Ancient Egypt

A Palace
of Mud
A Highway
of Water
A Hall
of Two Truths
HELPING
HOOVES
Freshen
Your Face with
Animal Fat

WOMEN
RULE!
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Ancient_Egypt_FC.indd 1 3/1/17 2:21 PM

 2

The Gift of the Nile s ou e plore ou ma notice that o er

is north of pper pt. he ords upper and
pt

lo er refer to the direction of the o of the ile

hat s the first ord that comes to i er. pper pt is land upstream alon the up
mind hen ou hear ancient per ile . o er pt is do nstream here the
pt ummies ramids lo er ile empties into the editerranean.
haraohs ummies p ramids and
pharaohs ere all important parts of
life in ancient pt. ut there is
much more to no a out this lon
lastin ci ili ation. ome isit the
ancient ptians here their ci ili
ation e an on the an s of the
ile i er.

u THE EGYPTIANS surplus food could

developed tech- feed others, and
niques, such as some Egyptians
dams and canals, to began to do jobs
help them irrigate other than farming.
(bring water to) their As people began to
fields. This allowed do different kinds
them to extend of work, the social,
their farmland and economic, and
plant more. Farmers political systems
began to harvest of their communi-
more food and grain ties became more PREDYNASTIC EGYPT c. 6520–3000 BCE
than they could use
themselves. This
complex.
WAY BACK C. 4500 BCE
First semi-
C. 3100 BCE
l Earliest writ-
WHEN permanent
villages in Egypt
ing develops in
Mesopotamia

Ancient_Egypt_2-[Link] 2 3/1/17 2:23 PM

 MEDITERRAN
EAN
SEA

ALEX NILE DELT

AN A
DR
IA

THE EARLIEST KNOWN depositing thick, vegetables, and

LOWER EGYPT
settlements in black mud over fruit. These farm- CAIRO
GIZ
Egypt were farming the countryside. ers are sowing A
villages estab- The fertile soil of seeds after the MEM
lished over 5,000 this 10-mile-wide, floodwaters RA PH
IS
QA
years ago along 600-mile-long Nile receded. Animals’ SAQ
the banks of the Valley was ideal hooves push the

RE
Nile. Each year, the for growing barley, seeds into the

DS
river overflowed, wheat, flax, ground.

EA
NI
LE
RI
VE
R
ABOUT 90 PERCENT
of Egypt is desert. UPPER
Without water from EGYPT
the Nile, people S
EBESSEDY
could not live in gs H
T COM NT-DAAND
PA
Kin
Egypt. The Nile the (EN ESE AK )
f P R RN OR
eyo KA LUX
begins high in ll
Va
the mountains of
central East Africa
and flows north
into Egypt, where
it empties into the
Mediterranean
Sea. In ancient
times, almost all
Egyptians lived
in the Nile Valley,
along the banks of AREA OF
DETAIL
the Nile River. No A
F
wonder Egypt has
been called the RI
“Gift of the Nile.” CA

l THE NILE GAVE papyrus reeds in the eastern l ALL HOUSES, courtyard for ani-
Egyptians gifts growing along Mediterranean. In including the royal mals and storage.
besides crops. the river’s banks. exchange for grain, palace, were made The roof served as
People fished in Wooden boats car- gold, and papyrus of mud brick. a place to relax.
it for food, and ried passengers sheets, Egyptians The farmers’ flat- The houses’ thick
they made paper, and products up took home items roofed houses walls and small
sandals, and other and down the Nile, such as incense, usually had one windows kept out
items from the then on to ports ivory, and horses. large room and a the heat.

