9781422278826

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The pyramids were actually burial chambers for the pharaohs. They date back about 4,500 years. According to estimates, 20,000 men worked for 20 years to construct each of them. The largest one is the burial place of the pharaohKhufu. Rising 481 feet (146m), it was theworld’s tallest manmade structure until the year 1300. Nearly all the pharaohs were men. The most notable female pharaoh was Hatshepsut. She ruled from about 1480 bce to 1460. She was often portrayed as a man with a beard.

Thepharaohsweretheheadof thegovernment and were believed to be the earthly represen- tatives of the gods. A man called the vizier helped the pharaohs run the country, while others known as scribes kept careful records. Themajority of the people were farmers and paid taxes in the form of part of their crops. “Gift of the Nile” In thoseancient times, traveling insmall boats along theNilewas the easiestmethod of mov- ing through the land. Farmore important, the Nileoverflowed itsbanks inmidsummerevery year. When the floodwaters receded several weeks later, they left behind a thick layer of nutrient-rich silt that enabled Egyptians to grow life-sustaining crops. As a result, Egypt was often called “The Gift of the Nile.” The Egyptians had three seasons built around the annual flooding. Akhet marked the actual period of flooding. Peret was the

King Tut Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut, is probably the most famous Egyptian pharaoh. He began ruling about 3,300 years ago when he was only eight or nine. He died while he was a teenager. As a result, most historians believe he had little or no historical signifi- cance. So why is he so famous? Grave robbers plundered the tombs of all the other pharaohs many centuries ago. But they never found King Tut’s tomb. So when archaeologists discovered it in 1922, it was still packed full of the fabulous treasures that had been buried with King Tut. Exhibits of these treasures sometimes travel to different parts of the world. They always attract huge crowds.

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