as) Meret 4cnt SHIPWRECKS, “SAILOR: AN EGYPTIAN TALE WITH HIEROGLYPHS PN OO NOOO written and illustrated by Tamara Bower ‘The early Egyptians lived along the Nile River in northern Africa more than 5,000 years ago. One way that we know about these early peoples through their \writing. Unlike most people today, the ancient Egyptians used picture symbols to record their thoughts. Overtime, archaeologists have been able to translate ‘many of the ancient stories of the Egyptians. Here is an excerpt from one of them. This ancient story was written in picture writing about 4,000 years ago. The sentence highlighted below is shown on the next page as it ‘would have been written using picture symbols. T wea siting the Rea Sea on a gest ship, 120 cubits long and 40 cubits wie, bound forthe gold mines of Nubia. There were 120 ofthe best fnd bravest sailors of Egypt. There wesn't fool and the heart of each one was braver. ‘They laughed at the thought ofa storm! tan acer manentSw TPS eT | Tercer Cees) Neo) Tone But suddenly, a great wind arose, anda mighty wave dashed against our ship, breaking the mast. grabbed hold ofa piece of wood. and none too soon! The ship sank, and of those init, Iwas the only one to survive. I floated until the surf cast me on an island shore. I crawled beneath some trees and fell asleep, When 1 awoke, [found myselfin Paradise. All around me were good things to eat ripe figs, grapes, vegeta- Dies, grainy and ant abundance of fish and wildfowL.1 ate until I was full The sailor's paradise does not last long. Soon he comes face to face with, giant serpent. Fortunately, they bbecome friends. When its time for the sailor to retuen home, the serpent resents him with gifts for the pharaoh. Response Corner @ Why do you think the storyteller | deseribes in great deta th sailors “tata not survive? © Draw a picture ofthe isin and he shipwrecked sailor. Be creative, andPero earner ae Bt Say SASLECD Pe Pere ere err Pret a Pires on ari 13 reas ci ea ret rit Geom en Serene a, Bc, Faring veges et. sen te rer The Nile Valley ‘You Tian) slate October in Egypt in 2500s. For months, tha Nile River has been flowing over is banks, as it does every year. Now the water level is fling, andthe land can be seen again, “After such good flooding, there wil be «plentiful hrvest" your mother safer iar soyaih tai neeiteeer tat afer tthe plow and seeds. You attach the plow to the nimale an fil your aack with seeds. Your father etlane het thatthe plow digs Tang) sanight furrows inthe sof rich sol asks you to. You drop the seeds into the furrows. Another year of farming has begun. Fer thousands of ears peopleThe Land of the Nile ‘The Nile River is the world’s longest iver. From east-central Africa, the Nile flows north for 4160 miles uni it empties into the Mediterranean Sea, ‘The ancient land once called Lower Egypt les atthe Nile's mouth atthe Mediterranean Sea and is made up mainly of the Nile Delta, A deta is a triangular piece of ich land formed from soll depos- ited atthe mouth of some rivers. ‘The higher land to the south was known 1s Upper Egypt. Tere, the narrow and fertile Nile Valley follows the Nie River for more than 600 miles. ven farther south the Nl uns between desert cis ina series of six eataracts, or waterfalls. ‘The Nile River cuts across the arid, or dry, desert known as the Sahara. Only on the fertile lands by the Nile could early Egyptians grow crops of wheat and barey. “Heavy rains fallin the mountains atthe Niles source far tothe south, Ths rainfall, caused the river to overflow its banks. The yearly flooding deposited silt along each bank, maiing the sol fertile. This plysical setting supported perma- nent settlement. By 4000 8, farming villages ined the Nie River from the delta to the ist cataract. To the ancient Egyptians, the Nile was “the giver of life.” Ssummanize What rete msjorfsturs of th Nite River | 4 Mites era land in th south o lower land inthe north ‘© Place Why do you thnk the land in noternEayt | SESE | | 8 AesveMos Th e tfoetom wer Chapter 4 EETi i some control ofthe Nie. At first they built Controlling the River | cre irigaton ches to bring wae ‘To the ancient Egyptians, the