OLD KINGDOM c. 2675–2130 BCE

C. 3100 BCE C.2630 BCE C.2585–2560 BCE C. 2600–1900 BCE
l Earliest hieroglyphic l First stone l Great Pyramid r Mohenjo-Daro and
writing in Egypt. Egypt uni- pyramid built, at built at Giza, Egypt Indus River cultures in
fied as a single kingdom Saqqara, Egypt India and Pakistan

Ancient_Egypt_2-[Link] 3 3/1/17 2:23 PM

 4

Mighty Pharaoh
r ALMOST EVERY
year for two
decades during the
Over time, Egypt’s villages
1400s BCE, Queen
Hatshepsut’s step-
formed larger kingdoms, son, King Thutmose
and by around 3100 BCE, III, led his army into
nearby regions. A
Egypt was united into a sin- brilliant general
gle, powerful kingdom. The and gifted leader,
reign of King Menes began he conquered
Palestine, Syria,
the first ptian d nast a and the African
series of rulers all from the kingdoms of Kush
same family). Throughout and Nubia. The
Egyptians enslaved
its history, Egypt had more some people from
than 30 dynasties. Some- these lands. They
time between 1554 and
also took away
copper, gold, ivory,
1304 BCE, Egyptians began and ebony.
to call their king “pharaoh,”
a term that comes from
words meaning “great
house.” In the beginning,
Egyptians thought of their
rulers as living gods. Later,
they saw them as the link
u AMONG ANCIENT between the gods and the
Egyptian queens, people of Egypt.
Hatshepsut, wife
of King Thutmose
II, stands out. She
served as pha-
raoh, becoming a
powerful ruler and
building one of
Egypt’s most spec-
tacular temples,
at Thebes. This
statue is a typical
Egyptian depic- u ANOTHER
tion of a pharaoh, important ruler
seated and wear- u ALL LAND BELONGED land flooded, they was Akhenaten,
ing a headdress. It to the pharaoh or went to work for who required
communicates the to the temples of their ruler to Egyptians to wor-
pharaoh’s power the gods. Farmers build temples, ship only the sun
and her status owed a portion of pyramids, and god Aten. His wife,
between humans their crops to the palaces. Queen Nefertiti,
and gods. pharaoh. When their seen here (right)
adoring the rays of
Aten, helped him
achieve this goal.

FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD MIDDLE KINGDOM SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD NEW KINGDOM c. 1539–1075 BCE
C.2130–1980 BCE C. 2000–1650 BCE C. 1792–1750 BCE C. 1630–1523 BCE C.1478–1458 BCE
Central government in Kush civilization l Law code of Asian nomads r Reign of
Egypt collapses begins. Egypt con- King Hammurabi called Hyksos rule Egyptian female
trols northern Nubia of Babylon northern Egypt pharaoh
Hatshepsut

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 5

One of Egypt’s
most famous
rulers was
Cleopatra. How
did her country
become part
of the Roman
Empire?

l TOWARD THE
end of the New
Kingdom, Egypt
began to decline. u CLEOPATRA WAS
Weak rulers queen of Egypt
couldn’t control from 51 BCE to
the country, which 30 BCE. Under her
broke into small rule, Egypt lost its
states and lost independence and
many territo- became part of the
ries. Weakness Roman Empire. This
attracted invaders, flat stone carving
and by 1070 BCE, of Cleopatra shows
foreigners ruled some common
Egypt. Alexander features of ancient
the Great (left) Egyptian art. For
added Egypt to the example, the head
Greek empire in is shown in profile
332 BCE. (from the side) and
the shoulders and
chest face toward
the viewer.

75 BCE
C.1458 BCE C.1332–1322 BCE C. 1279–1213 BCE C.1200–400 BCE
Thutmose III l Reign of l Reign of Egypt’s l Olmec civilization
extends Egypt’s Tutankhamen, Ramses II, builder of on Gulf Coast of Mexico
empire to its Egypt more temples than any
greatest size other pharaoh

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 6

Daily Life

ID
AM
Egyptians prized order (maat) in all things. They had rules
about how to act in society and even about how to prepare

YR
for life after death. Their society was structured like a pyra-

LP
mid, with the pharaoh and important religious, military,
and political leaders (viziers) at the top. Scribes and arti-

IA
sans were below governors, and farmers and other workers

OC
were at the bottom. For the poor, life was hard, and the

ES
average life span was 36 years. For the royal family and the
nobles, life was much less work and much more play.

