Ancient EgyptZoe Shacket

E.P.

The Pyramids

Do you think you could put together a 48O-foot-tall pyramid? I know I

couldn't. In Egypt they did. Back about 4500 years ago most Egyptians had to. They worked in big groups to get the blocks up. Each block weighs

as much as 25 refrigerators. The Pharaohs believed that they needed a

safe resting place for their dead bodies. The pyramids were used as

tombs for their bodies.

NefertitiThe most mysterious and

powerful woman of ancient Egypt was Nefertiti. She was a queen

and wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep. Nefertiti married King Amenhotep

around 1352 BC. Her husband was not raised to be a king. His

older brother was. When his brother died, he was the one who

was next in line to be a ruler.

CleopatraPeople think that Cleopatra was an ancient queen. Actually, she did not live in the time of the Pharaohs.

She was not even Egyptian. She was Macedanian, the last of the Ptolemies.

Cleopatra was 18 when she became queen. Since it was a custom, she ruled with her brother. Her brother was Ptolemy XIII.

Hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics are one of the oldest forms of writing. It uses

a mix of more than 700 pictures and symbols.

Egyptians studied this writing for many years. No one

understood hieroglyphics until the early I8OOs. It is now an

ancient form of writing and no longer used.

Men Clothing

The Egyptians wore clothes made from a plant that grows

along the Nile river. This plant is called linen. Men of this era wore a wrap-round skirt. These were

tied at the waist with a belt. The rich wore very expensive linen

that is almost see through. They also wore jewelry that matched

their outfits.

Women Clothing

Women wore full length

dresses. They had one or two shoulder straps. Rich or

powerful women wore dresses made of linen. Just as the men

do the girls and women of Egypt wore tons of jewelry

usually made of gold, brass, silver, and a variety of gems

and stones.

Children Clothing

Kids in Egypt had a weird life. They didn't wear clothes until

they were 6 years old. They would wear the same type of clothes as the men and women. Kids were often bare foot and hurt their feet. If children were poor but

lucky they got to wear feet made of papyrus or palm. The rich wore

shoes made of leather.

ChariotsChariots were two-wheeled war vehicles

that carried a driver and an armed anchor. They were pulled by horses

wearing cloths of specific colors. They were expensive and spread from the Mid

East to the sandy lands of Egypt. The Egyptian chariot betrayed an origin in

many ways. Saddle pads were attached to horses' backs. These saddle pads had lines of rope connected to them for the drivers to hold on to. The ropes helped the drivers steer the horse in the right

direction.

Hope you learned a lot about Egypt! Thanks For Watching