When did the ancient Egyptian civilisation begin?
The ancient Egyptian civilisation began 5,000 years ago when people started building villages next to the River Nile in north-east Africa. It lasted for around 3,000 years.
The river was helpful for growing food in a hot place, as well as crops that made clothes and paper.
Watch: An introduction to Ancient Egypt
Child: The ancient Egyptian civilisation began 5,000 years ago and lasted 3,000 years!
It was located along the River Nile in north-east Africa. I better write this down!
Oh! I’ve lost my pen.
Ancient Egyptian: You’re clearly not Egyptian, are you?
Child: No, I’m from Britain.
Ancient Egyptian: Haha! No wonder you don’t have a pen. I’m surprised you even know what they are. We’re way ahead of anyone in Britain.
Stonehenge is nothing, compared to these!
Child: Woah!
Ancient Egyptian: What have you got in this linen sack thing anyway? Oh, a calendar! Now that is useful. It’s similar to our own solar calendar which has 365 days in it.
You do have bread at least!
We have some of the most efficient tools for making flour. And we use the River Nile to provide water for our crops. And you’re even using papyrus.
Child: It’s paper actually.
Ancient Egyptian: Well, whatever you call it, we invented it.
We use it to write down our language using small pictures called hieroglyphs.
It’s quite complex, so it takes a scribe like me to do it.
Child: Can you see my pen in there?
Ancient Egyptian: No, which is a shame as record keeping, organisation and planning are key to any successful civilisation.
All these things have helped us become one of the greatest civilisations in world history!
Child: Wow, it’s true what they say. The pen is mightier than the sword.
Ancient Egyptian: Swords have helped a little along the way…
What was life like for the ancient Egyptian people?
- The ancient Egyptians were good farmers and builders.
- They made paper and invented a writing system called hieroglyphs.
- Kings and queens were called pharaohs.
- Ancient Egyptians had lots of gods, and believed in life after death.
- They preserved bodies of pharaohs as mummies, and buried them in tombs in huge pyramids.
What were the pyramids?
The pyramids are giant tombs. Each side is a triangle, and they meet in a point at the top. The biggest is the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is built from 2.3 million big blocks of stone.
Near the group of pyramids at Giza is the sculpture of the Great Sphinx. A Sphinx is a mythical animal which is half lion, half human.
Activities
Activity 1: Quiz – Introduction to Ancient Egypt
Activity 2: Make your own pyramid treasure tomb
Make your own pyramid treasure tomb
Download our pyramid treasure tomb template. Follow our step-by-step guide to make your own pyramid. What secrets will you bury inside?
Activity 3: History Explorer game
Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.
History Explorer: Secrets through time
History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History
Bitesize Primary games. game
Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.
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