TH

A NOBLE FAMILY lived in a large house that had several bedrooms. Egyptian
homes did not have much furniture. The house had stairways leading to
the roof. Outside were a pool and a garden. In their leisure time, wealthier
Egyptians enjoyed relaxing by their garden pools, taking boating trips, and
hunting desert game.

THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD LATE PERIOD 664–332 BCE

C. 1075–664 BCE 8TH CENTURY BCE 730–671 BCE C.671 BCE C.605–562 BCE
Egypt divided l Homer writes the Kush pharaohs Assyrians r Nebuchadnezzar II
into smaller Iliad and Odyssey. rule Egypt conquer Egypt builds ziggurat of
states First Olympic Games Babylon (the biblical
held (in Greece) Tower of Babel)

Ancient_Egypt_6-[Link] 2 3/1/17 2:32 PM

 FOOD From head to BOTH MEN AND
women wore eye
WELL-TO-DO MEN AND
women sometimes
toe, Egyptians makeup, usually wore wigs made
liked to look black or green. of human hair and
good, and they Eye paint was also sheep’s wool.
knew how to made by grinding Beeswax held the wig
up colorful miner- in place.
do it. als from rocks
FOR THEIR MOUTH AND and mixing them
cheeks, Egyptian with water.
THE FARMERS’ GRAIN WAS women used lip
used to make bread and paint and rouge
beverages. Bread, often made from red
made from barley, was the ocher and henna.
staple of the Egyptian diet.
Meals might also include WEALTHY MEN AND
onions, garlic, leeks, women wore
beans, lentils, figs, dates, earrings, neck-
melons, and apricots. The laces, bracelets,
poor rarely ate beef. On rings, armbands,
special occasions they and anklets.
added protein to their diet,
eating geese, ducks, and WOMEN WORE
fish, caught with traps, close-fitting
nets, or hook and line. sheath dresses
The rich attended lav- or pleated linen
ish banquets where they dresses, usually
dined on beef, mutton, white.
and waterbirds, as well
as vegetables and exotic
fruits. Most of the time,
Egyptians ate a vegetarian
diet. Scientists figured this
out by studying mummies’
bones, teeth, and hair.

OFTEN MEN WENT

shirtless. Some-
times they wore
long, collarless CREAMS AND LOTIONS
tunics. made from animal
or vegetable fat not
only made the skin
MEN WORE PLEATED look better but also
skirts, sort of like protected it from
kilts. hot, dry weather.

MOST PEOPLE WENT

barefoot or wore
sandals made of
leather or papyrus
or other reeds.

431–404 BCE 332 BCE C. 210 BCE 31 BCE

Sparta defeats l Alexander l Chinese emper- l Defeat of Antony
Athens in the the Great con- or Shi Huangdi and Cleopatra;
Peloponnesian quers Egypt buried with “terra- Egypt becomes part of
War cotta army” Roman Empire

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 8

Gods, Priests,
and Pyramids
The ancient Egyptians
worshipped dozens of
gods and goddesses, each
of whom had different
powers. Many were depict-
ed as animals or as
humans with animal heads.
To worship certain gods,
the Egyptians built tem-
ples that held a golden
statue of the god locked in
a special room. Egyptians
believed the gods’ spirits
lived in these temples.

l ALMOST NO
one, except the
pharaoh and
high priests and
priestesses, was
allowed inside the
temples. Priests
washed, clothed,
and fed the stat-
ues of the gods.
l IN MEMPHIS AND Here, Nefertiti
other Egyptian presents an offer-
cities, residents ing. Ordinary
worshipped both Egyptians saw the u AS EGYPT’S DIVINE projects, such as
their own local divine statues only ruler, the pharaoh the temples at
god and the major during religious was expected to Karnak (above)
gods. Ptah, at left, festivals, when keep good relations and Luxor, which
was the creator priests carried the between his people were begun by
god of Memphis statues around and the other Amenhotep III,
and the patron of the town. gods. Rulers did so who ruled Egypt
craftspeople. partly through their for 37 years.
massive building

