The Genius of the Ancient Egyptians

The Genius of the Ancient Egyptians — page 1 — the ANCIENT EGYPTIANS This map shows the area of ancient Egypt along with some of the key sites the Egyptians built along the Nile River Who were the Egyptians People began to live along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt around 9,000 years ago As time passed these small groups of hunters and fishers began to settle and grow crops In turn these farming communities grew into villages and towns Systems of trade developed and by 3000 b c e a civilization had been established that would become one of the greatest in the world Egyptian kingdoms Ancient Egyptian history is generally divided into three kingdoms the Old Kingdom 2686 2181 b c e the Middle Kingdom 2050 1786 b c e and the New Kingdom 1567 1085 b c e The Egyptian civilization flourished during the years of these kingdoms The time periods between the kingdoms were years of weaker rule when there was fighting and unrest in Egypt 4

The Genius of the Ancient Egyptians — page 2 — Powerful leaders What happened The rulers of Egypt were called pharaohs They showed their power and wealth by building impressive temples and pyramids to honor themselves and the many gods they worshiped For more than 2,500 years great pharaohs such as Khufu Hatshepsut and Rameses II ruled over a prosperous land Wall paintings such as this one from the tomb of Setau named for a high-ranking Egyptian reveal much about the lifestyle and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians Throughout this time the Egyptians sometimes had to fight neighboring peoples such as the Nubians and the Assyrians But Egypt’s desert location kept it fairly safe from invaders and for the most part life there went on the same for centuries Eventually in 30 b c e this great civilization fell under the control of the Romans The ancient Egyptians left behind a huge legacy of information This is contained in many different artifacts from palaces and temples to paintings hieroglyphics see pages 10 11 and even dead bodies 5

The Genius of the Ancient Egyptians — page 3 — building the impossible genius pyramids The ancient Egyptians are most famous for building the pyramids More than 100 of these structures have been found in Egypt But in the days before cranes or any other modern building equipment how were the Egyptians able to construct such mighty monuments What were the pyramids Pyramids were huge tombs built as the final resting place for pharaohs or other important people Inside were many different rooms including storerooms and bedrooms The interior walls were beautifully decorated with paintings or engraved with prayers and stories The pyramid shape represented the Sun’s rays shining down from the sky wow The largest pyramid the Great Pyramid of Giza was built for the pharaoh Khufu When completed in 2560 B C E it stood more than 480 feet 146 m high and consisted of around 2 3 million blocks of stone 6

The Genius of the Ancient Egyptians — page 4 — Amazing architects Ancient Egyptian architects chose the position of a pyramid carefully For example they might make sure that it lined up with the sunrise on a certain day of the year They also designed the pyramid to protect both the pharaoh’s body and the treasure inside the tomb Fake entrances were included to fool robbers Inside was a maze of passageways false doors and litter-filled rooms to confuse anyone who managed to get in Building the pyramids Stone for the pyramids mostly came from a nearby quarry The huge blocks were cut and then hauled on sleds across the desert Once at the building site the blocks were added to the pyramid using a system of ramps made of mud As the pyramid got higher the ramps were lengthened and widened to keep them stable To fill the gaps and smooth the surface finishing blocks made of limestone were added A corridor inside the tomb of two royal servants Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep located in Saqqara Very early pyramids were built with stepped sides 7

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