Map of the Nile Delta The Nile has its origins in Central Africa and flows northward to the Mediterranean. Flowing into the Mediterranean, the river divides into several branches. They form a huge triangle - delta

The Nile valley is narrow: 12 -15 km Around the stony barren deserts There is almost no rain Average annual temperature +25 -30˚ (in summer + 52 ˚)

The valley of the Nile River was covered with greenery: date palms, fragrant acacias, tall reeds grow along the banks

Crocodiles live in the river, there are a lot of fish. In the coastal thickets, you can see a hippopotamus and a wild cat, ducks, geese, pelicans

The life of the ancient Egyptians largely depended on the river, so they called the Nile the god of Hapi. They considered their land a gift of this god. In June, the flooding of the Nile begins. The river became turbid green and then red. Water comes every day, filling the entire valley up to the most mountain cliffs. Only in November the Nile returned to its banks and the water became blue and transparent.

During the annual flooding of the river, the ground was covered with black silt, forming narrow strips of fertile soil. The ancient Egyptians called their country that way - Kemet, which means "Black Land".

The Egyptians believed that far to the south, beyond the Nile rapids, there is a cave in which the god of the river Hapi sits. He has two vessels of water. In the summer, Hapi tilts the vessels more strongly and the Nile overflows the banks. The origins of the Nile are in Central Africa. In early summer, there are heavy rains and snow melts on the tops of the mountains. Therefore, the floods of the Nile begin.

The time of the flood and revitalization of nature was called "akhet". On these days, everywhere celebrated holidays in honor of the Nile, they sang hymns to him: Glory to you Nile, coming to revive Egypt! He who irrigates the earth, lord of fish and birds, creator of grain and grass for livestock. If he hesitates, life stops and people die. When he comes, the earth rejoices and all living things are in joy. The food spawns after spilling it. Everyone lives thanks to him, and they acquire wealth at his will. Singing solemn songs, the Egyptians walked along the banks of the river, carrying in front a statue of the god Nile himself - Hapi. Statuette of the god Hapi. Louvre. Paris.

1. The inhabitants of Egypt. Pharaoh Nobles Scribes Warriors Farmers and artisans PHARAOH is the ruler of the country. VELMOS - noble people, royal advisers, military leaders. Scribes, tax collectors, clerks. WARRIORS - protection of the pharaoh and the country. FARMERS AND ARTISTS are ordinary inhabitants of Egypt, taxpayers.

3. How ordinary Egyptians lived. Ordinary Egyptians lived in clay houses, and in the summer under a canopy. There was a hearth in the center of the hut, and there were mats on the floor. Their food was modest - bread, dates, dried fish, on holidays - meat and wine. The products were stored in earthenware jars. Clothes on people malov egypt is very hot

4. Crafts and trade in Ancient Egypt. What do you think people of what professions worked on making these items? The most widespread professions in Ancient Egypt were: - stone cutters, joiners, carpenters, shipbuilders, jewelers, weavers, potters.

5. Tax collection. Drawing in the tomb of a nobleman. The role of tax collector in Ancient Egypt was played by scribes If someone did not pay taxes, then he was subjected to corporal punishment

Agriculture and cattle breeding "+" Light n Heat n Water (river and its floods) n Fertile soil (silt) n "-" n Swamps n Reed thickets n Irrigation irregularities

Over time, large canals were diverted from the Nile bed, from which grooves cut through all sections of the fields. The irrigation (irrigation) system is a system of canals and reservoirs that provides the fields with water.

Narrow dams of clay and reed ran along the large canals. Dams fenced off the fields from all sides and retained water. And so that it does not stagnate on the field, the surplus was lowered into the river through special “gates” in the embankments

The irrigation system of gardens and vegetable gardens included special devices - shadufs. They were two pillars with a crossbar. Attached to the bar was a swinging pole, with a stone at one end and a leather bucket at the other. They drew water from the well with a bucket and watered the fields.

