![]() Women in ancient Egypt had more freedom than those in other ancient cultures. Other people worked as scribes (people who recorded events), priests, and doctors. So instead, some worked building pyramids, tombs, and monuments. As the Egyptians learned how to move river water to their fields, they were able to grow more food, including grapes, apricots, olives, and beans.ĭuring flood season, farmers couldn’t tend their crops. The Nile flooded each year, leaving behind fertile soil for planting crops like wheat, barley, lettuce, flax, and papyrus. They lived with their families in houses made of mud bricks that were near the Nile River. Most people in ancient Egypt were farmers. For the first time, Egyptians wrote stories for entertainment, and pharaohs started construction of Karnak Temple in the modern-day city of Luxor. ![]() to ca 1630 B.C.): Around 1938 B.C., Mentuhotep II reunited the country and began an era known for producing some of Egypt’s greatest pieces of art. Middle Kingdom, about 300 years (ca 1938 B.C. Eventually, these local rulers formed independent states. Instead, local leaders took control of their own communities, and they stopped passing along grain to the central government. to ca 1938 B.C.): These pharaohs lost power after drought hit Egypt. to ca 2150 B.C.): By this time, the pharaohs had enough power and wealth to build pyramids in their honor that’s why the Old Kingdom is sometimes called the “Age of the Pyramids.” The pharaohs at this time were mostly associated with the sun god Ra, a tradition that would remain for much of Egypt’s history.įirst Intermediate Period, about 200 years (ca 2130 B.C. Old Kingdom, about 425 years (ca 2575 B.C. (A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.) They also used record keeping in the form of hieroglyphic writing to record things like royal decrees and the taxes that the people paid in the form of grain. To do this, they claimed they were being watched over by the falcon god Horus, and so the people of Egypt should respect them. to ca 2575 B.C.): These early pharaohs worked to keep the two lands under their control. It stands for "circa" meaning "around.")Įarly Dynastic Period, about 525 years (ca 3100 B.C. So that’s why you’ll see a "ca" next to some of the years. (They don’t always know the exact date of historical events. (The Nile River flows from south to north, so for the ancient Egyptians, the southern part of the country was "up.")Īround 3100 B.C., a king (later called a pharaoh) united these two lands to be one country, and so historians begin the long history of ancient Egypt here, dividing it into different periods. Over time, small villages joined together to become states until two kingdoms emerged: Lower Egypt, which covers the Nile River Delta up to the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and Upper Egypt, which covers the Nile Valley in the south. People settled in Egypt as early as 6000 B.C. During that time, ancient Egyptians created works of art and engineering that still amaze us today. The Egyptians working on the pyramids are helping create a culture that will last more than 3,000 years-it will be one of the longest-lasting civilizations in the world. Covered in polished white limestone, the pyramids seem to glow in the sunlight. This pharaoh’s father, Khafre, ordered construction of a 450-foot-high pyramid nearby, and his grandfather Khufu built the Great Pyramid at Giza-the largest of the three-at about 480 feet. This 200-foot-tall structure honors a pharaoh named Menkaure. Wooden boats cruise along the Nile River in Egypt as thousands of workers stack giant stone blocks into a pyramid.
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