The Egyptian Civilization

Q1. Write five features of the ancient civilizations.

Ans: Common features of civilizations are:

• The human population grew, as there was now plenty of food for people to eat.
 Some people started to travel to buy and sell things-this was the start of trade.
 These civilizations had well-planned cities, with large buildings and streets.
 The growth of writing and language helped people to express their ideas.
• People developed their own religions, art, craft and culture.

Q2. Which are the main sources that tell us about the Egyptian civilization?

Ans: The main sources of information for the Egyptian civilization are the remains of
buildings, objects used by the people and the written records they left behind. These
sources have helped the historians in constructing the Egyptian history.

Q3. Name the different groups of people in Egyptian society.

Ans: In Egyptian society, most of the people were farmers. There were also scribes or
writers who kept all the written records. There were priests, soldiers, engineers and
traders. There were many skilled artists and craftspeople as well. Their king was called
pharaoh.

Q4. Why were the pyramids built?

The pyramids were built to protect the body of the dead pharaoh and their resting
place. Ancient Egyptian believed in life after death. Therefore, their pharaoh would
need all his clothes, jewellery and other things even after death. His body would also
need to be preserved.

Q5. Why did the Egyptians preserve the bodies of important people?

Ans: Ancient Egyptian believed in life after death. They believed that the mummified
body was the home for this soul or spirit. Soul will be back after a period of time.
Therefore, they preserve the bodies of important people.

Q6. Which are the written records tell us about ancient Egypt?

Ans: The ancient Egyptians left behind a lot of written records-on the walls of buildings
and on special papyrus scrolls. They used a type of picture writing known as
hieroglyphics.
Q7. What is called mummification?

When the pharaoh died, the dead body was wrapped in cotton cloth or bandages, and
preserved with special oils. This process is known as mummification and a body
wrapped in this way is called a mummy.

Q8. Why early civilization grew near rivers?

Ans: Rivers provided enough water for the large number of people. The soil near the
rivers was very good for farming. The rivers not only provided water for the crops but
could be used for travel too.

Q9. What is called Bronze Age? Name four Bronze Age civilizations.

Ans: Instead of stone, the people of the early civilizations used bronze, a metal, to
make tools and weapons. These civilizations are, therefore, known as the Bronze Age
civilizations

• The Mesopotamian civilization near the rivers Tigris and Euphrates

• The Egyptian civilization near the river Nile
• The Harappan civilization near the river Indus
 The Chinese civilization near the river Huang He

Q10. Why would it be difficult for a civilization to come up in a place with very little
water?

Ans: Water is life – and life on earth is linked to water. Our existence is dependent on
water. Our whole civilization is built on the use of water. It provides drinkable water
for human as well as animals. Farming was also depending on water and fertile land.
Trading and transportation was much easier through river.

Q11. Why Civilization developed around rivers?

Ans: Civilizations developed around rivers because of the following reasons;

1. River provided good places to hunt as thirsty animal came for drinking. Also river
provided a plenty of fish.
2. River provided drinking water for human too.
3. As the rivers flooded, the lands around them became fertile. This allowed them
to support farming.

4. Transportation of goods was easier through river than land. This helped in
trading.
Q12. What was the age of Egyptian Civilization?

Ans: Egyptian Civilization existed about 5,000 years ago.

Q13. Write 2 line about;

‘Gift of the Nile’: Ans: Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile because without this river, it
would have been a barren desert. The river made Egypt fertile and provided enough
water for crops.

King of Egypt or Pharaoh: In Egypt the king was called the pharaoh. The people
respected him and even worshipped him as a god. The pharaoh was responsible for
the happiness of his people.

Pyramid of Giza: Ans: The pyramid at Giza is also known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu
as it was built as the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. For some 4,000 years, it was the tallest
structure in the world. It is generally believed that the Great Pyramid took around 20
years to build using more than 100,000 workers.

The Sphinx: The Sphinx is another interesting figure made by the Egyptians. It has the
body of a lion and the face of a man.

Papyrus: Papyrus was a plant which grew along the river Nile. It was cut into strips and
this was used for writing on after it was dried. The word 'paper' comes from papyrus.

Hieroglyphics: The Egyptians used a type of picture writing known as hieroglyphics.

This script has been read and understood. They had written records about pharaohs
like Akhenaten, his beautiful wife Nefertiti, and the boy king Tutankhamun.

Civilizations: Societies, their culture and their way of life during a particular period of
time or in a particular part of the world.

Mummy: When the pharaoh died, the dead body was wrapped in cotton cloth or
bandages, and preserved with special oils. This process is known as mummification and
a body wrapped in this way is called a mummy.

Q. Name some important pharaohs.

Ans. Some of the important pharaohs were Khufu, Akhenaten, Ramesses II and
Tutankhamun.

Q. Name the important cities in the Egyptian Civilization.

The important cities in the Egyptian civilization were Thebes, Giza and Memphis.
1 Write True or False.

a. Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile. T

b. The Egyptian pharaoh wrote all the written records. F

c. Mummies were preserved using special oils. T

d. Egypt is famous for its pyramids and other grand buildings. T

e. The hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptians has not been understood. F

2 Match the columns.

a. Giza (i) Most people in Egyptian society

b. Farmers (ii) Egyptian city

c. Sphinx (iii) Egyptian writing

d. Papyrus (iv) Half-man, half-lion

e. Hieroglyphics (v) Scrolls

Q. Identify who am.

a. I was the king; I was worshipped as a god. Pharaoh

b. I kept all the written records. Scribe

c. I am the tomb of the pharaoh. Pyramid

d. I am the picture writing of the Egyptians. Hieroglyphics

e. I am a plant which was cut into strips and used for writing Papyrus

4 Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks.

a. Ramesses Il was a famous pharaoh

(i) scribe (ii) pharaoh (iii) soldier (iv) craftsman
b. Most of the people in Egypt were farmers
(i) traders (ii) farmers (iii) scribes (iv) none of these
c. After being wrapped in bandages, the mummy was kept in a coffin
(i) coffin (ii) bag (iii) sack (iv) none of these
d. Papyrus plants grew along the river Nile
(i) along the river Nile (ii) in the desert (iii) in the mountains (iv) near the sea
e. Nefertiti was the wife of Akhenaten
(i) Tutankhamun (ii) Akhenaten (iii) Khufu (iv) none of these