Egypt The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as

Egypt The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red land'.

The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the Nile flooded.

The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones.

Egyptian Life Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the fertile land along its banks. The yearly flooding of the Nile enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land.

The people of ancient Egypt built mudbrick homes in villages and in the country. They grew some of their own food and traded in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce.

Most ancient Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of people were nobles. Together, these different groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt.

Pharoah The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.

As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners. As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.

Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognise the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.

Beit el-Wali Cast This is a plaster cast of the wall reliefs in a temple built by Ramesses II, originally located in Beit-el. Wali (the modern name for the village near which the ancient temple was located).

The Beit el-Wali temple is made of sandstone. This stone was easily worn away by the blowing sand of the desert, and the yearly flooding of the Nile. By the early nineteenth century, when this cast was made, parts of the wall reliefs were already worn away.

Horses were first brought to Egypt in about 1600 B. C. They were not very common and mostly used to pull war chariots

Hieroglyphs are the characters used in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. Hieroglyphic was the main script used to record information about the pharaoh, rituals, and historical events.

Ostrich feathers were often used to make fans for wealthy or important people in ancient Egypt. Fans made with ostrich feathers appear frequently in wall reliefs.

Ebony was a special wood which was greatly valued by the ancient Egyptians. Ebony trees grew in places south of Egypt, and were brought into Egypt through tribute and trade. The ancient Egyptians used ebony to make special furniture such as chairs, boxes, and couches for the pharaoh

Ivory is made from the tusks of an elephant. The ancient Egyptians used ivory to make jewellery and small objects.

Many Egyptian pharaohs fought battles with their southern neighbours, the Nubians. The Egyptians wanted to protect their southern border and have access to gold, wood animals that came from Nubia.

Oxen were brought as tribute to the Egyptian pharaoh from Nubia. They were used in farming, provided meat for banquets, and were sacrificed to the gods. Their hides were sometimes used for covering shields and furniture.

Giraffes and many other kinds of exotic animals were brought to Egypt through Nubia. They were kept by the pharaoh to show that he had conquered foreign lands.

Dom nuts were the product of dom palm trees which grew in Nubia. These large nuts were gathered and pressed for their oil which was used by the ancient Egyptians for cooking and seasoning.

Gold was one of the most important materials for the ancient Egyptians. Known as 'nbw', gold was used to make jewellery, statuettes, funerary equipment, and to decorate furniture.

Amenemope was the viceroy of Nubia during the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II. The viceroy of Nubia was a governor appointed by the Egyptian pharaoh to watch over Nubia.

The vizier was a special advisor to the pharaoh. He made sure that the local governors were doing their jobs well and that the country was running smoothly.

The crown prince of Egypt (in this case Amenhirwenemef) was the first son of the pharaoh. He was chosen by the pharaoh to be the next ruler of all Egypt.

Ramesses II was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt who ruled for 66 years from 1279 B. C. to 1213 B. C. . Ramesses II is known for building many temples and for being a strong military leader.