Nile was to their fields. Later, they built dams and. “the giver of life,” but it also took life away. dikes to control the yearly flooding. They In some years, the rains were not heavy also learned to store water in ponds or enough to make the Nile overflow its ppools for use during times when the river banks. The land baked in the sun, and was low. ‘the crops dried up. Without a harvest, {As the Egyptians learned to benefit more ‘many Egyptians starved. In other years, ‘and more from the Nile, the populations too much rain fell at the Nile's source, and _of settlements along its shores increased, the river flooded wildly, drowning people | Irrigation hecame eo important to the food and destroying crops. supply in these growing communities that ‘Over time, the Egyptians developed it was supervised by government officials, agricultural techniques that gave them Eventually, the government began to have complete control over all farming and irrigation pea) The authority of early Egyptian lead- STAINED es wes noon tis sity 10 provide “ water for crops. Over time, they built more Aswan High Dam ‘complex irrigation systems. In good years, In 1970, Egyot completed the Aswan large harvests produced surplus food so High Dam, on ofthe wor largest the rulers stored it to feed people in times embankment dam, Embankment dors | fought They a sed ui ot fare constructed of earth and rock . ‘The Aswan High Dam holds back feed the laborers on public works projects. floodivater eng any seasons ond EEUESED Ssuumanve felesces water dung imes of drougt ow dd ancient Egyptians contr! the Hlooding Italso generees huge amounts of electric seater of ho Nile? ity, Because ofthe Sam, the Nile no longer cverions ifs bank to dopa ch So Farmers pow depend on fertzers to enrich her a land, Also, theleck of See new depests of sit has TREK 4 ae) caused and along te ("Fe Nile to erode. 4 Tha lake formed by the dam woud have ‘covered ancient temples ‘and setlemants. Soin oma SWAN the 1960, an inteme “ich DAM tonal team of workers cut apart te temoles it fond moved temo tugher ground, here they were feasebied > Visorsio the Aswan High Dam can corrA Source of Religion Even though the Egyptians leamed to control the Nile with irrigation systems, they could not always predict, or tell in advance, what each year’s flooding would be like. They nervously wondered if the lile’s water would be too low or too high. The Egyptians also could net predict ‘exactly when the floods would come. In ‘some years, the floods arrived eatly, but in others the floods arrived late. ‘The flooding of the Nile influerced the early Egyptians’ religious beliefs, To find order in the world around them, the Egyptians created stories to explain events in nature. In these stories, gods or god- desses controlled a specific part of nature. From these stories, the Egyptians devel- ‘oped beliefs in many gods and goddesses. In this way, lke the Sumerians, the early Egyptians formed a polytheistic religion ‘One of the Egyptians’ most important {gods was the sun god, Ra (RAH), also pro- snounced Re (Ra) Early Egyptians noticed that the sun’s position is predictable. Every day, the Egyptians saw the sun rise, move across the sky and set. They believed that the sun was a god who was bor each day and died each night. This cycle led the Egyptians to believe that their own lives would continue in an ater, or a lif after death Belief inthe afterie became an important part of easly Egyptian culture "Another important god was Hap, god of the food. The Egyptians held many festivals to honor Hapi, hoping he would reward them with good harvests. Other important gods included Horus, the sky 104, and Osiris, the god ofthe next world Each Egyptian city had one or more special gods or goddesses. Asa city gained strength its god became more important. For example, when the city of Thebes grew powerful, belie in the city's god, Amon, spread. The Egyptians combined Amon and Ra, considering Amon-Ra their most powerful god, Mow dn npresiabiy oh Nie tod atic early Enytans religions bail? Chapter 4» 137Toward Civilization By 3100 BC, the early Egyptians were developing an advanced civilization