Dakarai’s Egyptian Adventure1st Grade

Hello, or as we say in Egypt, Em Hotep.

My name is Dakarai which means happy. This is my sister Jamila which means beauty. I am going to show you all the wonders of Egypt!

Egypt is located in Northern Africa.

In ancient times they called it Kemet.

95% of Egypt is desert. Deserts are dry and have little water or rain. It is a tough environment where many plants cannot grow. Very few people live in the desert and often use camels to get around.

Egypt is home to the longest river in the world, the Nile River. This river starts in the mountains of central Africa where there is a lot of rain. In Ancient times as this rain traveled up the river it would flood it’s banks.

When the Nile River flooded it’s banks it gave the dry soil much needed water. What do you notice about the land next to the water?

You’re right! When the river floods it leaves water and silt. Silt is moist soil that is rich with nutrients that plants need to grow. The Nile River would flood for about 10 miles on each side! You can see the Nile in the distance on the left and how the floods helped the land.

Ancient Egyptians began planting seeds along the Nile. They were among the 1st people to learn how to farm. Egyptians grew wheat, barley, vegetables, vines, figs, melons, and pomegranates. The most important thing was the grain which they made into bread.

They also planted fruit trees and vines for fruit and shade along paths.

Ancient Hieroglyph of the Harvest

What are hieroglyphics you ask?

Ancient writing of course! Ancient Egyptians had more than 700 hieroglyphs. They are very important. We learned many of the things that we know about Ancient Egyptians from what they wrote.

Ancient Egyptians wrote on many things. They used papyrus to make paper and crushed plants and mixed it with water to make ink.

This is a piece of the papyrus plant that they made into paper.

They also carved writing into stone. This stone is one of the most famous. It is called the Rosetta Stone.

They also painted hieroglyphics on walls and in tombs. This painting actually shows Ancient Egyptians playing a game!

Very few Ancient Egyptians knew how to read or write. Some people had the very difficult job of being a scribe. Scribes had to remember hundreds of hieroglyphics and it took 12 years for them to train as a scribe. It was a highly regarded job in ancient times. Back then only boys could go to school to learn to be scribes.

Ancient Egyptians were amazing people. Did you know that they built some of the biggest buildings and monuments every made?

They did it under the orders of the pharaoh.

Who is the pharaoh????

There were actually many pharaohs. They ruled Ancient Egypt like kings. They were very powerful. The people thought that pharaohs were gods. Pharaohs wanted everyone to know how great, mighty, and powerful they were. They ordered slaves and workers to create huge monuments, write hieroglyphic stories and build huge statues in their honor.

One of the most well known pharaohs was Tutankhamen. He became a pharaoh when he was only 9 years old!! This is why some people call him the “Boy King.” He died at a very young age. He is famous because when his tomb was found it was filled with many treasures. Here you see a picture of his sarcophagus. It is what held his mummy.

Not all pharaohs were men. Hatshepsut was a women. It was very difficult to be a woman pharaoh. Hatshepsut wore male robes and even a fake beard!

Ancient Egyptians believed that when they died they would go into a new world. They believed that they would need their bodies in the afterlife. Therefore, if they had enough money they would have their body preserved as a mummy.

Oh boy, this is pretty gross. When they became mummies they had all of their organs removed, like their brain, stomach and liver and had them preserved in jars called canopic jars. Ancient Egyptians never removed the heart because they believed the heart would be weighed in the afterlife to see if they led a good life.

Pyramids were made for pharaohs to protect their bodies and belongings into the afterlife. People believed that the things they were buried with would be there for them in the afterlife. Some pharaohs had their gold, furniture, and even pets buried with them in the tombs!

The Great Sphinx is a very famous part of Egypt. The Sphinx was built as a protector of all the pyramids. It has the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion. Back in Ancient Egypt many people believed in animal gods.

As you can see Egypt was a very interesting place long ago in ancient times. I hope you learned a lot during my adventure!

Dakarai