V Children’s Activity/Education Resource Ages 6–9/Grades 1–4 a n V l e Did the ancient Egyptians have pets? e t Why were the kings of ancient Egypt buried in pyramids? What did kids do for fun in ancient Egypt? Pyramids, mummies, amulets, temples, and pharaohs— “An informative and Explore Ancient Egypt! brings this fascinating witty presentation of civilization to young readers ages 6–9 with 25 hands-on life in ancient Egypt.” E X projects, activities, and games. Kids learn about ancient —Colleen Manassa P Egyptian homes, food, money, toys, games, makeup, Marilyn M. and William K. Simpson L clothes, kings, mummies, and more. Projects are easy to Assistant Professor of Egyptology, O Yale University R follow and require primarily common household products E and very little adult supervision. Activities range from A “. . . a wonderful job making a scarab necklace to writing in ancient Egyptian N of making Egyptian hieroglyphs and making King Tut sandals. By combining C daily life accessible a hands-on element with riddles, jokes, facts, and comic I E to younger children.” cartoons, kids Explore Ancient Egypt! in this N —Denise Doxey, accessible introduction to an incredible, ancient world. T Department of Art of the Ancient World, E Museum of Fine Arts, Boston G Y P T ! $12.95 ISBN: 978-0 9792268-3-0 Explore ancient Egypt! carmella van vleet Illustrated by Alex kim Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2008 by Nomad Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The trademark “Nomad Press” and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. Printed in the United States. ISBN: 978-0-9792268-3-0 Hieroglyphic alphabet on page 75 courtesy of Colleen Manassa, Assistant Professor of Egyptology, Yale University. 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Other titles from Nomad Press Contents 1 Introduction Let’s Explore Egypt! 11 chapter 1 Egyptian Homes 21 chapter 2 Beer, Bread & Bartering 34 chapter 3 Playtime 46 chapter 4 Amulets, Clothes & Makeup 57 chapter 5 King Tut & Other Cool Kings 67 chapter 6 Mummies & Pyramids Let ’s Explore Egypt! ou’ve probably played in sand or gone swimming. You’ve probably also played a board game or helped around the house. Maybe you’ve taken care of a pet or slept outdoors. Guess what? Kids who lived in 1 ancient Egypt did these things, too! Where was ancient Egypt? What was it like to live there? What did kids and their parents wear, eat, or do for work or fun? This book is going to explore ancient Egypt, an amazing place that existed thousands of years ago, from 3100 BCE to 639 CE! Explore ancient egypt! Explore Ancient Egypt! will answer many of your questions and share some really cool facts. You’ll get to learn about things like mummies, pyramids, kohl makeup, and pharaohs. One of these famous pharaohs was King Tut. Did you know he’s called the Boy King because 2 he was just nine years old when he took over the throne? Along the way, we’re going to make lots of fun projects, play games, do activities, and hear some goofy jokes. Ready? Let’s explore! Where in the World Was Ancient Egypt? Ancient Egypt was in the northeastern part of Africa. It was in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the biggest and hottest desert in the world. A desert is an area with very little rain. let’s explore egypt! Ancient Egypt’s daytime temperatures were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat and the sand made life tough for the ancient Egyptians. They had to be careful about sunburn, and sand got BCE: an abbreviation that means into everything. It even got into the Before Common Era. bread they baked, which caused their CE: an abbreviation that means teeth to wear down. Ouch! Common Era, after the birth of Christ. But the desert also had its good mummy: a dried and preserved points. For example, it protected ancient dead body. Egyptians from enemies. Not many pyramid: large, stone people wanted to cross the hot, sandy structures with square bases land! And thanks to the desert, we know and triangular sides where a lot about ancient Egypt. How? pharaohs were buried. Well, the desert sand preserved a lot pharaoh: ancient Egyptian of ancient Egyptian buildings and kings or rulers. 3 things ancient people used. Since Sahara Desert: the largest, hottest desert in the world. these things are still around, we can look at them and learn. Some Egyptologist: someone who studies ancient Egypt. people study buildings, art, and everyday objects from ancient Egyptian times. They are called Egyptologists. Ancient Egypt was divided into two lands. One was Upper Egypt and the other was Lower Egypt. If you looked at a map of ancient Egypt, you’d see something strange. You might even say, “Hey, it’s upside down!” That’s because Upper Egypt was below Lower Egypt on the map. There is a simple reason for this. It has to do with the Nile River.