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 9

A PROCESSION OF THE enced the people

Pyramid Builders
During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, pyramids were
barque (royal boat) of Egypt in both
built to house the pharaohs’ bodies after death. Some
of the god Amun- those roles. A
were 40 stories high, constructed of stone blocks that
Re leaves the good leader kept
each weighed three tons or more. The Egyptians’ only
temple of the pha- gods, the pharaoh,
tools were ropes, levers, wedges, and a few stone and
raoh Hatshepsut. and humanity in
copper hand tools. They lacked the wheel or any hoisting
The leader carries harmony. Although
equipment to move the stone. How did they do it? They
an incense burner this was a reli-
did it the hard way, with muscle power. For three or four
and sprinkles holy gious goal, it was
months each year, while the Nile flooded, the pharaohs
water. A pharaoh also good for the
put farmers and laborers to work on pyramids and other
was the head of social and politi-
building projects. Because a pyramid took decades to
government and cal order of the
complete, a pharaoh had workers start on the one that
religion, and influ- country.
would be his long before he expected to die.

u THE FIRST PYRAMID pyramid; its shape

was built for King suggests a giant
Zoser in the des- stairway that
ert at Saqqara would lead the
around 2630 BCE. king’s spirit to join
It is called a step the sun god.

r A PRIESTESS LIKE
this one shook a
sacred rattle called
a sistrum to calm
the gods. Priests
and priestesses
also read prayers or
sang hymns during
ceremonies. They
scattered holy water
and lit incense dur- u THE GREAT the Great Pyramid.
ing the rituals in Pyramid of King It was once cov-
front of statues of Khufu at Giza is ered in white
the gods. the world’s largest limestone. The
stone structure. It Sphinx – a huge
is made from more statue of a crea-
than 2.5 million ture with a lion’s
stone blocks. It body and a human
took more than 20 head – crouches
years and 4,000 nearby.
workers to build

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 Cliff Carvings
Ramses II, or Ramses
the Great, ordered many
monuments to be built
during his long reign.
Among them were two
temples carved out of
the sandstone cliffs at
Abu Simbel, south of
Upper Egypt, in Nubia.
The facade (front) of the
Great Temple, built
around 1250 BCE, shows
four versions of the
king, each about 65 feet
tall. he tin fi ures
between his feet are his
mother, wife, and chil-
dren. In the center is the
god Horakhty. While
Ramses II was pharaoh,
the Egyptian empire
enjoyed a time of
strength, wealth, and
military success.

Ancient_Egypt_10-[Link] 2 3/1/17 2:42 PM

Ancient_Egypt_10-[Link] 3 3/1/17 2:42 PM
 12
l IN ANCIENT
Egypt, few people
could read or
write, so they hired
scribes to perform
those tasks. The
best scribes found
jobs working for
the pharaoh in the
royal government.

r EGYPTIANS LEFT
detailed medi-
cal texts on
long scrolls.
They describe
women’s health
care, childbirth,
and treatment of
injuries. They tell
how to diagnose
and treat diseases,
and how to make

Leaving Their Mark

medicines. Some
explain how the
Egyptians believed
the heart and other
We know them best for their pyra- organs worked.
mids and pharaohs, but the ancient For a sick princess
Egyptians left many other achieve- (pictured), the
royal physician
ments to mystify and amaze us. consults his medi-
They invented the form of picture- cal papyrus before
writing known as hieroglyphs, as
mixing a remedy
from the ingredi-
well as papyrus, a paper-like ents on the table.
writing material. Their temples
and pyramids give proof of their
skills as architects and engineers.
Ancient papyrus scrolls tell of
their achievements as writers,
doctors, and healers.

r OVER 700 Hieroglyphs were

different signs used mainly for
make up the religious inscrip-
Egyptian picture- tions on temples
writing known and stone monu-
as hieroglyphs. ments and to
In hieroglyphs, record the deeds
picture symbols of royalty. Scribes
represent ideas were experts in
and sounds. writing hieroglyphs.

