Heather Alexander - A Childs Introduction to Egyptology

Text copyright 2021 by Heather Alexander LLC

Interior and cover illustrations copyright 2021 by Sara Mulvanny

Jacket design by Katie Benezra

Jacket illustration by Sara Mulvanny

Jacket copyright 2021 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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First Edition: March 2021

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Image credits: desifoto (Getty Images 1065390466); tanys04 (Getty Images 1130326109); oleksii arseniuk (Getty Images 1161616299); SpicyTruffel (Getty Images 1140277566); Anatolii Kovalov (Getty Images 1148379401)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Alexander, Heather, 1967- author. | Mulvanny, Sara, illustrator.

Title: A childs introduction to Egyptology : the mummies, pyramids, pharaohs, gods, and goddesses / Heather Alexander ; illustrated by Sara Mulvanny

Description: First edition. | New York : Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2021. | Includes index. | Audience: Ages 8-11 |

Summary: A charmingly illustrated exploration of the wonders of Ancient Egyptfrom pyramids and mummies to pharaohs and godfor curious kids ages 8 to 11 to enjoyProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020016100 (print) | LCCN 2020016101 (ebook) | ISBN 9780762471577 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780762471584 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: EgyptCivilizationJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC DT61 .A49865 2021 (print) | LCC DT61 (ebook) | DDC 932/.01dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016100

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016101

ISBNs: 978-0-7624-7157-7 (hardcover), 978-0-7624-7158-4 (ebook)

E3-20210207-JV-NF-ORI

To Joe, Liv, Phee, and Luna

Special thanks to Professor Laurel D. Bestock, Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World and Egyptology and Assyriology, Brown University

Special thanks to Sara Mulvanny, whose lovely illustrations fill these pages

H AVE YOU EVER heard of

Theyre all part of an amazing time in history and a civilization known as ancient Egypt.

EGYPT

Egypt is a country in northeast Africa. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the north, and the Red Sea lies to the east. Its a land of hot deserts, where the sun shines brightly and theres little rain and few trees. This ancient landwhere the pharaohs once ruledis the same land that modern people live on today, and it is still called Egypt.

ANCIENT

Egypts civilization is ancient, because it started a long, long time ago. How long? Five thousand years!

THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY

When Egypt started out, it was split into two separate regionsUpper Egypt and Lower Egypt. King Narmer (he was also called King Menes) joined them together and became the first king, or pharaoh. This began the story of ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians went on to create one of the most advanced and powerful civilizations. It lasted for 3,000 years, which is an extremely long time. (By comparison, the United States has only been a country for less than 250 years!) Ancient Egyptians gave the world many inventions and left behind thousands of written records, monuments, statues, and artifacts that we study and learn from today.

LIVING IN A DESERT LAND

Ninety-seven percent of ancient Egypts land was desertand the scorching sand was one of the reasons the civilization survived for so long. The desert acted like a wall, protecting Egypt from invaders. Few attackers risked traveling across miles and miles of hot, empty land with nowhere to hide and nowhere to find water or shade. This built-in barrier prevented Egypt from having many wars and allowed it to grow and develop.

FUN FACT

An Egyptologist studies the history, art, architecture, language, and customs of ancient Egypt.

An archaeologist studies the history of human civilizations by digging up objects from the past.

I N ADDITION TO the desert, ancient Egypt would not have succeeded without the Nile River.

SOIL SECRET

Crops need moist, fertile soil to grow. If crops cant grow, theres no food to eat. And if theres no food, people and animals dont survive. Egypt is in a huge desert, and sand is terrible for growing crops. So how did ancient Egypt become one of the most important civilizations? What was their secret for survival and success?

The Nile River! Every summer, the Nile overflowed and flooded the nearby land. The dry soil along its banks turned into thick, black mud. This rich soil was excellent for growing crops. These crops provided plenty of food to eatand there were even leftovers to trade with other civilizations. All this food helped ancient Egypt survive and thrive for so long.

THE NILE FILE

The Nile River:

is one of the longest rivers in the world.

flows through the middle of Egyptand through ten other countries in Africa.