254. Egypt, the Land of the Nile and the Pyramids.Egypt has always been a land of curious things. It lies across the Mediterranean, southeast of Europe. It is a land of sunshine day after day. Were it not for the Nile River, it would be a part of the Great Sahara Desert. Every year for ages, the Nile has risen in a great flood and its waters have spread out over Egypt. In coming down from their mountain home these waters carry rich earth which they spread over a part of Egypt. The result is that Egypt, in an early day, became the garden spot for nations less favored.
Egypt in Bible times
Many of you can recall the Bible story of Joseph's brethren who were sent down into Egypt to buy corn because there was a famine in their land. Thanks to the Nile, there was plenty of corn in Egypt. The people of Egypt were among the first of the world's farmers and gardeners of which history has any record.
Carrying the waters of the Nile to the land
255. Irrigation Systems of the Egyptians.In a great many parts of western United States where little rain falls, how do farmers and gardeners get water for their plants? "Irrigation" is the word that tells the story. The Egyptians taught the people of the world how to save water for irrigation by building great dams in the Nile. This water they carried in ditches throughout the land so that the thirsty crops would have the moisture they needed for growing.
THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZEH AND THE SPHINX
THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZEH AND THE SPHINX
THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZEH AND THE SPHINX
The tombs of the kings
256. Egypt Ruled by Kings.For several thousand years Egypt was ruled by kings. The most famous of these rulers was a great warrior called Rameses II. He built great tombs or monuments called "pyramids." These were built out of huge blocks of stone much larger than any now used in buildings. For many years he had the common man or the slave doing this work for him.
The Bible tells us about Moses, who became a great leader among the Israelites. The Israelites were slaves to the kings of Egypt. Moses led them forth from Egypt to escape the hard tasks of one of their kings.
257. What the Egyptians Gave to Other Nations.Among the Egyptians there were great students for that early time. A few men among them studied the stars and learned about the movements of the heavenly bodies. In arithmetic they could count up to millions. They could weave cloth, cut jewels, and make most beautiful objects out of glass.
Egyptian hieroglyphics
But above all the Egyptians could write. Not as we do, of course, but they used letters, not rude pictures as seen in most early writings. Scholars have named the characters used in writing by Egyptians and other ancient peoples "hieroglyphics."
258. Babylon and Nineveh.Asia, too, had early peoples. Perhaps some of them were older than the Egyptians. There lived in southwestern Asia, in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, two mighty nations whose chief cities were Babylon and Nineveh.
The hanging gardens of Babylon
Babylon on the Euphrates was a splendid city. It had great walls to protect it against enemy nations. Its hanging gardens were the wonders of the ancient world.
To the north, on the banks of the Tigris, lay the great city of Nineveh. The fierce kings of Nineveh conquered many nations and forced them to pay tribute.
In this region, nature furnished the kings no building stone such as was found in Egypt. But they made their homes and their palaces out of sun-dried brick. This soft material, as the years rolled on, fell into decay, and now men can find the ruins of these wonderful cities only by digging where they lay.
How the Babylonians wrote
The Babylonians did their writing upon bricks or clay tablets before they dried them. They had their own way of writing, using a sharp piece of metal for makingwedged-shaped lines instead of letters. They used a sort of picture-writing too, making rude cuts of birds, animals, and man. On these clay tablets, buried centuries ago, we may read the stories of what they did and how they lived.
TYPES OF EARLY ALPHABETS
TYPES OF EARLY ALPHABETS
TYPES OF EARLY ALPHABETS
259. How Jews and Phoenicians Helped Mankind.Along the eastern end of the Mediterranean lies Palestine, which was conquered by the Jews early in their history, and became their home. The Jews as a people interest us because they have given us our religious ideas. They have never been a warlike nation, but at times they could fight. David was one of their great kings, and Solomon another.
During long years this people has held faithful and true to the idea of one God. Although the Jews were driven from Palestine and scattered among the nations of the world they have never given up their religion. They have always looked forward to the time when they might return to Jerusalem and set up a Jewish nation once more. As a result of the World War that time seems to have come.
Phoenicians helped to advance learning
The Phoenicians were akin to the Jews. They lived near the Jews on the Mediterranean and were a sea-going people, the traders of that early time. In their ships, driven by oar and sail, they braved the dangers of the Atlantic and reached Spain and England. To these people must be given the credit of carrying to the Greeks andRomans much of the learning of Egypt and Asia. To the Phoenicians also belongs the honor and fame of inventing an alphabet much like the one we have to-day, although with fewer letters.
The Leading Facts.1.The first settlers in America came from old and well-established countries in Europe.2.Their ways of living were very different from ours.3.The classes of people were very different from those we have.4.Egypt the oldest nation.5.What the Nile does for Egypt.6.What Egypt taught the world.7.Babylon and Nineveh, the early cities of Asia.8.How they differed from Egypt.9.How Egypt, Babylon, and Nineveh recorded their deeds.10.What the Jews were noted for.11.Who were great among them?12.How the World War has changed the hope of some Jews.13.The Phoenicians were celebrated for carrying trade and learning.14.They also invented the alphabet.Study Questions.1.Name the different classes of people in Europe.2.What would have happened if a great lord had carried his people to America in an early day?3.Make a list of useful things that the Egyptians knew.4.How do you imagine we know about the ancient cities of Babylon and Nineveh?5.Why did they use brick?6.Why is it better to use letters than pictures in writing?Suggested Readings.Dopp,The Tree Dwellers;The Early Cave-men;The Later Cave-men;The Early Sea People;Stories of Ancient Peoples; Ragozin,A History of the World, Vol. I. Earliest Peoples; Retold fromSt. Nicholas, Stories of the Ancient World, 3-52, 69-77, 92-124; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 14-24.
The Leading Facts.1.The first settlers in America came from old and well-established countries in Europe.2.Their ways of living were very different from ours.3.The classes of people were very different from those we have.4.Egypt the oldest nation.5.What the Nile does for Egypt.6.What Egypt taught the world.7.Babylon and Nineveh, the early cities of Asia.8.How they differed from Egypt.9.How Egypt, Babylon, and Nineveh recorded their deeds.10.What the Jews were noted for.11.Who were great among them?12.How the World War has changed the hope of some Jews.13.The Phoenicians were celebrated for carrying trade and learning.14.They also invented the alphabet.
Study Questions.1.Name the different classes of people in Europe.2.What would have happened if a great lord had carried his people to America in an early day?3.Make a list of useful things that the Egyptians knew.4.How do you imagine we know about the ancient cities of Babylon and Nineveh?5.Why did they use brick?6.Why is it better to use letters than pictures in writing?
Suggested Readings.Dopp,The Tree Dwellers;The Early Cave-men;The Later Cave-men;The Early Sea People;Stories of Ancient Peoples; Ragozin,A History of the World, Vol. I. Earliest Peoples; Retold fromSt. Nicholas, Stories of the Ancient World, 3-52, 69-77, 92-124; Mace-Tanner,Old Europe and Young America, 14-24.