in towns along the Nile. They built temples as places to worship their gods and stone tombs to hold the bodies of rulers who had died. Early writing appears on these temples and tombs. The Egyptians made pottery on which they painted scenes from their lives. They mined copper for tool- making and gold for decorative art. Farming along the Nile made all these advances possible. In the fertile soils of ‘the Nile Delta and the Nile Valley, farmers grew surplus crops of wheat and barley. ‘They used donkeys to carry grain to store houses in towns, where scribes recorded it and rulers distributed it. The Egyptians ground the wheat into flour for making bread, the main part oftheir diet Hlaving a surplus of grain allowed farmers in some towns to use the surplus grain for trade. The Sinai Peninsula was a crossroads forthe early Egyptians and traders from southwestern Asia, ‘Trade also took place on the Nie River. ‘The Nile served as a highway connecting Egyptian settlements. To use this “high- way,” the Egyptians became expert ship- Dullders At First, the Egyptians built th boats from bundles of reeds. Later, they ‘made large sailing ships out of wood from what is now Lebanon. Sails did more than just increase travel- ing speed. They also made it possible for ships to sail upstream against the river's ccurent, This meant that nearly all the Nie, ‘The earty Egyptians made many advances intachnclopy te improve thi way farming. © How ae the evens that are shown related to one another? Fea00 ve fr pega reg covet dee Peron e S30 & ® Tetons Eimesmeane Qf Poors Sogn f mete Upertoneand Aine Etexcept for the cataracts in Nubia, could be used for travel and trade. ‘Trade ard travel along the Nile made it possible for some towns to grow into cities. ‘Then some ofthese trade centers emerged as separate cultures and powers. By 3100 BC, Egypt consisted of two king- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ‘Maps A and B show the same area. Map A shows an equal area on either side ofthe prime meridlan and on titer side ofthe equator. This san ‘equa area projection, The sizes of regions are correc in relation to one another, but places. Ona conformal projection, the lines of longitude are allan equal distance apart. (On a globe the lines get closer together sear the poles. Ona conformal projection, the lines of latitude get farther apart near the poles. On a globe, they are an equal distance apart. (ate kene 140 » Unit2CEE ie SOUTH Cay AMERICA Is > PRACTICE THE SKILL Use the mape to answer the following questions © Africa is really much larger than Greenland. Which projection shows Greenland’ssize more accurately? © The greatest eastwest distance in Arica is about the same as the great- cet north-south distance. Which projection shows AVtica’s shape more accurately, Map Aor Map B? EY EUMC CLC) Cems QUES APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED. Write a paragraph about the advantages and disadvantages of using an equal-area projection map and a conformal projection map. Practice your map and slobe sks with GooStals CD-ROM, Chapter 4» 1og Narr eta gyi Upper onder aye epi The Old Kingdom You're visiting the Egyptian city of Giza in 2510 8.C. Gazing out into the d sert, you stare in awe at the gigantic roc ving rising from the s It has the body of a lion and the head of a man. ‘or years, you have heard of this wonder—the great monument called the Sphinx. Work on this project was begun before you were born. Even now, long lines o rkers are hauling huge blocks of na series of rollersto the construction site, Nearby stand three huge tombs of Egyptian kings, You pass along a street of artisans. The air rings with the sound of chisels striking stone. Many sculptures are neaded to prepare the tombs of kings for 2 royal afterlife.ieee Egypt Unites Between 3500 8.C. and 3100 8, Upper Egypt grew in wealth and power. The kingdom traded goods and conducted diplomacy, or relations between countries, with Lower Egypt. However, the Upper Egyptians wanted to control all Feypt ‘About 3100 B., King Narmer of Upper Egypt, who some experts believe was the legendary King Menes (MEE*nee2), had conquered Lower