Ancient Egypt

Let's go back about 5,000 years to ancient Egypt.  Round two with the ancients via Bob Jones University World History.

~Ancient Egypt was divided into three kingdoms; the old kingdom (3rd millennium BC-age of the pyramid builders), the middle kingdom (2000 BC and 1700 BC-12th dynasty), and the new kingdom (16th century BC and the 11th century BC).
~In the old kingdom, people considered the rulers as gods in human form.

~The most famous pharaoh of this time was Khufu; it was Khufu who built the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Great Pyramid of Giza

~Egypt sits in the northeast corner of Africa.

~Egypt is home to the Nile River.

~Nearly all Ancient Egyptians lived on the river banks.

~Ancient Egyptians used the Nile for many things including washing clothes, bathing, fishing, and drinking water.

~The Book of the Dead is a collection of papers written regarding preservation in the afterlife.  Read more here.

~Ancient Egyptians were ruled by pharaohs.

~Many things were invented in Ancient Egypt such as toothpaste, make up, pens, paper, keys, and locks.  It is also believed that the concept of wedding rings came from Ancient Egypt, and they were also great shipbuilders.

~Ancient Egyptians also invented Hieroglyphics.  Read more here.

~Ancient Egypt is synonymous for pyramids.  The Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest of the Ancient Wonders of the World.

~Most Egyptian Pyramids are located on the west bank of the Nile River.

~Ancient Egyptian pyramid builders were often paid in beer, about a gallon a day.

~Did you know that Ancient Egyptians loved board games?

~Cats were considered good luck in Ancient Egypt and some Egyptians were borderline obsessed with cats.  Cats were mummified when they died and buried in a cat cemetery.

~Ancient Egyptians were brilliant at math.

~Ancient Egyptians believed that they would be judged after death.  If they were good, they could count on going to a pleasant place but this was only if their bodies were well-preserved-i.e. embalming and mummification.

                                      Oh my gods!

~Ancient Egyptians worshiped over 1,400 gods and goddesses.

~Ancient Egyptians were also polytheistic (many gods).  They believed the rulers were gods, natural forces were gods, and animals, as well as the Nile River itself was believed to be a god.

~The main gods were as follows:
*Ra, the sun god.  Ra was the most important god with the body of a man with a head of a hawk with a headdress with a sun disk.  Ra created all forms of life.
*Isis, the mother goddess.  Isis would protect and help anyone in need.  She was a woman with a throne-shaped headdress.

Figurine of Horus

*Osiris, the ruler of the underworld.  Also the god of the dead.  He was married to Isis and father to Horus.  Pictured as a mummified man with a feathered headdress.
*Horus,god of the sky.  A man with the head of a hawk.
*Thoth, The god of knowledge and god of the moon.  He would bless the Egyptians with medicine, writings, and mathematics.  A man with an Ibis bird head but often represented as a baboon.

~And we are closing this study up with King Tut.  Probably the most famous known of the pharaohs.

~He became king around the age of 9 years old.

~He only reigned for about 10 years until his death.

~The cause of his death is still a mystery.  There are many theories ranging from murder, malaria, and being bitten by a hippopotamus.

~Born Tutankhamun around 1341 BC, died around 1323 BC.

Nefertiti

~Pharaoh Akhenaten was Tut's father and it is widely believed that Nefertiti (Akhenaten's first cousin) is Tut's mother.  Read more here.  Tut was born with a cleft palate and a club foot which is attributed to this relationship.  He was described as a frail, weak boy who walked with a cane.

~Marrying other family members in those days was not uncommon as they believed it would keep the royal bloodline pure.

~Tut married his father's daughter from another mother-i.e. his half sister (Ankhesenpaaten).  Tut and Ankhesenpaaten had no living children but Ankhesenpaaten had two miscarriages.  Found in Tut's tomb with him were the mummified bodies of two small female children, they are believed to be his daughters.

~Tut has no living heirs.

~King Tut's tomb in located in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt.

~The gold mask is made of 22 pounds of solid gold.

That is our second trip to Ancient Egypt.  This is one of my favorites of all civilizations.  So many interesting things to discover with new discoveries every day.  Next up the land of Canaan.
My other Egypt blog posts.
BBC
Egypt timeline
Pinterest
Find lesson plans and activities at PBS.
more lesson plan idea at Discovery Education.
More about King Tut here.
More King Tut here.
Take a quiz on King Tut's tomb here.