The fields of the Egyptians were cut into regular quadrangles by large and small canals. The entire Nile Valley, if you look at it from above, resembled a chessboard.Thus, with hard work, the Egyptians turned the swamps of the Nile into blooming fields and gardens

The nature of Egypt and the occupations of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean Sea "-" "+" 1. Light 2. Heat 3. Water (river and its floods) 1. Swamp canals 2. Reed and reed thickets 3. Unevenness 4. Fertile irrigation soil (silt) of the dam the gate of shadufa "Gift of the Nile" + labor of people

Solve the problem that the Egyptian students were asked: Each of the 7 people has seven cats. Each cat eats seven mice, each mouse can destroy 7 spikelets in one summer, and 7 handfuls of barley grain can grow from the grains of one spikelet. How many handfuls of grain is saved every year by cats?

Development of irrigation agriculture.
The earliest Egyptians did not populate the entire Nile Valley. A significant part of it was covered with swamps, overgrown with reeds and bushes. There were especially many of them in the delta.
Large areas of land in the valley were covered with desert sands. A lot of work had to be done to obtain a sufficient amount of fertile soil. This task was successfully solved by many generations of Egyptians.
To drain the swamps, shrubs were first cut down. Then these low places were surrounded by a rampart of clay mixed with chopped reeds. A gate was made in this shaft. During the flood of the Nile, the water necessary for irrigation was passed through them. They dug canals to those fertile lands where water did not reach.
The Nile Valley between the banks of the river and the desert was divided by longitudinal and transverse embankments and ramparts into rectangular sections. They filled up during the spill. After a few months, the river silt settled. If necessary, part of the silt and excess water was returned to the river.
Canals and other water structures were often destroyed by large floods. Therefore, they needed care and updating. But this hard work of the Egyptian farmers contributed to the receipt of high yields on the moist warm earth.

Agriculture is the main occupation of the Egyptians.
With the development of irrigation, agriculture has reached a high level. The main agricultural crops were cereals - barley and wheat. They used soils near the banks of the Nile, which were better moistened. They were also sown on high lands with irrigation from specially dug canals.
The soft moist soils of Egypt were easily worked with a regular hoe and a light wooden rake. The sowing itself was very simple. After sowing grain into the soil, sheep, or goats, or pigs were driven across the field. They trampled the grains into the soil. Then the women buried the grains that remained on the surface with hoes.
Only one ears were eaten. They threshed with the help of animals, driving them along ears located on the compacted earth.
Orchards and vegetable gardens were usually laid out on the border with the desert. Wells and ponds were dug to water them. Date palms, figs, grapes, pomegranates, and apple trees were grown. Onions, garlic, lettuce, cucumbers, turnips were known from vegetables.
Flax was an important agricultural crop because all Egyptians wore linen clothes and ate linseed oil.
Among domestic animals, cattle and donkeys were of exceptional importance. They were raised not only for meat and milk, they were widely used in agricultural work and for the transportation of heavy loads. Were bred goats, sheep, pigs. The poultry houses kept geese, ducks, peacocks.
The Egyptians were the first beekeepers in the world. They knew how to make hives, put bees in them and get honey.
Free farmers made up the majority of the country's population.
3. Crafts and exchange in Egypt. Gathering large harvests, an increase in the number of animals allowed part of the Egyptians to begin activities in which the need arose. These are, for example, the smelting and processing of copper, the production of complex tools, weapons, jewelry, boats. These and other items were made by artisans.
With the beginning of the use of metals, the work of metallurgists began to be highly valued. To the east of the Nile Valley, their permanent settlements arise near the copper mines.
The craft is quite difficult. It required lengthy training. Usually, parents passed on the secrets of their craft to children from an early age.

The need arose for the exchange of products of labor between farmers, livestock breeders and artisans. Means of transportation are required to exchange goods. In Egypt, the Nile was an excellent means of communication. Throughout the year, cereals, livestock products, copper, timber and handicrafts were transported by boats.
It was convenient for artisans to settle in places where they could more easily exchange their products for anything they needed. Soon cities began to appear and multiply along the banks of the Nile.
Thus, already in the IV millennium BC. NS. The Egyptians made great strides in the production of all the essentials for life. They have reached the threshold of the emergence of the state.

