By Professor Diana Kim

ANCIENT EGYPT

Introduction Ancient Egypt was a civilization that existed thousands of years ago. It lasted from 2800 B.C. to 1300 A.D. along the River Nile. The ancient Egyptians made many discoveries and it is interesting to learn about the belief systems, trade and food in ancient times.

LEGACIESThe Ancient Egyptians left many great inventions as legacies for future civilizations. For example, the Ancient Egyptians were one of the first people to use writing. With their coal markers, they wrote Hieroglyphics, a 365 day calendar and great recordings of historic events. Their writing helped us to understand life in ancient times. They also invented the Shaduf, ships, and sailing boats. The shaduf was used to pull water from wells, and also for irrigation along the River Nile. And still today, in the countryside, we see Shadufs being used to get the water from wells. Ships and boats were used for transport along the River Nile and to improve trade. The shape of the sails was copied by future civilizations to improve their boats. And even today, you can see pyramids and the Sphinx standing in Egypt as legacies of their great architecture. Therefore, writing, sailing, irrigation and architecture are important legacies from this civilization.

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BELIEF SYSTEM The ancient Egyptian had many different gods and goddesses as part of their belief system. For example, Anubis, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Thoth, Ra and Hathor were the most important. Most had animals’ heads and human bodies. The ancient Egyptians also believed that Pharaohs were part god. People built grand temples, played music and gave foods to the god and goddesses as a way of worship. At the heart of each temple was a statue of the god or goddess. People would visit to ask for protection. The afterworld was called Duat, and people believed that if they did something bad, the Ammut would eat them. As you can see, religion played an important part in daily life in ancient Egypt.

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Trade In ancient Egypt, people traded with other civilizations, such as Ancient Greece. Ancient Egyptians travelled long distances for trade. With the Greeks, they traded shoes, beer, bread, fish, rope, flax, gold/silver and olive oil. In return, the Egyptians gave the Greeks cereals, carved ivory sticks, golden bracelets and defense items such as close combat knives and ceremonial axes. They also traded with merchants, who travelled to visit Egypt. As we do today, trading involved a similar system of selling and buying goods that each civilization needed.

FOODSIn all civilizations, food was very important for survival. For example, in ancient Egypt, people ate foods such as lentils, beans, cucumber, dates, onions, figs, lettuce, melons, leeks, grapes and garlic. They kept geese and cows to eat, and hunted for birds and fish. They also used animals for many agricultural jobs, and they settled near the Nile River to grow plants. The river Nile flooded every year and it made the soil very rich. The most difficult part of farming for the ancient Egyptians was harvesting their crops before the next flood. Three of the another important crops were wheat, flax and barley- which produces breads, clothing and beer. Grapes produced wine, which is another kind of drink. As you can see, food was an important part of the civilization and the River Nile was the key to agriculture.

ConclusionIn conclusion, the ancient Egyptian left many great legacies, such as the shaduf. They worshipped many gods and goddesses, ate a variety of foods and were successful at trade. Egypt is still interesting because people visit the great architecture such as The Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx. Even today, archeologists are digging and making new discoveries about ancient history.

Reference List Author Date Title

George Hart 1995 Ancient Egypt

James Mason 1999 Ancient Egypt Resource

by Andrew Haslam 1995 Make it work! Ancient Egypt

Date Website

25.10.12 http://www.brainpopjr.com/