Egypt. He united the Two Lands and built the city of Memphis as the new capital. Egypt's union established the world’s first nation-state, a region with a united people and a single government. King Narmer’s rule marks Egypt’ first dynasty, ‘or Dynasty 1. A dynasty isa series of rul- crs from the same family. About 31 dynas- ties ruled Egypt over more than 3,000 ‘years. Historians divide Egypt's dynasties into three periods: the Old Kingdom, the Midale Kingdom, and the New Kingdom, (GBB analyze straions ‘Te doable crown of unified aya wes formed by pacing {he crown of Upper Erat inside the crown of Lover Eom. © Why do you thin tho crowns of Upper ad LoworEayat wore combined? ‘The Egyptians considered the kings of the Old Kingdom to be living gods, acting asthe connection between the gods and the people of Egypt. The people believed that kings could never be wrong and were able to control the Niles flooding and the food supply. These beliefs not only helped unify ‘he Fgyptian people but alg allowed the kings to maintain their authority, ‘The king owned all the land and so controlled both the economy and govern- ‘ment. The wiser (vuhe2iR),or chit advises, carried out the king's orders. Other officials collected taxes, planned building project, and made sure the laws were obeyed. Members ofthe royal family held the highest public offices. Beginning in Dynasty 5, many helped the king rule by acting as nomarchs, or governors, who ruled administrative areas called nomes Ancient Egypt was divided into 42 nomes. Ssummane olathe the kings were Tog gods tal the Kings maintain heir authority? Chapter 4» 143Egyptian Hieroglyphs ies i ge = won| wa cali om CF You Pence, Analy Talos The anclont Egyptians used many © Which symbol do you think most leat show what hoy mean? Written Forms of Language | About 3100 8, the Egyptians developed a writing system that used ‘nieroolyphs (Hy-ruheglifs), or picture sym- bols. The Egyptians may have borrowed the idea of writing from the Sumerians. Early Egyptian hieroglyphic writing had more than 70 syatbos. Each glyph represented a sound, an object, or ania, 'AL first the Egyptirs used hieroglyphs mostly for religious purposes. In fac, Iemslypic means “holy carving,” Scribes carved hierogypis onthe stone walls of temples, tombs, and pelaces. Later, srbes began fo record goverment information, such as royal ceremonies, ax collecting, and even the depth ofthe Nile. "To keep more and more records the Egyptians invented a papertte material called papyeue(puhePTeruhs). To make papyrus, the Egyptians pressed together Strips from the stalk of the papyrus plant, a red that grows in marshy areas. Scribes vwrole on papyrs with tools made from reeds sharpened 1. point. Soot—the ine, black powder fom smoke was mixed with water to serve as ink, For the Egyptians, a “book” was a scroll, voll of papyrus sheets joined end to end Some scrolls were more than 100 fet long. Ssummanze For what purpose were Heap fist sed?Building the Pyramids ‘The Old Kingdom is known as the Age of Pyramids. During this 500-year period, the Egyptians developed the technology to build the largest stone structures in the world—the pivramias. These structures served as tombs for Egyptian rulers. In the 2600s B.C, King Zoser of Dynasty 3 became the first king to be buried in a stone pyramid. This was the famous Step Pyramid at Saqgara (suhKARewh), named for its steplike sides No one knows exactly why Egyptian kings began building pyramids, but these structures symbolize many ideas. For ‘example, the pyramid shape is identified with the sun god, Ra. ‘The best known of Egypt's pyramids is the Great Pyramid at Giza. It was built for King Khufu of Dynasty 4 and completed about 2566 BC. Originally 480 feet high, it ‘made up of more than 23 million stone blocks. Each block averages about 25 tons! King Khufu’s son, King Khafre, ordered the building of one of the other two pyra- ‘mids at Giza as well as the Sphinx. ‘The pyramids help us understand the relationship between religion and the social and politcal order in early Egyptian society. As godlike rulers, the kings were able to use huge amounts of Egypt's resources and the