Ancient_Egypt_12-[Link] 2 3/1/17 2:43 PM

 13
l IN HIEROGLYPHS,
the names of the
royal family have
an oval-shaped
frame around
them. The sym-
bols here are for
Pharaoh Ramses II.

u THE INVENTION OF clay tablets. The wrote on papyrus

papyrus, made lightweight writing with brushes
from a reed plant, material could be made from reeds.
was a significant easily carried and
advance over stored. Scribes

d FOR CENTURIES,
no one could read
hieroglyphs. Then,
in 1799, the Rosetta
Stone was discov-
ered. It showed the
same text in three
languages and
helped people to
crack the code and
understand hiero- u THIS TEMPLE
glyphs. The Rosetta wall at Kom Ombo
Stone shows shows almost 40
1 Egyptian hiero- different medical
glyphs, 2 cursive instruments. They
writing used in busi- include scales for
ness, and 3 ancient weighing medi-
Greek. cines, hooks for
1 holding wounds
open, and tools
for scraping away
l HIEROGLYPHS CAN infected tissue.
be written from left to
right, right to left, or 2
top to bottom. A sim-
pler, ancient cursive
form was used for
business contracts,
letters, and scientific
texts. 3

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 14

Mummy
Makers
and the
Afterlife
The Egyptian reli-
gion was one of the
first to stress life
after death. To get
to the afterlife, a
dead person need-
ed his or her body.
If the body was
properly pre-
served, its spirit
would reenter it
and bring it to life
in the next world. u THE EMBALMER
To make sure the (the person who
preserves the
spirit could find and body) removed the
recognize the body, intestines, stomach,
the Egyptians creat- liver, and lungs,
and pulled the
ed a process called brain out through
mummification. the nose. Only the
Turning a body into a u TO PREVENT THE
body from decay-
heart was left in
place, because the
mummy was a costly ing, the embalmer dead needed their
process that took a packed it in a salt hearts to get into
long time. That’s why it
mix called natron the next life.
for 40 days to dry
was usually done only for it out. Then he
pharaohs and members wrapped it tightly
in long ribbons of
of the highest social resin-soaked linen
classes. But even those and returned it to
who couldn’t afford the family for burial.
Anubis, the god
mummification hoped to of mummification
go to the afterlife. Egyp- (above), prepares a
tians thought the afterlife body for burial.

was a place much like l PUTTING THE BODY

Egypt – but there they into a coffin was
would live forever. the last step in
the embalming
process. The rich
had elaborate
KING TUTANKHAMEN’S COFFIN coffins.

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 15
r SERVANTS CARRIED
items for the dead
person into the
underground tomb.
The family laid food,
drink, tools, jewelry,
clothes, and anything
else that the person
might need in the
afterlife in the tomb
with the coffin.

d THE MUMMIFIED
body traveled
under the canopy
of a funeral
barge as it made
its way through
the underworld.

d THE MOST DANGER- a record of his or hearts of the unwor-

ous part of the her past deeds, thy to the Devourer
u FAMILIES HIRED dust in their hair, journey occurred was weighed on a of the Dead, who
women mourners and wailed. Their in the Hall of the scale against the gobbled them up.
to follow the cof- noise was perhaps Two Truths. Here, feather of truth. Those judged wor-
fin. They tore at meant to keep evil the dead person’s Serving as judge, thy moved on to the
their clothes, put spirits away. heart, which held Anubis threw the kingdom of Osiris.

l MANY COFFINS
held a Book of the
Dead. It contained
magical spells to
help the person
pass through the
underworld. This
was a dangerous
place filled with
poisonous snakes,
lakes of fire, and
scary creatures. To
pass through un-
harmed, a person
had to recite the
spells correctly.

