egypt
Historical Context
Geographical, topography and resources of Egypt and its neighbours
Geographical, topography and resources of Egypt and its neighbours Dominated by the Nile River
Key facts about the Nile: - 7000km in length - formed from 3 rivers; the white Nile, the Blue Nile and the Atbara - Flows north towards the Mediterranean sea - broken up in 6 places by impenetrable rocky outcrops and rapids known as cataracts - Consists of three sections * narrow 800km stretch * the large fan-shaped delta * the branch known as Bahr Yussaf, which forms a large lake in the desert called faiyum
Herodotus – described Egypt as “the gift” because of the Nile – without the Nile the ancient Egyptians could not have survived.
The Nile impacted of their lives in a variety of ways: - deposited a rich layer of black alluvial soil over its banks during the annual inundation, which enabled agriculture to flourish - provided essential nutrients to natural resources: mud for brick, papyrus for paper + boats + baskets - chief means of transportation - influences the development of particular religious beliefs - regulated the activities for the people - determined the seasons of the year * flood season (june-sept) – major building projects undertaken, animals fed + equipment repaired * Planting season (oct-feb) ploughing and sowing the fields occurred, boundary markers constructed + canals were cleaned * Harvest season (mar-june) harvesting and threshing occurred, grain stored+census and tax collection was carried out
Division of the country in two distinct environments - the black land: comprising of narrow river alley (upper Egypt) + fertile delta - the red land: desert bordering the river (lower Egypt)
Upper and lower Egypt were known as the two lands
Each region was physically and climatically different
UPPER EGYPT: * dry and hot - all year-round sunshine * isolated by deserts on both sides * limited
Geographical, topography and resources of Egypt and its neighbours
Geographical, topography and resources of Egypt and its neighbours Dominated by the Nile River
Key facts about the Nile: - 7000km in length - formed from 3 rivers; the white Nile, the Blue Nile and the Atbara - Flows north towards the Mediterranean sea - broken up in 6 places by impenetrable rocky outcrops and rapids known as cataracts - Consists of three sections * narrow 800km stretch * the large fan-shaped delta * the branch known as Bahr Yussaf, which forms a large lake in the desert called faiyum
Herodotus – described Egypt as “the gift” because of the Nile – without the Nile the ancient Egyptians could not have survived.
The Nile impacted of their lives in a variety of ways: - deposited a rich layer of black alluvial soil over its banks during the annual inundation, which enabled agriculture to flourish - provided essential nutrients to natural resources: mud for brick, papyrus for paper + boats + baskets - chief means of transportation - influences the development of particular religious beliefs - regulated the activities for the people - determined the seasons of the year * flood season (june-sept) – major building projects undertaken, animals fed + equipment repaired * Planting season (oct-feb) ploughing and sowing the fields occurred, boundary markers constructed + canals were cleaned * Harvest season (mar-june) harvesting and threshing occurred, grain stored+census and tax collection was carried out
Division of the country in two distinct environments - the black land: comprising of narrow river alley (upper Egypt) + fertile delta - the red land: desert bordering the river (lower Egypt)
Upper and lower Egypt were known as the two lands
Each region was physically and climatically different
UPPER EGYPT: * dry and hot - all year-round sunshine * isolated by deserts on both sides * limited