R+Scovish+Egypt

Egypt

Geography
 * The Nile River flows North across Africa over 4,100 miles
 * The difference between Black Land and Red Land - Black is the fertile soil near the Nile and Red is less fertile
 * Every July, snow melting from mountains cause the Nile to rise
 * All Fall and Winter they watered crops using irrigation ditches
 * Worshipped Nile as a God, and Egypt was the gift of the Nile

Challenges
 * When flooding was low, people starved to death from dead crops
 * When flooding was high, the Nile destroyed houses, crops and drownsed everything
 * The deserts around Egypt where natural barriers which reduced interaction with other cultures and caused them to live on smaller portions of land
 * The cateracts where rapids in the Nile caused by boulders, making it nearly impossible for boats to pass

Government
 * The Pharohs, rulers of Egypt, where thought of as Gods
 * A theocracy
 * Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower, two seperated kingdoms
 * King Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt by wearing the two crowns together, creating the double crown
 * There were 31 dynasties for 2,600 year, 2660-2180 B.C. The Old Kingdom
 * Power decline in 2180 B.C. which meant the end of the Old Kingdom
 * Middle Kingdom, 2040-1640 B.C.
 * Strong pharohs regained control
 * Hyksos took over Egypt for 1630-1523 B.C.

Religion
 * Each village had its own rituals, Gods and Chieftan
 * Egypt was a theocracy
 * Pharohs where buried in pyramids along with their possesions and servants because they would need them in the afterlife
 * Pharohs where also mummified to preserve their bodies so as they could rule in the afterlife
 * They had a belief in the afterlife
 * In Egyptian religion, when you died your heart was weighed by the God of Death, and if it was heavy with sin it would be devoured by the soul eater. But if it was light as a feather the soul would go to a happy afterlife
 * Ka was the life force of a soul and human being
 * Egyptians where polytheistic
 * They worshipped over 2,000 gods and goddesses
 * Re was God of the Sun
 * Osiris was the God of the Dead
 * Anubis was God and Guide of the Underworld
 * Isis was the Goddess of the ideal wife and mother

Important People
 * Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt

Technology
 * Created paper out of papyrus reeds
 * Created the first calendar to keep track of floods
 * Calendar was 12 months and 30 days per month, plus 5 holidays and in all was 365 days
 * Used the stars to calculate the calendar
 * Developed a system of numbers used to calculating and adding
 * Math helped engineers and architects
 * Used geometry to survey and reset properties after flooding
 * The Egyptains where the first to use columns
 * Also developed medicines to check heart rate and pulse, set broken bones, treat wounds and fevers and do surgery
 * Lastly, developed something we still use today here in America, enbalming