Ancient Egypt By Michael Stein

Who Were the Egyptians The ancient Egyptians were a group of people that lived in the fertile Nile valley. At first the kingdoms of upper and lower Egypt were separate. Then king Menes united Egypt. They used the Nile to get food in the same way the Mesopotamians did, by farming.

Food and Drink Poor people ate bread,fish,simple vegetables,and drank water or beer. Wealthier people ate fish,whale,kidneys,quail,and pigeons. 90% of the population were farmers. m.jpg

Government The Egyptian king was called a pharaoh. The pharaoh was almost a god. They were buried in pyramids. Rulers were grouped into dynasties, or families of kings and queen. If a king or queen died then their son would become king. Pharaohs made the laws in the land and decided what to do in a time of crisis.

Social Pyramid Pharaoh Priests Court members Skilled workers Merchants Peasants and farmers Slaves Upper class Lower class ruler Soldiers

Language The Egyptians used a system of writing called Hieroglyphics. It is a system of writing that uses symbols to represent words. Hieroglyphics were used on the walls of tombs and temples. The ones that used hieroglyphics were scribes. For every day use there was Hieratic or script which could be used for keeping records if you were not a scribe.

Language cont. The Egyptians used papyrus to record things. Papyrus is an early form of paper in which reed strips are dried together.

Religion The Egyptians were polytheistic. They worshipped gods when they needed help. They believed in the afterlife. Some major gods were Ra, Osiris, Horus, Thoth, and Isis.

Shelter The houses were built out of clay bricks. palaces and temples were built out of stone. Stone as a building material allowed larger structures to be built.

Pyramids

The first pyramid was built by Djoser. He was a