D. GIVE
REASONS:
1. The early
civilizations came up near rivers
Ans. The
earliest civilizations came up near rivers because
a.
the rivers provided sufficient water
to support large settlements
b.
the land near the rivers was very
fertile people could grow more crops
c.
the river served as means of
transport
2. The
Mesopotamians used baked bricks to make buildings
Ans. Stone was
not easily available in Mesopotamia, so buildings and temples were made of
baked bricks.
E. Answer these:
1. What has helped us to reconstruct the
history of Egypt?
Ans. Our knowledge about the ancient Egyptian
civilization is based on archaeological excavations, inscriptions and official
documents. These have helped us to reconstruct the history of Egypt.
2.
Describe the social classes that
emerged in ancient Egypt.
Ans. Society consisted of many classes:
a. The
ruler was called the pharaoh and was treated as god. The pharaoh was the
political and religious leader of the Egyptians. Statues of those were kept in temples
and their achievements were inscribed on temple walls. the pharaoh took all major
decisions concerning the empire
b. Next
came the priests
c. Then
came the nobles, officials and scribes
d. Next
came the merchants, artisans and farmers
e. At
the lowest rung were the slaves, most of whom were prisoners of war. Anyone unable
to pay off his debts was also reduced to do slavery.
3.
Write about the condition of women in
ancient Egypt.
Ans. Birth of daughters was welcome. Women belonging to
poor families worked in fields and looked after their house. Rich women let
better lives. Many of them could read and write. We get references of some very
powerful queen. Queen Hatshepsut was crowned the pharaoh. Queen Nefertiti ruled
with her husband Akhenaten.
4.
Name some of the Gods that people
worshipped in ancient Egypt.
Ans. The Egyptians worshipped many Gods and Goddesses. The
chief god was Amun-Re or Ra, the sun god. Thoth was the moon god, Horus the sky
god and Anubis was the god of mummification.
5.
How did the Egyptians preserve their
dead?
Ans. Egyptian
preserved their dead by mummifying their bodies. They covered the dead body
with herbs and spices and then wrapped it in fine linen. Such a preserved body
is called a mummy.
6.
Discuss the architectural
achievements of the Egyptian.
Ans. The
Egyptians were great builders and constructed many pyramids and temples. The largest
of the pyramids, the great pyramid at Giza was built by pharaoh Cheops (Khufu).
It is one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world.
Another architectural wonder is the Sphinx, a mythological figure with
the head of a man and the body of a lion. It is carved out of a single block of
stone.
The temple at Ambu Simbel, built by Rameses, is equally famous. It has
been constructed such that twice a year the rays of the rising sun reach the
back wall of the interior of the temple.
7.
Discuss the progress made by the Egyptians in
Astronomy.
Ans. The
Egyptians studied the movements of heavenly bodies to predict natural phenomena.
They counted years by observing the star Sirius, whose appearance coincided
with the beginning of the annual flood in River Nile. They also divided the sky
into 12 constellations thereby being the first to devise the zodiac. The
Egyptians were also the first to devise a solar calendar. They found that the
average time between two floods in River Nile was 365 days.
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