Life and Death in Egypt

          The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They buried dead people in tombs filled with items filled for use in the afterlife. These tombs, with their paintings and treasures tell us much about these remarkable people. When a body was mummified, the dead person's liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were removed, wrapped and stored in containers called canopic jars. The head shaped lids represented protective gods. Egyptians believed that for a person's soul to prosper in next world, the body has to be preserved. That's why they made mummies. Dead bodies were embalmed and dried, then wrapped in linen strips and placed in coffins.

Canopic Jars

          The finest tombs were those of the kings. Some were buried in pyramids, but later rulers were laid to rest in rock tombs, in the valley of kings. Most of the tombs were ransacked by robbers, but one survived largely intact. It was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter. The tomb belonged to the boy-king Tutankhamun and inside were priceless treasures of a vanished world. Tutankhamun's gold death mask covered the face of the death king. His body was wrapped in linen inside a nest of three coffins, encased in a stone sarcophagus and protected by four wooden shrines.

King Tut

          The Egyptian empire is at the height of its power during the reign of king Tuthmosis 3. Other famous rulers of Egypt were Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Ramesses 2. Alexander, the great takes control of Egypt in 332 BC and founds Alexandria. Rule by the Ptolemies ends after Cleopatra kills herself in 30 BC. Egypt then becomes a province of Roman empire.

Tomb Paintings

          Egypt's greatness lasted for over 2500 years. The Egyptians were skilled in maths and astronomy and created a calendar of 365 days. They have a system of picture writing called hieroglyphics. Each picture or hieroglyph, stood for an idea or sound. Hieroglyphs were written on walls as well as on sheets of papyrus. People trained to write them were called scribes. They built pyramids and temples bigger than any structure seen before. They also traded overseas in large ships. Even people who conquered Egypt later, such as Romans stood in awe of the Egyptian achievements.