whole society to build pyramids Farmers may have worked on pyramids during periods of Nile flood {ng tis likely that female workers were responsible for feding and clothing the pyramid builders. Ssummanize How do the pyramids show the relationships betwee eign and socetyn Eat? ‘The Pyramids at Giza ‘Analyze Diagrams The ustation shows what “he aes of Giza might have leaked ikea the time fhe Old Kingdom. “© Sparking pyramids made of sone and covered ‘with whit limestone wer over tha et. ‘© The phiae. half man and haf on seems to _rouch inthe distance, ‘© Thenearty workor'vlloge zo bested with tho actin of eratwrkars and other who ved ore, \ © Why do you think a workars’ village ‘as built ear the pyramids?[Oe Preparing for the Afterlife (One of the Egyptians’ strongest religious beliefs was that there was an afterlife. Believing that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife, the Egyptians developed ways to preserve bodies. By 2500 B., Egyptian priests had invented new techniques for making a mummy, or preserved body. They began by removing all the body organs except the heart. They placed these organs in special jars. The heart remained in the body because the Egyptians believed that the heart was the ‘home of the soul. ‘The body was then dried using a salt called natron, and the body was wrapped in linen bandages. Then the royal ‘mummies were placed in their tombs, Everything a royal person might need in the afterlife, such as clothing, jewelry, furmiture, and even games, was placed in the tomb. Later, during the time of the New Kingdom, priests placed a collection of writings, known as the Book of the Dend, in the tombs. It was not until after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in A.D. 1799 that scholars could decipher hieroglyphs and read Egyptian writings such as the Book ofthe Dead. One of the most important writings in the Book of the Dead explains the “weighing of the heart.” The Egyptians believed that the soul of a dead person appeared before the god Osiris and a group of judges. The judges plared the dead person's heart ‘on one side ofa scale and a feather, the symbol of truth, on the other side. Ifthe two balanced, the soul earned life forever. ‘The judges would say, "I have judged the heart of [the dead person], and his soul stands as a witness for him. His deeds are‘The Rosetta Stone (BB pnaiyze Artitacts Discovered In A. 1738, tho Rost Stone helped sles deco hiropiyps. Card inthe stom surface were thre kinds of writing. na. 1822 dou the ota form of wri (© This nypin writing us biorogtphs. ncalt Chanpoton decoded the tieropyat, using © This Exypin wring, callod damticwrtng. wth cureve form sud when wing on papi (© This writings ancont rook, the language of thrutere of Eaypt at tha time othe carving of the stone. © Why do youtink decoding righteous inthe great balance and no sin has been found in him"* Heavy souls the Egyptians believed, would be eaten by a monster that ws part crocodile, pat lon, and part hippopotamus. summarize “Why the Egypte watt proserve bodies? 1,.@) How was ancient Eoypt’s religion related to its society and its government? 2, Ye pm in a ertanc shout ‘3. What was the role of the vizier in the Eqypiian nation-state? 44. How did the Egyptians use their pyramids? ccaTicaL THINKING ‘5. i Why do you think the Egyptians ? nt |= fam Ts intry by Host Dove Grr. ne Urivareyof renee Prem, 1 while the pyramids builtin Egypt seem to be all funerary for bunal] in nature, to regard them as merely tombs isan ‘oversimplifcation. It involved a complex (group) of buildings because it was the dead pharaoh’s palace of the afterlife... ~ tom te ey “Te rain tA Ee Alin Waser at te dewncmpptnere mean i rach ander dest of he rch ain of opeogy é The architectural and religious development that ... led * to the royal tomb in the form of a pyramid was... part of the process of shaping and sirengthening the oldest stcongly fh centralized Egyptian statc. In this context, the pyramid becomes more than just a royal tomb; it becomes a symbol of | the rulers historical and state-building role... = —tom Ta rami: Tne Mtr, ular, nd Sano aye Gat enumerate Yor Grove 201