Lesson 3 Guided Questions: Egypt’s Empire pages 120 – 127
Gabriella Heslop
1/24/2013
Period 4
Lesson 3 Guided Questions: Egypt’s Empire pages 120 – 127
1. Why was the Middle Kingdom a “golden age” for Egypt?
Conquered new territories
Egyptian armies gained control of Nubia to the south and expanded northeast into present-day Syria
The Egyptian pharaohs added to their kingdom’s wealth a required tribute, or forced payments, from the peoples their armies had conquered
They added thousands of acres to the land already being farmed to increase crop population
Had more irrigation dams
More channels built to supply more water to the population
Pharaohs ordered the construction of a canal between the Nile River and the Red Sea
As a result, Egyptian traders were able to send goods south by ship through the Red Sea
And from there the ships sailed to ports along the coasts of Arabia and East Africa
Egyptian arts and architecture thrived
Painters decorated the walls of tombs and temples with colorful scenes
Tomb paintings illustrated stories about the deities, as well as scenes from everyday life
Sculptors carved hunting, fishing, and battle scenes on long stone walls
Created statues of the pharaohs, showing them as ordinary humans rather than gods
Egyptians developed a new kind of architecture
Pharaohs no longer had pyramids built, but instead had their tombs cut into limestone cliffs west of the Nile River known as the Valley of the Kings
Some Egyptian nobles challenged the power of the pharaohs
Civil war divided Egypt, ending an era of peace and prosperity
Middle Kingdom weakened because outsiders invaded Egypt
People from western Asia known as the Hyksos swept across the desert into Egypt
Hyksos were powerful warriors who used methods of warfare unknown to the Egyptians
Hyksos rode in horse-drawn chariots and fought with sturdy weapons made of bronze and iron
As a result, the Hyksos overwhelmed the Egyptian soldiers and took control of the land
More than 100 years, Hyksos kings ruled Egypt
1/24/2013
Period 4
Lesson 3 Guided Questions: Egypt’s Empire pages 120 – 127
1. Why was the Middle Kingdom a “golden age” for Egypt?
Conquered new territories
Egyptian armies gained control of Nubia to the south and expanded northeast into present-day Syria
The Egyptian pharaohs added to their kingdom’s wealth a required tribute, or forced payments, from the peoples their armies had conquered
They added thousands of acres to the land already being farmed to increase crop population
Had more irrigation dams
More channels built to supply more water to the population
Pharaohs ordered the construction of a canal between the Nile River and the Red Sea
As a result, Egyptian traders were able to send goods south by ship through the Red Sea
And from there the ships sailed to ports along the coasts of Arabia and East Africa
Egyptian arts and architecture thrived
Painters decorated the walls of tombs and temples with colorful scenes
Tomb paintings illustrated stories about the deities, as well as scenes from everyday life
Sculptors carved hunting, fishing, and battle scenes on long stone walls
Created statues of the pharaohs, showing them as ordinary humans rather than gods
Egyptians developed a new kind of architecture
Pharaohs no longer had pyramids built, but instead had their tombs cut into limestone cliffs west of the Nile River known as the Valley of the Kings
Some Egyptian nobles challenged the power of the pharaohs
Civil war divided Egypt, ending an era of peace and prosperity
Middle Kingdom weakened because outsiders invaded Egypt
People from western Asia known as the Hyksos swept across the desert into Egypt
Hyksos were powerful warriors who used methods of warfare unknown to the Egyptians
Hyksos rode in horse-drawn chariots and fought with sturdy weapons made of bronze and iron
As a result, the Hyksos overwhelmed the Egyptian soldiers and took control of the land
More than 100 years, Hyksos kings ruled Egypt