was abandoned in the 7th
century but remains an important archaeological site.)
 The Old Kingdom
(2575-2134 B.C.E.)
• Pharaohs organised a strong central state, were
absolute rulers, and were considered goods.
• Khulu and others built pyramids at Giza.
• Power struggle, crop failures, and cost of
pyramids contributed to the collapse of the Old
Kingdom.
 The Middle Kingdom
(2040- 1640 B.C.E.)
• New Capital Thebes in upper Egypt.
• ~1600 B.C. ruler became known as the pharaoh.
• Came to an end when the Hyksos, a people from
western Asia, invaded.
• The Hyksos had bronze weapons and horse drawn
chariots.
• The Hyksos ruled Egypt for 110 years.
 New Kingdom
(1532- 1070 B.C.E)
• Early female ruler Hatsheput (1473- 1458).
• Had a tomb built as part of a major building project.
• Succeeded by stepson, Thutmose III.
• He established Egypt as an empire, gains & Wealth.
• Had a tomb built as part of a major building project.
• Hatshepsut encouraged trade.
• Empire reached the Euphrates.
 Thank You

We thank our teachers and parents for helping us with

this assignment.