The fate of the peasant
The worm eats half of the barley, the hippopotamus the rest. There are many mice in the field, locusts fly in, animals eat, sparrows steal. Woe to the peasant! What remained in the barn was taken away by the thieves.
And suddenly a clerk descends to the banks of the Nile. He intends to take the harvest. His servants with sticks, and blacks with whips. And they say: "Serve the barley!" And he's gone.
Then they started beating the peasant. Then they tied it up and threw it into a well. They lowered it upside down. Tied up his wife and children. Neighbors run away from fear.

In the paragraphs of this topic, you can find answers to the questions:

1. What was the situation of slaves in ancient Egypt.

2. What were the occupations of farmers and artisans.

3. How the Egyptians traded.

4. What did the Egyptian nobility do.

5. Was it difficult to be the Pharaoh of Egypt?

Remember how the staircase of the public organization of Ancient Egypt looked like.

In accordance with their position on the social ladder, each inhabitant of the Hapi Valley had his own responsibilities and led a special way of life. Life was easiest, of course, for the rich and noble Egyptians. The poor had to work hard, and they received very modest remuneration for their labor, but even they did not starve. Farming in the Nile Valley was very efficient and provided the inhabitants with high yields. Of course, there have been times of famine in Egypt and times of drought and crop failure, there have been troubles and wars, but, nevertheless, there were more happy years.

1. Occupation and life of slaves. Slaves were prisoners captured during the military expeditions of the pharaohs to the West and South and the Egyptians enslaved for debts. The state did not want the enslavement of free people who paid taxes, and for a long time did not wage wars, because the Nile valley was isolated, so it is not surprising that there were not so many slaves in Egypt .

Slaves were despised and therefore they were not trusted with responsible work: they were not used in the cultivation of sacred land, the construction of divine temples or tombs - the Houses of Eternity. Most of the slaves belonged to the pharaoh. They worked in the royal quarries. It was very hard and exhausting work. The slaves had to chop off huge pieces of stone from the rocks in the desert east of the Nile and drag them to the water, from where they were already delivered to the construction site. Special artisans supervised the work and processed the stones, only brute force was required from the slaves and nothing more. They were fed poorly. On the day, the slave received only a couple of onions, a few vegetables, and very coarse black cakes made from the worst grain. Hundreds of slaves died in the quarries and new ones arrived in their place.

Over time, the number of slaves in Egypt only increased. Some of the captives were sold in markets for grain, meat or fabric. Such slaves became servants in the master's house, and their life was much easier than that of Pharaoh's slaves. They lived at the master's house, ate from his table, and did all kinds of household chores.

However, no matter where the slaves lived, and no matter how easy their life seemed, they were imprisoned, they could not leave the owner, could not disobey the order or not perform the work. The slaves did not have property, because they themselves were property. Slaves could not start a family without the master's permission. Their children could be sold in the market.

2. Occupations of farmers. Farmers in Egypt were free people, in the rest of the world they sometimes differed little from slaves. Often they were completely poor, and their work was no easier, if not harder than the work of slaves. Farmers could have a small piece of land given to them by the pharaoh or work on the lands of a large nobleman or a temple. The Egyptians who lived in the north, in addition to farming, raised livestock, since there was a lot of succulent grass in the swampy delta.

Think about why cattle breeding was underdeveloped in the south of Egypt?

The work of the farmers was seasonal. On the ground, they worked mainly during the "germination period". Then they went out to the fields every day to prepare the land, plant the plants, and then tend them. After harvesting, farmers dug canals, built embankments, and strengthened reservoirs — such were their occupations during the dry and flood seasons. At the same time, most of the farmers paid taxes to the state, but not with products, but with their own labor. Ordinary Egyptians went to build temples, roads, tombs and extract metals in mines, but only until the waters of Great Hapi receded away, exposing the silted, oily, fertile soil of Ta-Kemet. Every year at the beginning of the “germination season”, the farmers returned and worked in the fields. The Egyptians easily plowed the land with a hoe or wooden plow. Most often they did it by hand, but sometimes they harnessed oxen. The planted plants required regular watering. Water from deep canals and the Nile was raised to high embankments with the help of shadufa.

