Ancient
Egypt
Ancient
Egypt
Pyramids
Most of the Ancient Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs
(the rulers of Ancient Egypt) and their families.
Egyptian kings were buried with gold and other treasure.
One of the reasons pyramids were built was to keep out people who
would steal the treasure.
There are at least 118 identified Egyptian pyramids
The greatest of the Egyptian pyramids are those of the
Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkure at Giza. These are included as
one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
They are the only wonder still
standing,
Afterlife Adventures
The afterlife was incredibly important to the Egyptians. They believed that by preserving a dead person’s body through the process of mummification, their soul would live on forever in the afterlife.
Egyptians believed that in the afterlife, there was a place called The Land of the Two Fields, this was a place of joy and happiness.
According to the Ancient Egyptians, there are many parts to a person’s body and these parts work as a whole to decide where a person is going to go when they die.
Ren
This is the persons name.
But not their real name! When someone dies, the Ancient Egyptians believe that the person is given a secret name. If someone wants to make it to the afterlife, they have to have this secret name.
A person must have their name written down somewhere on Earth in order to make it to the afterlife.
The name or the Ren is the reason that grave robbing is such a huge crime. If a grave robber messes up the name, the person might not be able to go to the afterlife
The Ab is a person’s heart. The heart is the centre of all and is part of the body that makes a person who they are. This is the intelligent part of the person.
The heart is thought to be the most important part of a person because it is the only part of the body that knows what good and bad deeds have been done.
The people that want to make it to the afterlife and the Land of the Two Fields must do good deeds which only the heart knows.
The Ka
The Ka is part of the body that is inside and represents part of the soul. The Ka is believed to make the person make good decisions.
The Ka is represented as a small person that has a big person standing next to it. The Ka is supposed to help people make better decisions and that is why the big person is always there with the little person.
Each person has a shadow and the Ancient Egyptians believed that the shadow was there to protect the person.
When the sun reflects on the body, the sun god guards the body and stops evil spirits from attacking them.
The shadow also helps people to make better choices and not to make bad choices while they are on earth.
Ancient Egyptians believed that life was important on Earth but that it would be even more important in the afterlife.
Egyptians believed that in the afterlife, there was a place called the Land of the Two Fields, a place of joy and happiness.
This is the place where the Ancient Egyptians believed that they would someday see the people that they love and be reunited there.
Life
Makeup
Makeup was an important part of Egyptian fashion.
Both Egyptian men and women wore makeup. The eye paint was usually green (made from copper) or black (made from lead).
They used a heavy black paint called 'kohl' to decorate their eyes. This was thought to prevent evil but also cure disease. Many Egyptians favoured a glittery appearance to their eyes - this would be achieved by applying to the eyelids sparkly powder made from the crushed shells of brightly coloured beetles.
They believed makeup had magical healing powers and protected their skin and eyes from the hot Egyptian sun.
Make-up wasn't just for people. Kohl and eye paints were regularly applied to the rock-solid faces of freshly carved statues. This was seen as an offering to please the gods.
The cheeks and lips would be blushed with red ochre. Red ochre was a clay that would be dried in the sun until it turned into the desired colour. At which point it would be applied to the face.
Many other powders were used to cover up unwanted blemishes on the skin. One ingredient was common - geese fat! The blubber of a goose was applied to the powders to give them texture and make sure they stayed stuck to the face.
Mummy Bandages
When important men and women, the pharaohs in particular, died in ancient Egypt, their bodies were mummified. This accomplished two purposes: it ensured that their bodies were clean and it ensured that their bodies were protected for the afterlife.
The first step in the mummification process was embalming the body. The body was purified. Then the embalmers washed the body with an aromatic wine to cleanse it. The body was then rinsed with water taken from the Nile River.
Many of the body's internal organs were removed after this. Those organs included the intestines, the liver, the lungs, and the stomach. Since the heart was considered to be the centre of the pharaoh's emotions and intellect, it was not removed from the body. The brain was extracted through the nasal passages.
