Ancient Egypt Hannah Northcutt Mrs. Guin English January 2012

History Egypt is located in north- eastern Africa. It is surrounded by deserts to the east and west and mountains to the south. The Nile is the most famous geographical landmark in all of Egypt (“Ancient Egypt”).

History Pharoahs in ancient Egypt were powerful political and religious leaders. The Pharaohs controlled everything about the Egyptians’ lives (“Ancient Egypt”). Ancient Egyptians used bronze-tipped spears and wooden shields covered in ox-hide. Pharoahs rode into battle in horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes the Pharoahs even hired bands of soldiers from other areas to fight their battles for them (Carr). Tutankhamun is the most famous Egyptian Pharoah (“Ancient Egypt”).

Archaeology Ancient Egyptians piled mounds of dirt over a tomb. Then they stacked huge stones around the outside. They made long ramps of dirt and rolled the stones up until it was complete. Finally, they removed the ramps from the outside (Carr).

Archaeology Ancient Egyptians used the Nile as the source of water for their crops. They mostly grew wheat and barley (Carr). Ancient Egyptians invented the animal-drawn plow around 3000 BC (Carr). Ancient Egyptians used papyrus to make many things that they used in daily life. They made paper, baskets, shoes, and rope (“Ancient Egypt”).

Archaeology Hieroglyphs are simplified drawings of objects. Egyptians used hieroglyphs as a form of writing (Carr). Scientists found a stone in Egypt that had a story written in Greek on it. The story was also written in hieroglyphics. Because the scientists could read Greek, they could figure out what each hieroglyph meant. The stone is called the Rosetta Stone (“Ancient Egypt”).

Anthropology Ancient Egypt was a very dry place, and the bodies that were buried dried out and did not decay because of bacteria in the ground. The ancient Egyptians began drying out the bodies before burying them because they thought having a preserved body would be beneficial in the afterlife (Carr). Ancient Egyptians believed that, in the afterlife, a person was transported to an entire other world like their own. Therefore, they put all of a person’s belongings and property that might be useful in the next world in the tomb (Carr).

Anthropology Anubis was a very important ancient Egyptian god. The Egyptians believed that when people died, Anubis would weigh their souls. If a person’s soul was heavier than a feather, he or she would be punished (Carr). In order for a person to be mummified, the internal organs had to be removed. Because the ancient Egyptians believed they would need those organs in the afterlife, they placed them in jars that were buried in the tomb (Carr).

Works Cited “Ancient Egypt for Kids.” Mr. Donn. n.d. Web. 12 January Carr, Karen. “Ancient Egypt for Kids.” Kidipide - History for Kids Web. 12 January 2012.