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 16

Nubia and Kush

South of Egypt along the upper Nile
River lay a land called Nubia. By
3500 BCE, Nubia was peopled by
cattle herders, roaming with their
herds through grasslands along the
riverbanks. The region was rich
with natural resources – gold, cop-
per, emeralds, iron, and granite –
and early agricultural settlements
soon grew into manufacturing cen-
ters. Iron weapons and tools, jewel-
ry, and pottery were made. The busy
cities became commercial (trading)
centers. Nubians began importing u TRADE AND
manufacturing
its gold and haul
away its granite.
to make payments,
called tributes,
(bringing in) goods from farther made Nubia rich. In about 1938 BCE, in the form of
south in Africa, including ivory, Egypt didn’t like Egypt annexed grain or other
spices, ostrich eggs, feathers, and that one bit! By
2600 BCE, Egypt
(made a colony of)
northern Nubia.
goods. Nubians
often appeared as
leopard skins. They then exported had taken over The Nubians were Egyptian subjects
(sent out) these goods, along with northern Nubia’s forced to follow in artworks.

their own gold, iron, and other valu-

trade routes and Egyptian laws and
had begun to mine customs. They had
ables, to Egypt and other places.

l NUBIANS AND
r WHILE EGYPT Kushites were
controlled the famous archers,
northern part of both as hunters
their land, the and warriors. They
Nubians formed fought for inde-
the kingdom of pendence against
Kush in the south Egypt and were
in about 2000 often hired by for-
BCE. The Kushites eign armies.
defeated the invad-
ers and got their
independence
back. Trade flour-
ished again, now
centered in the
Kush capital city
of Kerma. Many
goods traveled by
land, river, and sea
between Kerma,
Egypt, other parts r BY 1630 BCE, After beating back
of Africa, and Asia. Egypt had fallen the Hyksos, Egypt
These included under the control came south and
elephant tusks, rhi- of the Hyksos, from crushed Kerma.
noceros horns, salt, Asia. The king of Nubia, including
incense, ebony, Kush sided with Kush, lost its inde-
spices, and gold. the Hyksos. It was pendence for more
an unlucky choice. than 500 years.
RUINS OF KERMA

Ancient_Egypt_16-[Link] 2 3/1/17 2:53 PM

 Eu
ph Tig
rat ris
es R.
R.

Mediterranean Sea 17
Nile Delta
ASIA
Giza Memphis
EGYPT

Nile R
Akhetaton
er

iv
Valley of the Kings
SAHARA Thebes
Aswan

ARABIA
1st

NUBIA 2nd

KUSH

Re
4th
3rd

d
5th
u KUSH ROSE AGAIN, Kerma

Se
a
with Napata as its Napata
capital, and defeat- Meroë
6th
ed Egypt. Kushite
Khartoum AKSUM
pharaohs ruled (Sudan)

Blue
Egypt from 730

White Ni
to 671 BCE. This

Ni
le
sphinx (above) has
the body of a lion City Mediterranean Sea
ASIA
le
To E u r o p e
and the face of the Cataract
Kushite pharaoh Giza
Memphis P
e
Fertile Area EGYPT rs
Taharqa. Akhetaton ia
n
G
u
lf
Thebes
SAHARA Aswan

ur SOUTH OF at the third cata- ARABIA

NUBIA
Egypt the Nile River ract, Napata was KUSH

Re
has six cataracts – near the fourth,

d
Kerma

Se
areas of waterfalls and Meroë was

a
Napata
Meroë
or rough water, south of the fifth. Khartoum AKSUM Arabian Sea
ndi a
difficult to ride a Kush came to an (Sudan)
To I
boat through. The end when Meroë
capital of Kush was destroyed by
moved southward Aksum, an African
To A f r i c a n Trade Routes
over the years, put- neighbor, in around Interior
I N D I A N
ting more cataracts 325 CE.
O C E A N
between itself and
Egypt. Kerma was

