Question on Notes

How do natural features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains help unite people or keep them isolated from each other?
          Natural features such as rivers and lakes can help unite or isolate people.  These physical features of the land can cause problems for humans that are trying to survive.  They decide that they need to either solve or figure out why this problem is occurring.  When people have a common problem or goal, they tend to unite in order to conquer it.  This can really help with developing new technology because of all the ideas generated by all the people.  This, in turn, can help unite them even more.  Rivers, lakes, and especially mountains can also isolate people.  If one family lives on one side of the mountain, and another on the other side, then they probably will never meet.  This is because it is difficult and dangerous to climb a mountain - especially when you have no idea what lies on the other side.  Lakes can also keep people isolated depending on their size.  If one group of people lives on one side of the lake and another on the other, then again, they most likely will not meet.  Big lakes take a long time to cross, and they can also be dangerous if you have mediocre technology.  If I were an ancient Egyptian, I would not attempt to row my canoe over the whole body of water. 

The Nile River

1.)  Describe the climate zone/biome of the Nile River area.

Arid Desert

         The northern section of the Nile River, which is where it runs through Egypt, has a very arid climate.  It was a hot, dry, and barren desert, and it would have been fairly impossible for the ancient Egyptians to prosper there, if not for the river.  On average, the northern area has a very low precipitation rate:  under ten inches a year.  Down in the southern part of the Nile, where it split into the White Nile and Blue Nile around Sudan and Ethiopia, the climate was more forgiving.  The White Nile continued through the bottom of Sudan, where it was more tropical with both rainy and dry seasons, and was mostly a tropical savanna.  The Blue Nile went east towards Ethiopia, and met highlands and mixed forests.  There was more precipitation south of Egypt, ranging from an average of 40 to 80 inches of rainfall a year.

2.)  List the vegetation and natural resources available.

Papyrus Plant

           Along the Nile River, there were many different types of vegetation and natural resources available to ancient humans.  Among these were fish, water, fertile soil, flint, papyrus, and flax.  Everywhere else in Egypt except the areas by the Nile River were virtually uninhabitable.  There wasn't enough precipitation up north to sustain people and animals, and the soil was hard and dry.  The Nile provided water for people, as well as good earth.  It flooded annually, and carried minerals and nutrients in the form of silt to land.  This made it a very good place for farming.  Fish and other animals were provided by the Nile, because of the source of water it was.  Animals were able to survive there because of the liquid and because of the vegetation that grew by the side of the river.   These were good food for humans.  The papyrus plant also flourished in the Nile, which allowed for people to make paper to write stories and record trading deals.  Also, the earth along the Nile yielded flint:  a stone used to create fires and tools such as sickles for harvesting crops.  Lastly, a plant called flax grew by the Nile.  It was used to make clothing and sheets and such, because it could be spun into linen.

3.)  Explain how water, mud, plants, and animals were all "gifts of the Nile" to the Egyptians.

Nile River

          Water, mud, plants, and animals were all "gifts of the Nile" to the Egyptians, because without that river, none of them would have existed in that particular area.  Without the Nile, there couldn't be water.  Without water, there couldn't be mud or plants.  Without mud, people would have had a very hard time making homes and other buildings in which to live.  If there weren't any plants, then it was almost impossible for animals to live.  Humans needed animals, both as food and as laborers, and without them, we would have had a hard time developing everything we needed in order to trade, grow crops, and other things.  

My Trip Down the Nile

          I am in the prow of my father's boat, sailing down the Nile.  We are traveling north to Lower Egypt in order to trade our linen and leather for food grains.  The wind tousles my hair, and the scents of water, soil, and green grass wash over me.  I close my eyes and feel gentle rays of the sun warm my face.  The soft splashes of river water against our servants' oars bring me out of my peaceful reverie, and I look around.  I see the vibrant green of some grass growing along the bank of the river, the golden-yellow of wheat, the clear, blue river lapping against land, and rich, black soil.  Some fishermen wave at us from their canoe; I smile and wave back.  A fish jumps, glinting silver.  A brilliant, blue dragonfly zips past.  I am at peace with the world.

