ANCIENT EGYPT
INTRODUCTION
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Egypt is situated in the northeast corner of Africa.
The River Nile flows through the country into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Ancient Egyptians lived along the banks of the river.
The Nile was vital to the survival of the ancient Egyptians. The Nile
provided water for the crops, fish to catch, reeds to make papyrus and
mud that could be used to make bricks for buildings.
 Farmers first settled in Egypt along the River Nile around 5000 B.C.
 Egypt is mainly made up of hot deserts and receives little rainfall. Without
the River Nile, the area would be entirely desert.
PHARAOHS
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The Pharaoh was the ruler of Egypt.
As well as owning the land, his roles included creating laws, collecting
taxes, defending Egypt against foreign invasion and building temples to
honour the gods.
He was believed to be partly human and partly the god Horus, protector of
Egypt and the Egyptians.
TUTANKHAMUN
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The most famous Egyptian pharaoh is Tutankhamun.
His tomb is in the Valley of the Kings.
His tomb, containing fabulous treasures, was found early in 1922 by
British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.
THE PYRAMIDS
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The pyramids are the stone tombs of Egypt's kings, the Pharaohs.
They are thousands of years old filled with many hidden secrets - clues
about what life was like in Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians were buried with their belongings and the tomb walls
were painted with scenes from the dead person’s life.
THE SPHINX
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The Sphinx stands in front of all the pyramids in Giza.
It has the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.
MUMMIFICATION
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Mummification was the process in which bodies were coated in spices
and wrapped in linen to preserve them and stop them decomposing.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, their spirit would
live on in the afterlife. They believed that part of this spirit remained with
the body. Therefore, if the body was destroyed then the spirit would be
destroyed along with it. Bodies were mummified to prevent this.
FASHION
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Wigs were worn by men or women and were often made from sheep’s
wool or human hair.
Both men and women wore jewellery. The amulet was believed to protect
the owners and give them strength. Examples range from simple bead
necklaces to elaborate gold headpieces.
The Egyptians wore make-up and jewels to honour the gods. Both men
and women wore blue and green eyeshadow and black eyeliner.
DAILY LIFE
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They enjoyed listening to and playing music on instruments such as the
harp or lyre.
Children had different toys including balls and model animals.
Board games were popular.
People took trips in boats, fished, swam and even hunted crocodiles and
hippopotamuses.
Wealthier Egyptians enjoyed holding lavish parties with entertainment,
food and drink.
HIEROGLYPHICS
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The Egyptian writing called hieroglyphics used pictures to represent
different objects, actions, sound or ideas.
There were more than 700 hieroglyphs.
Some pictures stood for whole words.
Hieroglyphs were written on papyrus reed - the reeds were flattened,
dried, and stuck together to make pages.
Egyptian "pens" were thin, sharp reeds, which they would dip in ink to
write with.
The ink and paint came from plants, which they crushed and mixed with
water.
Scribes were the few Egyptians who knew how to read and write.
THE ROSETTA STONE
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The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it, created in 196 BC.
The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to
honour the Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the pharaoh had
done that were good for Egypt.
It is called the Rosetta Stone because it was discovered in a town called
Rosetta in 1799.
It helped people understand the Egyptian writing.
EGYPTIAN GODS
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There were over 2,000 gods in Ancient Egypt.
Some images of Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses show them with a
human body and the head of a bird or an animal.
Ra was the most important god. He was the lord of all the gods. He was
usually shown in human form with a falcon’s head.
ANIMALS
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Animals of all kinds were important to the Ancient Egyptians.
Cats were very special and the scarab beetle appeared on many items of
jewellery.
Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the god e.g. crocodiles
were represented by the god called Sobek –the god of strength and
power.
SCHOOLS
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There were schools but hardly anyone went to them.
Girls weren't allowed to go to school at all.
Most boys didn't go to school either, but a few boys from richer families went
to a special school to train boys to be scribes.
Scribes always found good jobs keeping people's records for them.