Egypt+Seven

By: Natalie and Nicky flat

= Overview =

Ancient Egypt [997 738 square km] is one of the most civilized countries in [|Northern Africa] If you look at the world map you'll notice that Egypt is very close to Mesopotamia. You can find ancient Egypt in the Northeast corner of the African continent. It's located around the [|Nile River] [6741 km long; longest river in the world] which provided them with fertile lands that helped them grow different varieties of plants.

Farming is very important and it was 8000 years ago when farmers of Egypt started to raise animals and plant crops. The best soil was centered around the Nile River because, the river flooded often and so the water, mud and [|silt] washed over the river banks resulting in a [|fertile area]. The farmers realized the fertile lands were centered near the Nile River so they built many of their homes nearby.Some of the plants that ancient Egyptians grew are wheat, barley, turnips, grapes, onions, flax, radishes, plums, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates, and vines. Though, ancient Egyptians thought grain as the most important out of all of the plants because it provided them with delicious bread, and porridge.

Most of ancient Egypt is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Across from the Sea was the famous Greece, another civilization famous for mythology, knowledge of astronomy, and delicious food. Ancient Egyptians often traded goods with Ancient Greece. They built trading routes, and for a period of time Egyptian trade was in the hands of Phoenicians, and of course Greece.

= Climate and Geography =

In Egypt the rain usually falls in the winter months, rather than in Summer, Spring, or Autumn. The temperature in the summer is usually 27°C to 32°C. On the Red Sea Coast the temperature is surprisingly high, it's about 43°C. Egypt has a very dry climate so the people depend on the flood that starts at June to the end of October from the Nile River. It also never rains in Egypt because it's such an [|arid] area. Other than the Nile River, Egypt has a few deserts that are so hot it's impossible for humans to live there. Especially in the Lower Egypt lies the [|Sahara desert]. The Weather here is extremely hot but Egyptians lived here during the ice age to keep warm; but as the ice started to melt, the temperature started to rise and it became too hot to live in.

Egypt is covered with deserts, so the Egyptians decided to separate the land in to two. They called it "The Black Land" and "The Red Land". You can find the Black Land on the banks of the Nile River; because the Black Land was so close to the river, it was considered extremely precious. The lands around the River had the most fertile lands because it flooded each year. This was the area where farmers grew their crops. The Red Land is where the deserted lands are; most of the red land is the Sahara. In the Sahara desert, the sand is very red because the sun is so hot it beats down onto the sand forcing it to change colour. It might be the reason how the Red Land got its name. The other deserts such as [|Arabian] and the [|Libyan] Desert weren't all too useless for the Egyptians but it couldn't grow any plants; for it did protect Egypt from invasions from other countries. It also gave them sources to make metals and semi-precious stones. [The image on the right shows where the Sahara dessert is; the hottest desert on Earth and also the third largest desert]

= **Adapt to and Manage the Environment** =



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Although Egypt is a stunning environment and is full of beautiful history, when Egypt first started it wasvery hard to adapt to the environment. It can get so hot in Egypt that it dries out the water and makes the sand turn red. Though, the ancient Egyptians found a way to manage the environment.====== To adapt to the dry environment the Egyptians built mud brick houses to keep cool, the mud brick houses are made of straw and sun dried bricks and of mud. The steps to building a mud house were very simple. First, they gathered mud from the Nile River and mixed it with chopped straw. They then poured it into square molds and dried it in the sun until they became sturdy mud bricks. After making all the bricks they stacked it on top of each other completing a mud house. Most of these houses had flat rooftops. Building a flat roof was much easier to build and it was perfect for families to lounge and sleep on to keep cool.

= Modern Lessons =

Ancient Egyptians didn't have many resources because almost 90% of Egypt is covered in sand. Though they did find a way to adapt to the hot environment by using the small amount of sources they had. They gathered mud from the Nile River and made buildings and houses. [Learn about how they made the homes in the article "adapt and manage the environment" up above] Ancient Egyptians were clever and so they made almost everything from dried mud; and because it hardly ever rained in Egypt they didn't have to worry about water melting the mud bricks back to soft gooey mud. The dry environment caused the land to not have any trees, so that was one of the reasons why they had to use mud as a replacement for trees. Though with the rare amount of trees they had, they made three-legged furniture such as stools and chests. Farming was one of the most important jobs in Egypt, because it gave them food and medicine. So to become the perfect farmer they needed the right tools. As said in the paragraph of "climate and geography", Egyptians found sources from the deserts to make hard and sturdy metal. The [|barren] deserts provided them with tools that lasted longer than sticks. Nowadays we don't use those tools anymore because we have more advanced technology, and most of our homes aren't located around deserted areas so our lives were much easier. Instead we have paid workers to build our sturdy homes made of cedar wood that won't break down when it rains. We also have easy access to our food, when ancient Egyptians had to hunt for theirs. As you can see the environment was very different and our lives are so much more simpler now.

= The Three kingdoms - Pyramids =

The Three kingdoms of Egypt, also called Pyramids are ancient historic kingdoms that Egyptians built. No one knows for sure how they were built but many believe that the pyramids were actually the work of Aliens. What many people don't know are that there are over 138 pyramids found in Egypt but the most well known pyramids are the pyramids of [|Giza]. On the right, you can see a photo of the famous pyramids. From left to right are the [|pyramid of Menkaure], the [|pyramid of Khafre], and the [|Great Pyramid of Khufu]. The smaller three in front are structures linked to the Menkaure pyramid. The pyramids were built with millions of heavy blocks that weighed an average of 2.5 tons. The overall pyramids were half a million square feet long, and 481 feet tall. The purpose of the pyramids was to store bodies after mummifying them. Back in ancient Egypt, they were very religious and they strongly believed in the after life. There was a famous myth that explains that everyone has an in habited double (which they called "ka") The pyramids however, represented the form that any [|homogeneous] group of solids would take. As you can see, there was a meaning to why the pyramids were shaped in this way except for it's square corners, it was a perfect triangular-square.

= Videos =

media type="youtube" key="w0erfB2Har0" height="233" width="400" Up above, is a video showing an overview of the pyramids of Egypt.

media type="youtube" key="Ia7c5nXiv5k" height="233" width="400" This video explains how the Nile Rivers split into the "White River" and the "Blue River"

= Bibliography and links =

Pictures- [|Egypt Map] [|Egypt Pyramids] [|Mud Brick]

Information- [|Adapt to the Environment] [|Climate and Geography] [|Farming] [|Geography] [|Menkaure pyramid] [|Pyramids] [|Pyramids] [|Trading with Greece]

Youtube links- [|Nile River video] [|Pyramid video]

Great websites- [|Ancient Egypt- The British Museum] [|The World Factbook- Egypt]