The e4 Enrichment and Challenge Programme

THE ACHIEVERS, EXPLORERS, SCHOLARS (AES) PROGRAMME

Subject: UAE Social Studies
Grade- 5
Book 1 Unit-3: Ancient Civilizations
Lesson 5: Transport and Trade in Ancient Civilizations

Learning Objectives:
❖ Explain the factors that led to the development of water transportation in ancient Egypt.
❖ Examine the significance of water transportation for the development of trade between ancient
civilizations.
General Instructions:
✓ Study from the worksheet for your assessments.
✓ Maintain the note book work as instructed by your teacher.

I. Read the questions carefully and choose the correct options:

1) Which of the following was the main river of ancient Egypt?
a. Yellow River
b. Indus River
c. Euphrates River
d. Nile River
Answer: d. Nile River

2) Dr. Romila Saxena is a famous cartographer who has been assigned the task to prepare a
map of modern Egypt. Which of the following will she include as ONE of the
surrounding waterbodies in the map of Egypt?
a. Caribbean Sea
b. Mediterranean Sea
c. Bering Sea
d. Arabian Sea
Answer: b. Mediterranean Sea

3) Which among the following factors led to the development of water transportation in
ancient Egypt?
a. Proximity to the Polar Region
b. Strategic geographical location of the River Indus
c. Direction of Prevailing Winds
d. Distance from Red Sea
Answer: c. Direction of Prevailing Winds
4) During his educational excursion to a museum of Egypt, Alex observed the exhibit of an Egyptian
wooden boat with a triangular shape canvas sail that was mainly used for transportation of goods
and people. Identify boat observed by Alex in the museum.
a. Felucca b. Dhow c. Skiff d. Raft
Answer: a. Felucca

5) ‘Seals used to play an important role to develop the trade relations between ancient civilizations.’
Which of the following accounts CORRECTLY justifies the above statement?
a. Seals were useful in mining activities.
b. Seals were used to purchase essential commodities.
c. Seals were used to close the bags or boxes of food and other objects for trading.
d. Seals were helpful in pearl diving.
Answer: c. Seals were used to close the bags or boxes of food and other objects for trading.

6) Assertion: The Government of UAE has introduced initiatives to promote the adoption of
electric and hybrid vehicles.
Reason: The year 2023 is dedicated to reduce the use of sustainable transportation in the UAE.
a. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
c. A is correct but R is wrong.
d. A is wrong but R is correct.
Answer: c. A is correct but R is wrong.

II. Define the following terms:

1) Skiff: Ancient Egyptian sail boat made of papyrus reeds – It was used mainly for fishing
and travelling short distances.
2) Dhow: Egyptian sail boat used mainly for fishing and trading
3) Felucca: Egyptian wooden boat with a triangular shape canvas sail-It was mainly used for
the transportation of goods and people.
4) Oar: A pole with a flat blade that is pushed through the water to make a ship move.
III. Answer the following questions:
1) Observe the map of Egypt carefully and answer the following questions.

a. What was the main river of ancient Egypt?

Answer: The main river of ancient Egypt was River Nile.

b. List two important waterbodies that surround Egypt.

Answer: Two important waterbodies that surround Egypt are the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.

c. Name the important port city of Egypt that is located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean
Sea.
Answer: The city of Alexandria is the important port city of Egypt that is located on the southern coast of
the Mediterranean Sea.

d. What was the most important mode of transportation in ancient Egypt?

Answer: The most important mode of transportation in ancient Egypt was water transportation (Boats).
2) Draw a web chart to list the factors that led to the development of water transportation in ancient
Egypt.

i) Direction of river
current

iv) Surrounding
water bodies of Important factors that ii) Direction
ancient Egypt led to the development of Prevailing
(Mediterranean Sea of water transportation Winds
and Red Sea) in ancient Egypt

iii) Strategic
geographical
location of theRiver
Nile

3) ‘The seals used to play an important role to develop trade relations between ancient civilizations.
Comment.
Answer: i) Seals were used in administrative securing devices for the state government.
ii) Seals were used to close (seal) bags or boxes of food and objects for trading.
iii) Images on seals used to provide information about the traders.
iv) Seals helped to develop the contact between the people of the ancient civilizations.
v) The use of seals also enhanced the maritime trade between the Indus Valley Region and
Mesopotamia.

IV. Read the passage given below and answer the following questions.
In ancient Egypt, boats were used about 6,000 years ago. The river Nile was the main
trading route and the boats and ships were mainly used to transport (almuasalat)
goods. The trading route exposed the ancient Egyptians to foreign trades and cultures.
 Maritime trade between river valley civilizations flourished in the early 2000 BCE. Different types of
boats were used in ancient Egypt for trade (tijara) and water transportation. The simplest type of boat
used in ancient Egypt was the skiff, made from papyrus reeds that were tied together. Since the reeds
are filled with air pockets, they are particularly buoyant. Skiffs were used for fishing and hunting
game in the marshes or for travelling short distances.

Another type of sail boat used in ancient Egypt was dhow. It was mainly used for fishing and trading.
Felucca was another type of Egyptian wooden boat with a triangular shape canvas sail. Felucca was
mainly used in the transport of goods and people. Felucca was used to transport large stones from
Aswan to help in the construction of Pyramids. The felucca has remained, over the centuries, the
primary mode of water transportation of the River Nile.

a) List the boats used by the ancient Egyptians for the main mode of water transportation.
Answer: The boats used by the Egyptians for the main mode of water transportation
included dhow, skiff and felucca.
b) Explain the importance of the river Nile for the ancient Egyptians.
Answer: The river Nile was the main trading route and the boats and ships were mainly
used to transport goods.
c) ‘Felucca and skiff used to play a significant role in the development of maritime trade in ancient
Egypt.’ Justify the given statement.
Answer: Felucca was a type of Egyptian wooden boat with a triangular shape canvas sail. Felucca was
mainly used in the transportation of goods and people. Felucca was used to transport large stones from
Aswan to help in the construction of Pyramids. The felucca has remained, over the centuries, the primary
mode of water transportation of the River Nile.

Skiff was a simple Egyptian sail boat made of papyrus reeds that were tied together. Since the reeds were
filled with air pockets, they were particularly buoyant. Skiffs were used for fishing and hunting game in
the marshes or for travelling short distances.
d) Why do we observe enormous growth and development in international maritime trade in modern
era?
Answer: The enormous growth and development in international maritime trade in the modern era are the
result of a combination of globalisation, technological advancements, economic growth, emergence of
markets, urbanization, environmental regulations and global tourism.

V) Power Up Question (To be done in the notebook):

How is the Government of UAE encouraging the use of sustainable transportation through
different eco-friendly steps? (To be done in the notebook)
Answer: a. Investment in public transportation
b. Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
c. Bicycle-Friendly Initiatives
 d. Promotion of Carpooling and Ride-Sharing
e. Integration of Smart Technologies into transportation system
f. Support for sustainable infrastructure including green building initiatives

VI) Cross-Curricular Link: Prepare a comic strip to portray the differences between sea travel in
ancient period and modern era. (To be done in the notebook)

Reflective Log:

My Reflection:

I learnt ………………………………………

I wish to learn……………………………….