My Mummy Questions

1.)  Does this place have a cold and dry climate, or is it warm and wet?
- I would want to know this, because it would help tell me whether or not it is probable that mummies might have survived the elements.

2.)  Did ancient people live here a long time ago?

- I would want to know this, because if there weren't any people living in an area I was searching for mummies in, then there is a very low chance of me finding any there.

3.)  If there were any people living here, were they a part of a civilization, or were they just a small town?
-I would want to know this, because then it might give me an insight as to whether or not mummies could have been intentionally or unintentionally mummified.

4.)  Are there any ancient buildings or monuments around this area that might be ancient tombs?
-This would be useful information to have, because then I would know whether or not it is very likely there could be mummies.

5.)  What kind of major geographical features does this area have?

-I would need to know this, because if there are things like forests, it would be very difficult for me to find anything.  

Mummy Article Questions and Answers

1.)  Define the word "MUMMY."
A mummy is any ancient body that is either wholly or partly preserved, which means that it has mostly escaped decay.

2.)  According to CURRENT SCIENCE BELIEFS, what are some REASONS people were intentionally mummified? 
According to Current Science Beliefs, people were intentionally mummified in order for them to "endure".  Many mummified bodies of children were discovered in northern Chile, and scientists believe that their parents turned them into mummies in order to keep their children close a little while longer.

3.)  What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?
People can be unintentionally mummified by being frozen (like Otzi the Iceman), or by being preserved in bogs.  If a body is frozen, it won't rot as easily, and if someone is thrown into a bog, they may sink in and be preserved by the mud.


4.)  Cadaver:  a corpse or dead body.
5.)  Anthropology:  the study of humans - their social relationships with other humans, their origin, and everything else about them.
6.)  Societal:  relating to how a society works, the structure of a society.
7.)  Transgressions:  a law violation, breaking the law or rules.


8.)  In what parts of the world have mummies been found?
Mummies have been found all over the world - China, Chile, England, Egypt, and many other countries.  The only places where mummies will not be found would be in areas where the climate simply cannot preserve bodies.  Warm and moist weather will hasten the decay of cadavers, and when scientists go digging around and looking for them, they will have turned to dust.

9.)  In what types of places (physical geography & climate) have mummies been found?
Mummies have been found in mountainous/cold places, as well as desert areas.  These places are more likely to preserve bodies and create mummies.  If people have purposely mummified others in warm and wet climates, yet have taken precautions to keep them from rotting, then mummies will be found in places where they would be less likely to have lasted if unintentionally mummified.


10.)  How did Ancient Egyptians preserve their dead?
Ancient Egyptians preserved their dead through a number of steps:
1.  Get the brain out of the skull through the nose.  (The place where the brain used to be would eventually be filled with tree sap or cloth and sap.)
2.  The person's chest would be sliced open, and all the major organs except for the heart would be removed.  (They would be placed in jars for preservation)
3.  The empty hole left from where all the organs were was cleaned and stuffed with a local and organic drying agent called natron.
4.  The body was left by itself in order to dry for 40 days.
5.  The now dried-up corpse was sewed back together after being stuffed with cloth, sawdust, ash, or salt, to make sure that it would maintain its shape.  The seam was usually reinforced with metal or wax.
6.  The eye sockets were filled with fake eyeballs.
7.  The body was cleansed and wrapped in cloth.
8.  The mummy was ready to be placed in its tomb.

11.)  Why do you think ancient Egyptians took such care to embalm their dead if the desert could do the job for them?
I think that Egyptians took such care to embalm their dead if the desert could do the job for them, because they thought that the body needed to be preserved for Afterlife, and also that it was just a way of showing respect.   Ancient Egyptians believed in an Afterlife, and they usually hid tools or pendants that a person might need in the wrappings and coffin of the mummy.  (Especially for kings.)  If a person arrived in Afterlife without an intact body, it could have been believed that he/she would not survive very long there.  I think that maybe mummification was a way of showing respect to the dead person as well.

Babylon Poster

Here is a picture of my group's efforts in our poster about ancient Babylon.  We learned all about the government, food, clothing, music, and other parts of the Babylonian culture through this project.