Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a country in northeastern Africa. It began more than 5,000 years ago along the Nile River. The people built huge stone pyramids and giant temples. They were led by kings and queens called pharaohs. Ancient Egypt lasted for about 3,000 years.

The Mighty Nile

The Nile River was the most important part of Egypt. It flooded every year and left rich soil for farming. People grew wheat, barley, and vegetables. They also fished and traveled on the river in boats. Without the Nile, Egypt could not have survived in the desert.

A group of tiny objects from very early ancient Egypt.
A group of tiny objects from very early ancient Egypt. (Collage of:Image:Diorite Vase Neqada II Predynastic Ancient Egypt Field Museum.jpg by User:Madman2001, Image:Egypte louvre 322.jpg and Image:Egypte louvre 314.jpg by User:Borislav, Image:Egypte louvre 316.jpg by [[fr:Utilisateur:Aoineko]] (Guillaume Blanchard), Image:PredynasticFemaleFigurine BrooklynMuseum.jpg by User:Captmondo, and Image:Louvre-antiquites-egyptiennes-p1020364.jpg by User:Rama / Wikimedia Commons)

Pharaohs and Pyramids

Pharaohs were the rulers of Egypt. People believed they were like gods on Earth. When a pharaoh died, they were buried in huge tombs. The biggest tombs were the pyramids at Giza. The Great Pyramid took thousands of workers many years to build.

Fun Facts

  • Egyptians wrote using pictures called hieroglyphs.
  • Cats were sacred animals in ancient Egypt.
  • Mummies were wrapped in long strips of cloth to help preserve them.

Did You Know?

The famous boy king Tutankhamun became pharaoh when he was only about 9 years old. His golden tomb was discovered in 1922.