Ancient Egypt By Colum Gibbons Ancient Egypt There

Ancient Egypt By Colum Gibbons

Ancient Egypt • There were 2 kingdoms of Egypt • Lower Egypt (North of the city of Thebes) • Upper Egypt (South of the city of Thebes) • In the year 3100 BC : Menes the first pharaoh, united Upper and Lower Egypt and ruled over them.

The River Nile • The location of ancient Egypt was in North-East Africa. It formed along the lower portion of the river Nile. • The Nile River was the centre of Ancient Egypt. • The Nile is the longest river in the world. It is 6650 km long, it flows from the south to the north. • Along the Nile River there were many waterfalls that protected the Egyptians from invasion. • It was the only source of water in Egypt. Without it the Egyptians would never have existed. They used the Nile for water, food, for cooking, to wash their clothes and for transport. • The Egyptians lived along the banks of the Nile.

Geography • The egyptians believed their country was divided in two A) The Black land - which was the fertile banks of the Nile B)The Red land - the barren desert that covered the rest of the country • The climate of Egypt was hot and dry • Flooding of the Nile happened in July

Religion and The Gods • Religion was a big part in the lives of the Egyptians. • They believed in a large variety of Gods and Goddesses. • The Egyptians identifies the gods with animals ; cows, dogs, cats, hawks etc. • Some of the most important Gods were: • Ra: The Sun God- a hawk-headed man • Osiris: God of the Nile and the Dead - bearded green face man in mummy wrappings. • Isis: Wife of Osiris- had wings and horns on her head. • Thoth: Writing, Magic, Wisdom and the Moon- A man with the head of an Ibis(bird)

Ancient Egyptian Gods

After life beliefs • The Egyptians believed in life after death. • They believed that when you die you go to the underworld where Osiris judges you. • He weighs your heart against a feather(symbol of truth) • If your heart is light (innocent), you go to the other world- happy field of flood. • If your heart is heavy (guilt) one is fed to Ammit, the devourer of Souls, crocodile shape eater. • Egyptians looked forward to the afterlife and planned well for it.

Pyramids and Burial Tombs • They were filled with food and riches to go with them to the afterlife. • Egyptians built the pyramids for 3 months out of the year during flood seaons. • They were built mostly from limestone. They were built facing north on the westhand side of the Nile. • The pyramids contained tunnels and mysterious boxes. • The stones were heavier than elephants. • The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and the greatest pyramid, it is one of the seven wonders of the world!

Valley of The Kings • It is the location of the burial tombs of many of the ancient Egyptian Pharohs. It is located in Upper Egypt. • The pharohs no longer built pyramids around 1500 BC. • Tutankhamun is buried there. He was an 8 year old king also known as King Tut. When they discovered his tomb it was intact with riches, when most others were robbed. • There are over 60 tombs in Valley of the Kings.

Egypt today • The capital city is Cairo. • Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments, such as the Pyramids and the Sphinx. • The official language is Arabic. • Egypt is located in the north east corner of Africa where Africa and Asia meet. • The national dishes are bean paste, lentils, macaroni , rice , chickpeas and kebabs

Interesting Facts • The Egyptians invented the 365 days a year calendar. • The most popular sport is football. • The Pyramids were not built by slaves. • Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the middle East