When the Egyptians In its later years,

conquered Kush, the culture of
they forced the peo- Kush became
ple to adopt Egypt’s less Egyptian and
customs and fol- more like the rest
low its laws. The of Africa. Can you
Kushites rebelled think of why that
and fought to regain may have hap-
the freedom to pened?
govern themselves.
Can you think of u THE ASSYRIANS TOOK became a great own language and (above), but these
any other societies control of Egypt in iron-manufacturing writing, which even looked very different
that have fought 671 BCE, but Kush and trading center. today has not been from the Egyptian
for freedom from continued to thrive. Its culture combined deciphered (figured kind. Hundreds of their
a ruling country, in Its new capital, Egyptian, Nubian, out or translated). The servants and compan-
the past or in the Meroë, was close and African ele- Kushite kings were ions were sometimes
present? to the Red Sea. It ments. Kush had its buried in pyramids buried with them.

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 18

Activities

Imagine you are a tour guide in Egypt leading a group

WRITE A through the Nile Valley. As part of the tour you want to
help people understand what the Nile Valley was like

NARRATIVE in 2500 BCE. Think about the area’s geography and cli-
mate. What settlements were present? Write a narrative
script for what you will tell tourists about the ancient
Nile Valley.

MAKE A POSTER
Suppose your job is to create a visual
summary for a museum exhibit on
the Egypt and Kush civilizations, and
you’ve decided to make a poster. To
get started, draw and label a map of
the region of ancient Egypt and Kush
on a large sheet of poster board. On
separate index cards, write descrip-
tions of the political, commercial, and
cultural relations between Egypt and
Kush. Be sure to include a title on
each index card. Attach the cards to
the map and add a title to the poster.

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 19
MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES

Mesopotamia Archaeology Language

Ever wonder when the first written Understanding the daily lives of ancient Language is more than just the words
records appeared, when the wheel was people is the driving force behind and sounds we use to communicate.
invented, or where our modern count- archaeology. The pottery, art, tools, The study of language helps us under-
ing system came from? Believe it or and ruins early civilizations left behind stand our past. From ancient hiero-
not, these and many other innovations provide a window into their habits and glyphs and the first papyrus scrolls, to
– like glass, farming, complex legal cultures. Learn all about the essential sign language and computer program-
systems, and basic astronomy – came tasks of archaeologists, from mapping ming, language has long been at the
from one civilization, the very first: a site and sifting dirt to using delicate center of human society.
Mesopotamia. brushes to unearth artifacts.

CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS

HSS 6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political,

economic, religious, and social structures of the
early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.

LEARN MORE ONLINE! 6.2.1 Locate and describe the major river systems and
discuss the physical settings that supported permanent
settlement and early civilizations. 6.2.2 Trace the devel-
opment of agricultural techniques that permitted the pro-
• The farming settlements along the duction of economic surplus and the emergence of cities
as centers of culture and power. 6.2.3 Understand the
Nile River grew into towns and then relationship between religion and the social and political
cities, where people did many dif- order in Mesopotamia and Egypt. 6.2.4 Know the sig-
ferent kinds of work. Cities became nificance of Hammurabi’s Code. 6.2.5 Discuss the main
centers of commerce, industry, features of Egyptian art and architecture. 6.2.6 Describe
the role of Egyptian trade in the eastern Mediterranean
government, religion, or culture. and Nile valley. 6.2.7 Understand the significance of
Queen Hatshepsut and Ramses the Great. 6.2.8 Identify
• When a pharaoh was buried, gold, the location of the Kush civilization and describe its polit-
jewels, and other precious items ical, commercial, and cultural relations with Egypt. 6.2.9
were buried with him or her. Trace the evolution of language and its written forms.
Robbers often broke into tombs.
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:
• To the people of ancient Egypt,
Chronological and Spatial Thinking
maat meant order, truth, and jus- 3. Students distinguish relevant from irrelevant informa-
tice, in society, in nature, and in tion, essential from incidental information, and verifiable
the cosmos. They believed every- from unverifiable information in historical narratives and
thing had a certain orderliness stories.
granted by the gods. Historical Interpretation
1. Students explain the central issues and problems from
• Many Egyptian gods, or deities, had the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time
and place.
more than one form and several
jobs.

