Wikijunior:History in pictures/Ancient Egyptians

The Ancient Egyptians lived near the Nile River, which can be seen above. This is now in Egypt. The nearness to the river was no coincidence. The river flooded ever year, making the land fertile (good for growing crops). It meant there was water, though much of the surrounding land was desert and inhospitable (not nice to live in).

The Ancient Egyptians had many Gods. Three of them can be seen above. Osiris is green, Anubis has a dog's head and Horus has a bird's head. They worshiped these Gods and built temples to them. They believed that the Gods would aid them in return for their effort. Some of the Gods helped with death, light, night, pregnancy, war, floods.

Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. In order to achieve this, there was an elaborate procedure. Firstly, particularly if the person was very important, people would mourn. The body was then embalmed and mummified, so it would not rot. Processions and re-enactments of myths were carried out.

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  Giza Pyramids
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  Great Sphinx of Giza

Ancient Egyptians built a number of important monuments, many of which survive to this day.

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  Mask of King Tut
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  Nefertiti Bust

The Ancient Egyptians were skilled craftspeople and artists. Many of their works remain highly regarded to this day.