Research Notes

Science and Technology

·         They developed Egyptian writing, medicine, and techniques for preserving the dead for thousands of years.

·         They created a calendar that allowed them to make accurate predictions on the yearly flooding of the Nile.

·         The ancient form of writing that the Egyptians developed was called “Hieroglyphics”.

·         It is thought that the Egyptians borrowed from the ancient Mesopotamians, who had created cuneiform.

·         Overtime, the Egyptians found Hieroglyphics to be very impractical for day-to-day use, so, they created a simplified form of Hieroglyphics known as “Hieratic writing”.

·         Hieroglyphics soon became obsolete.

·         The medicines created were made of beer, milk, oil, plants, herbs, and animal substances.

·         Bandages, splints, and disinfectants were used and doctors usually treated and stitched open wounds. (11)

·         Created the clock and the 365-day calendar that we use today.(2)

Religious Beliefs

·         The Egyptians worshipped many gods; they believed in gods that were in control of the elements in nature.

·         These gods were basically a way of explaining all the unanswered behaviors of nature and why things happen the way they do.

·         The Pharaohs were believed to be descended from the gods, which is how they have power over the Egyptians.

·         The Pharaohs acted as the connection between his people and the gods, he was responsible for sustaining the gods through rituals and offerings.

·         So, a lot of their resources and slaves went to performing these rituals and to construct temples where they could be carried out.

·         The Egyptians also believed heavily in the existence of an afterlife and they performed many funerary practices to ensure that their soul would survive after death.(mummification)

·         They provided tombs, grave goods, and offerings to preserve the dead bodies.(1)

Nile River

·         In 3100 BCE the Nile River was very important to Egypt’s growth in agriculture.

·         The Nile River flooded annually sometime from June to September.(13)

·         Once the flood water receded, the soil became fertile, making it ideal for planting crops.

·         Surveyors would mark out the land with rope so that laborers could plant seeds within the marked area.

·         The grains typically grown were barley and wheat.

·         The vegetables grown were onions, leeks, lettuce, radishes, gourds, melons, peas, and lentils.

·         Planting took little time because the soil was usually soft and damp from the flood.

·         Children and laborers drove herds of animals over the saturated earth to churn up the ground and stamp in the seeds.

·         During the growing season, the crops were cultivated and the livestock herded to the fields to graze.

·         Even though farmers and laborers plant and grow the crops, they only get to keep a small percentage of the total harvest.

·         Tax collectors and the landowners take most of the harvest.(11)

·         The floods were predictable enough for Egyptians to plan their yearly crops around it.

·         Famine occurred when there is a surplus or lack of flooding.

·         The ancient Egyptians learned to control the floods from the Nile by means of irrigation.

·         In addition to being a source of water for their crops, the Nile River was also a source of fish and a major channel linking parts of Egypt as well as linking Egypt to its neighbors.(10)

·         As the land continued to develop and its population increased, factors such as unity, political stability, and expansion of the area of cultivated land became evident.

Nile Delta

·         The Nile Delta used to have 5 tributaries but was eventually reduced to 2; the other 3 tributaries have been filled with silt.

·         The 7 branches of the Nile eventually became 2 because of global warming that caused the sea level to rise and the shore line to dissipate. 

·         The draining of the Nile Delta provided a cultivation area that was twice the size of the entire Nile Valley.(5)

·         Like the Nile River, the Nile Delta also got floods, the flood water helped fertilize the land very quickly.

·         The Nile Delta is located north of Egypt where the Nile River reaches the Mediterranean Sea.

·         The Delta and its mouth posed obstacles to invaders(13)

·         The Delta has the richest farmland in Egypt, it also contains the largest cities after Cairo in Alexandria, Tanta, Damanhur and Mansoura.(12)

Eastern Desert

·         Back when the Eastern Desert was a bit wetter, it was more densely populated.

·         The Eastern and Western Desert is divided by the Nile

·         During the Predyastic period, the Egyptians mined the Eastern Desert for its rich supple of rocks and ores(4)

·         Although there were people that came to the Eastern Desert to exploit its minerals there were no permanent settlements in the area.

·         The rocks and minerals gathered from the Eastern Desert was used to manufacture palettes.

·         These materials were gathered using quarries that the Egyptians built.

·         The most valuable stone found there is known as bekhen-stone

·         It was a type of breccia that was used for building statues and sarcophagi and other small monuments.

·         The Eastern Desert also offered a source of gold, copper, tin, gems, which were used to make tools and decorate tombs.

·         Offered trading routes that linked the Red Sea coast with the towns and cities of the Nile Valley.

·         Since they gave access to the Nile from the East, where most of Egypt’s enemies came from, the desert routes had to be guarded.(6)

Faiyum

·         A lakeside oasis to the west of the Nile and is mainly an agricultural area.

·         The Middle Kingdom kings reclaimed land by controlling the water flow along a side river channel and directing it to irrigate extra land while lake water levels were lowered.(2)

·         During Neolithic times (5500 to 4000 BCE), two groups of people (Neolithic Fayumian and Neolithic Moerian) existed.

·         This was the time where the first agricultural communities were developed.(3)

·         The fertility in the soil comes from a series of irrigation canals which are spread across the depression to supplement the natural wells and springs of the oasis.

·         The crops that are typically grown is wheat, rice, tomatoes and a large selection of fruit and vegetables.(7)

Mediterranean Sea

·         The Mediterranean Sea served as route for merchants and travelers

·         Allowed for trade and cultural exchange between Egyptians, Mesopotamia, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Iberian, Greek, Macedonian, Illyrian, Thracian, Levantine, Gallic, Roman, Albanian, Armenian, Arabic, Berber, Jewish, Slavic and Turkish cultures.

·         2300 miles in length(9)

1. ·         Some sail over the calm seas to enlarge their territories through warfare.(8)