Farmers lived in small neighboring communities who paid taxes to the royal scribes and could, in case of misfortune, take care of orphans, help a sick relative. A free Egyptian could start a family and own property, but he was still very dependent on the will of the despot. For example, he could not leave his land without permission and move to another nom. All ordinary Egyptians were called "royal people", which emphasized their slavery position in the face of the ruler of the Two Lands.

3. The life of an urban artisan... The city craftsmen were also considered "royal people", but they lived better than the farmers, among them were very rich people, for example, architects, artists or jewelers. There were many artisans, as well as all kinds of crafts. Potters, tanners, blacksmiths, joiners, carpenters, weavers, stone carvers, shipbuilders and many other craftsmen created all kinds of things. Craftsmen worked in state and temple workshops or were hired by a wealthy nobleman. Only very rich and famous craftsmen had their own workshops and sold their goods. The rest of the artisans, state, temple and hired farmers were paid salaries. There was no money in Egypt, so farmers and artisans were rewarded for their labor with grain, oil, fabrics, fish, honey and metals - copper, gold and silver. Basically, it was grain that was paid, which then the Egyptians exchanged for other products.

Barter in ancient Egypt was the most picturesque sight. Buyers and sellers gathered in the city and, walking along the river bank, loudly shouted the names of their goods. Children also came running here and numerous onlookers came. On the market, you could find out the latest news and see something interesting. The city market was especially crowded on weekends.

However, far from all the townspeople and very few farmers could enjoy the weekend, every week (in Ancient Egypt it lasted ten days) or a month (consisting of three weeks) the Egyptians paid taxes or, at least, reported to the scribes on the fulfillment of the planned norms. If taxes were not paid, and the norms were met, the Egyptians were left with debts until they were closed.

Other members of the community had to work for the sick farmer or artisan. So many Egyptians, with the exception of the five days of the new year and a personal holiday reminiscent of a modern birthday, did not have days off at all, working out norms and paying taxes. Sometimes the Egyptians did not go to work at all, explaining this to the scribes by a sudden illness, or even not at all good reasons: "I did not work, but fought with my wife" or "brewed beer." For absenteeism for no good reason, unfulfilled labor standards or unpaid taxes, the guards, by order of the scribe, could throw 50-100 blows with a whip or stick to a farmer or artisan.

4. Occupations of the nobility. Rich and noble people in their youth devoted all their days to study. It was possible to make a career, to become a great person only by learning to read and write. While most young men adopted the experience of their fathers, artisans and farmers, or became guards at the court of the pharaoh, the sons of nobles and scribes learned the wisdom of writing. The king always needed numerous officials to keep the country under vigilant control, so up to 20% of adult men were scribes. Those who did not study well could ruin their whole lives. They are no longer destined to receive a high position either at court or even in the most remote nome. Those who understood the secrets of the ancient signs of writing occupied the highest position in society. “Look, there is no position where there is no chief, except for the position of a scribe, for he is the chief himself,” the scribe Kheti taught his son. An intelligent young man, trained to read and write, could later become even a chati, i.e. take the post of first minister.

Numerous privileges and wealth did not exempt scribes from their daily exhausting labor.. They constantly traveled around the country, sometimes without being at home for months. They were personally responsible for the correctness of calculations and the timing of tax collection. High officials usually combined several positions and, together with more power, bore more responsibility to the pharaoh. All these noble people in the face of the lord were just slaves, and their fate was in his hands.

And what about the ruler of Egypt? - being a despot, he, it would seem, could afford to do whatever he wanted. In fact Pharaoh's life was subject to the strictest rules and sacred ceremonies. He alone was responsible for order in the country and the well-being of the Hapi people, he had to devote all his days to the affairs of the state and to protect its borders. It is no coincidence that the king was always portrayed holding a whip and a rod in his hands. The rod meant that the king leads and leads his people, and the whip indicated that he was the only protector and judge of the Egyptians. When the pharaohs forgot about their duties, the country immediately fell into decay, and troubled times fell like a dark shadow over the Nile Valley.

