Ancient Egypt

A long time ago, Ancient Egypt was one of the first big groups of people in the world. It started next to the Nile River in Africa more than 5,000 years ago. The Nile gave water, good dirt for plants, and a way to go places in boats and trade things. Every year the river got bigger and spilled water on the land, making it good for growing food like wheat and barley. This helped Egypt become strong and wealthy.

The people of Egypt are famous for making big triangular buildings called pyramids. The biggest one is the Great Pyramid of Giza. These were built for kings called pharaohs to be buried in. The people thought there was life after death, so they made pyramids to keep the king’s body and treasure safe. They used a process called mummification, which is a special way of preserving bodies and keeping them from rotting.

Egypt had groups of people with different jobs. At the top was the pharaoh, who was the king and also thought to be a god. Below him were priests, rich people, soldiers, and writers called scribes. Farmers and workers were at the bottom. Scribes were important because they could read and write with pictures called hieroglyphics. They wrote laws, stories, and kept lists.

Religion was very important in Egypt. They believed in many gods, for example Ra, the sun god, and Osiris, the god of the next life. They made big temples for the gods and gave gifts to make them happy. Ancient Egypt lasted for thousands of years and shared its ideas with other places. Their writing, buildings, and beliefs still make people interested today.