Ancient_Egypt_18-[Link] 19 3/1/17 2:56 PM

 [Link]

EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank

ART DIRECTION: Brobel Design
DESIGNERS: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel, AUTHOR: Linda Scher, Amy K. Hughes
David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Amy K. Hughes
PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine,
Elisabeth Morgan PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine
PROOFREADER: Paula Glatzer CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine
FACT-CHECKER: Nayda Rondon,
Patricia Fogarty

house . arrier p. top ri ht u ians ational eo raphic reati e p. center

GRADE 6 TITLES middle u ian troops eter illi p. middle ri ht tom ship model . Getty Images:
. a li rti p. ottom center amses ptian ational useum airo
World’s Early People Ancient India
pt p. ottom left utan hamen ose nacio oto p. middle ri ht henaten
Mesopotamia Indian Empires offerin . Granger Collection, NYC: p. ottom ri ht umerian cuneiform p. top
Ancient Egypt Ancient China left atshepsut p. ottom ri ht lmec head p. middle ri ht pap rus p.
ottom ri ht osetta tone p. left coffin of in utan hamen p. middle ri ht
Archaeology Early Romans nu is armin the heart p. middle left hired mourners p. ottom left oo
Language Roman Empire of the ead p. ottom ri ht ei hin the heart icture i rar p. center
middle peasant . National Geographic Creative: . . e ret pp. top farmers
Ancient Hebrews Christianity and Rome’s Legacies so in seeds pp. top in hutmose p. full countr estate p. ri ht in s
Early Greeks Olmec and Maya dau hter ith mirror p. middle left carpentr shop p. top left rindin our
pp. top procession p. top left scri es pp. top ill princess and famil .
Greece’s Golden Age Civil Rights Science Source: hristian e ou u liphoto iffusion p. top ri ht mummification
Ancient Persia u liphoto p. top ri ht mumm preparation . Shutterstock: Anneke Swanepoel:
p. middle ri ht om m o nton ano pp. u im el rthit
aeoratanapattama p. ottom center and p. top ri ht a ara pt erett
istorical p. top ptian ile oats edor eli ano p. ottom left ptian
ON THE COVER: Sphinx and pyramid, illuminated at night with full moon. Getty Images: hiero l phs raficam hmed aeed p. ottom ri ht ueen atshepsut hec e
Adrian Pope. p. ottom ri ht uins at erma ose nacio oto p. center middle efertiti sp
p. ottom athor ostin p. ottom ri ht reat ramid u ee he ear p.
PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: rin a ni p. ottom left le ander the reat rchi e top ri ht archaeolo ist artchan p. ottom ri ht ero p ramids aul rescott
p. middle left le ander the reat anmas p. top left ss rian alace ar a p. ottom center reat ramid of i a ics tudio p. ottom museum
p. ottom left tah ida icture i rar p. ottom ri ht o er of a el eter interior tan tan p. ottom ri ht leopatra ton hao p. ottom center terra
orree p. top ri ht leopatra he rint ollector p. ottom center oui cotta arriors ladimir ho a p. top center apanese hiero l phs i nie
ra el hoto p. center middle henaten orld istor rchi e p. ottom left u o s i pp. ottom arna temple .
d sseus . i le and [Link] p. ottom center ode of ammura i . Art
Resource: l um p. top ri ht ro al famil hiero l phs ritish useum ondon ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS:
reat ritain p. top left phin of ahar a p. middle left i or clapper . Acme Design Company: Map of the Nile, p.2.
Bridgeman Images: Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK: p.2 middle right
model ar oat rid eman ma es p. ottom left detail from the oo of the ead Brobel Design: aps p. .
ptian useum urin tal p. ottom center a ricultural scenes . imatallah
p. ottom ri ht terra cotta to ou re aris rance p. center middle model of a Michael Kline Illustration: ocial ramid p. core oard p. .

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