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Researched by Breanna D.
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Research Summary
What is an Archeologist?
Archeology is basically digging for artifacts and studying ancient human
cultures and prehistoric events. Archeologists provide information on what
they find out about those sites and share that with museums, the public,
and experts. If there were no archeologists, we would know very little
about the past, ancient people’s lives, what they believed, or most of
what we know about Egyptian people and rulers. They make detailed studies
and investigations in the lives, beliefs, and past of ancient people by
collecting what was left behind.
Who discovered Egypt?
The European discoverer of Egypt was named Napoleon. He discovered Egypt
on July 2, 1798. Napoleon discovered Egypt by accident. He had traveled
from France to conquer British lands. He spent 19 days in Egypt before
crossing the Nile into Cairo (Egypt’s capital). During his visit, Napoleon
discovered the Rosette stone.
What is the Rosette stone, and why was it so important?
The Rosette Stone was not just your ordinary stone. What really
made it different were the three languages carved into the stone (Hieroglyphics,
Demotic, and Greek). Because the stone was written in Demotic and
Greek, we were able to translate the "holy writing" or Hieroglyphics. That’s
why it’s so important.
What about the Pharaohs? Why were they important and thought of as gods?
The Pharaohs were important because they ruled over all of Egypt. The
gods ruled over Egypt like the Pharaohs. That’s why when the king was alive,
he was a living Ra, but at death he helped Orsis rule the underworld. At
first, there were two Pharaohs. One ruled Upper Egypt (at the delta of
the Nile) while the other ruled over Lower Egypt. After a while, the two
kings united. They had all the things that they wanted including gold,
silver, women, slaves, and all sorts of servants. The gods of Egypt also
were believed to be united and rich.
Why was mummification so important?
At death, the soul would leave the body and return later. For the soul to return to the body it had to recognize the body. The Egyptians used mummification to make sure the soul did recognize the body so that it returned and the person could live in the after life.
Every one of the Egyptians got a chance to live in the after life. All
of the people in Egypt where mummified and buried with all their treasures,
just like their ruler.
What about king Tut? Who found his tomb?
Howard Carter discovered young king Tut’s tomb. He was in awe at how quickly and carelessly the tomb was put together. That fact has lead us to the conclusion that he was cursed and murdered. So that the killers would not be caught, they had the tomb put together quickly so that no one would be able to investigate the mysterious death.
Something else that put Howard in awe was the third coffin, which was of solid gold.
The Pharaoh changed his name to Tutankhamun when he married Ankhesenamon.
What about the other Pharaohs before and after Tut?
The very first Pharaoh was Ramesses I. The Pharaoh before Tut was Smenkhkare.
His royal adviser was Ay.
What is a royal adviser?
A royal adviser is a person that is only used when the king is young.
He helps the king rule and make wise decisions. Smenkhkare wasn’t
the only Pharaoh who had one. King Tut had many royal advisers.
The Pyramids
The pyramids were used as tombs for the Pharaohs. They were built by
10,000 workers carrying blocks up 1/2 mile long ramps that were placed
on the 30(+) pyramids to help the workers stack those giant blocks in their
rightful place.
What about the people? What did they eat/plant?
The people in Egypt lived by the Nile River. The Nile overflowed her banks once a year. To predict that overflow, the people made a 365-day calendar. When it overflowed, the Egyptians built the pyramids. While the water was down, the people in Egypt farmed on the rich soil replaced by every overflow. They planted wheat, barley, oats, and millet. They also hunted and ate lions.
The Egyptians are known as the gift of the Nile because the Nile River
was their life source. Without the Nile, the Egyptians would not exist.
They fished, bathed, swam, etc. in the Nile. They also drank the cool water
flowing through the great river.
What is the Egyptian Flag?
The Egyptian Flag is red, white, and black. In the center of the white
strip, there’s a yellow eagle. All the strips are equal sizes and go horizontal
(from right to left) across the flag. Red is the top strip, white is the
middle strip, and black is the strip on the bottom of the flag.
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