The next step was to cover the body with a substance called natron, which is a drying agent. All bodily fluids and the cloths that were used in the initial steps of the embalming process were saved and buried with the mummy. The drying process took forty days and forty nights. Then the body was again washed with water that was taken from the Nile River.
After the second washing with water, the body was covered in oils. This ensured that the skin would remain ok for the afterlife. The internal organs that were removed and dehydrated were then placed in linen and replaced in the body.
In ancient times, the internal organs were placed in separate containers that were buried with their respective bodies. Sometimes, they were placed in jars that had the appearance of the god supposed to protect each organ.
The second step in the mummification process was wrapping the body. That was done in the
following order:
Head and neck
Fingers and toes
Arms and legs
Torso and entire body
Each part of the body is wrapped with strips of fine linen. Amulets are placed between the layers in order to protect the body as it journeys through the afterlife.
During this wrapping process, a priest reads spells aloud. They hope is that these spells will ward off evil spirits and protect the person in his or her journey to the afterlife.
After the arms and legs are wrapped, they are bound together with a papyrus scroll placed in the hands. The scroll contains spells obtained from the Book of the Dead and made sure the protection of the person in the journey to the afterlife. As the body is wrapped, liquid glue is applied between the layers in order to bind the strips together.
Finally, a cloth is wrapped around the entire body and an image of the god Osiris is painted onto the surface. The last step is to wrap the mummy entirely with a large cloth, which is then safely in place with strips of linen.
The mummification process is now complete and the mummy is ready to be placed inside the coffins.
Hieroglyphics
The Ancient Egyptians used picture words to write called hieroglyphics. The Egyptian alphabet contained more than 700 hieroglyphs! These ancient symbols held secret meanings, like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Some of the symbols represented sounds, like our letters, and other's represented entire words.
Hieroglyphics was different from how we write.
Writing in hieroglyphics was complicated and it took years of education and practice to do it. The people who trained to write were called scribes. They would start training at a very young age of six or seven. Being a scribe was a good job in Ancient Egypt. Scribes didn't have to pay taxes or enter the army. They were very highly thought of and only the children of the wealthy got the opportunity to train as scribes.
The Ancient Egyptians often wrote on tablets or walls, but they also wrote on a type of paper called papyrus.
A very famous scribe was Imhotep. He became high priest of the sun god, designed the first pyramid, and was later turned into a god.
Most of the Ancient Egyptians could not read or write.
Gods
Ancient Egyptians believed in over 2,000 Gods! They had gods for everything, from dangers to chores. Each God had different responsibilities. Some gods were stars, others were humans and animals.
The Ancient Egyptians believed The Gods created the universe and made sure everything was in order. The Egyptians supported and pleased them through offerings and rituals so that the natural order could be kept.
Amun was the ancient Egyptian god of the air, sun, and sky. He is shown in a number of ways, as a ram-headed man, a frog-headed man, and most commonly as a man with a double-plumed crown.
Anubis he was a very famous god in ancient Egypt. He was linked to the mummification process, where bodies were preserved, as well as the journey to the afterlife. Anubis was shown as having the head of a jackal, the tail of a lion, and the body of a human. Sometimes drawings showed him as a full jackal. He was often seen with a golden tie or necklace.
Horus was the Egyptian god of the Sky. After fighting his uncle Seth, he became the king of Egypt. During this fight, he lost his eye. The Eye of Horus became one of the most important symbols in ancient Egypt. The Eye of Horus was a powerful amulet, which is an ornament or small piece of jewellery that was thought to fight off evil, danger, and disease. It was a sign of protection. It was also called the Wadjet Eye. The ancient Egyptians worshiped Horus partly because he had the Eye of Horus. Horus was considered to be very handsome. He was normally shown as a falcon or a falcon-headed man, although sometimes he appeared as a falcon-headed crocodile.