VOCABULARY:

Exchange trade - trade in which people in the market exchange goods without the aid of money.

Privilegia - an exclusive right to something, an advantage over other people.

Shaduf - a structure for raising water and irrigating fields.

QUESTIONS:

1. Think why the Egyptians called the slaves "alive - killed"?

2. Think, why in Egypt after the emergence of the state there were communities of farmers?

3. Compare the legal and property status of slaves and free farmers.

4. Why couldn't the absolute ruler of Egypt do whatever he wanted?

Similar information.

Few modern Islamic cities open their beauties to foreign tourists. That is why Egypt is interesting, fascinating with ancient pyramids and majestic statues of pharaohs. More than five million people from all over the world come to the country to admire the architectural beauty of ancient architects and golden sandy beaches. Comfortable accommodation in hotels with excellent service and excursion acquaintance with the ancient Egyptian world leave an indelible impression and make you come back to this mysterious place again and again. The southern hot country, located in the northeast of the African continent, almost near the equator, cut into two halves by the most full-flowing river on the planet Nile, has been inhabited since ancient times by herders and farmers. The floods of the Nile contributed to the formation of fertile lands and saved from thirst, living in the hot desert, Bedouins and nomads. The unique never-ending water source and the constantly scorching sunlight in the Nile Valley had an iconic influence on the occupations and life of the Egyptians in ancient Egypt. Very favorable natural conditions for the rapid growth of plants and animals.

Few modern Islamic cities open up their beauties to foreign tourists. That is why Egypt is interesting, fascinating with ancient pyramids and majestic statues of pharaohs. More than five million people from all over the world come to the country to admire the architectural beauty of ancient architects and golden sandy beaches. Comfortable accommodation in hotels with excellent service and excursion acquaintance with the ancient Egyptian world leave an indelible impression and make you come back to this mysterious place again and again.

The southern hot country, located in the northeast of the African continent, almost near the equator, cut into two halves by the deepest river on the planet Nile, has been inhabited since ancient times by herders and farmers. The floods of the Nile contributed to the formation of fertile lands and saved from thirst, living in the hot desert, Bedouins and nomads. The unique never-ending water source and the constantly scorching sunlight in the Nile Valley had an iconic influence on the occupations and life of the Egyptians in ancient Egypt. Very favorable natural conditions for the rapid growth of plants and animals.

Along the banks of the Nile, an extraordinary papyrus grew, up to five meters high, the thick trunks of which people cut down and used to build dwellings, fences and other economic structures. The walls of papyrus covered with wet clay, dried out under the rays of the scorching sun, became hard and very reliable for protection from the wind and wild animals. Boats were made from old "papyrus logs", and baskets, mats were woven from young tender shoots, and papyrus paper was made for drawings and writing. Sweet shoots were even eaten both raw and cooked.

The thickets of papyrus and reed beds were so fast-growing, dense and impassable that people had to cut them down with axes and lay irrigation systems for barley fields and flood meadows for grazing bulls, cows and goats. To prevent swamp swamps with fetid gas fumes, mosquitoes and poisonous snakes from forming in floodplain meadows, the Egyptians learned to destroy swamp swamps and build protective dams and drainage channels. But Ancient Egypt did not limit the occupations of its inhabitants to simple agriculture and cattle breeding.

A significant part of the Egyptians were engaged in crafts and trade. Jewelry and cosmetic shops, weaving and brick workshops, pottery and glass industries flourished in the ancient Egyptian kingdom and determined the future development of a great civilization. People of different classes then inhabited the country. In addition to artisans, free peasants and merchants, priests, actors, clergymen, noble slave owners and pharaohs lived in Ancient Egypt. Temples and palaces of indescribable beauty were built, tombs and pyramids were erected.