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History 4
Glossary of History Unit The Nile’s Gift

Key Vocabulary

barge a boat for carrying goods on a river.
(to) barter to exchange goods for other goods, without using money.
breeder a person who breeds animals or plants.
crop a plant that is grown by farmers.
delta an area of low, flat land, sometimes shaped approximately like a triangle,
where a river divides into several smaller rivers before it flows into the sea.
Egypt a country in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea;
about 6 000 years ago it was a kingdom centred on the Nile River.
farming planting, raising and harvesting crops for animal or human consumption.
flax a type of textile fibre, linen.
flood a very large amount of water that covers an area that was dry before.
(to) flood to cover a land with water.
floodplain a flat area of land adjacent to a river or a stream, that is formed chiefly
of river sediment, and is subject to flooding.
hide the skin of an animal used especially to make leather goods.
hieroglyphic a writing used by ancient Egyptians, made up of pictures and
symbols.
irrigation ditch a narrow channel that artificially supplies water to a dry area.
limestone a type of rock which was used to construct the pyramids.
marsh an area of soft, wet land with many grasses and plants.
Nile River it is the longest river in the world; it rises in Central Africa near the
Equator and flows northward to the Mediterranean Sea, with its delta, situated
in Egypt.
nilometre a device used to measure the rise of water in the Nile.
papyrus paper made from the stems of a plant with the same name, that grows
in marshes, especially in Egypt.
pharaoh a king of ancient Egypt.
pyramid a huge monument built by ancient Egyptians, which was the burial vault
for the pharaoh.
Sahara desert an African desert, extending from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea.
shadoof an agricultural tool used for raising water as for irrigation.
slave someone who is forced to work for a person without receiving a payment.
Sphinx a huge statue carved out of limestone that has facial features of a man
and the body of a lion (in Giza, Egypt).
symbol a sign or an object that represents something else.
(to) trade the activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods and services.
tributary a stream or a small river that flows into a larger river.

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