Wonderful Things!
Howard Carter, Archaeologist
upon discovering what was in King Tutankhamun’s tomb
Wordsearch
Find the bold words below in the wordsearch on the right!
We can learn about the lives of the Ancient Egyptians through Archaeology. Egypt is a country which is hot and dry and many interesting things lie buried in the sand. One of the Archaeologists, Howard Carter, was digging in the Valley of the Kings, when he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Tutankhamun’s mummy was still in its sarcophagus. A carved scarab beetle was on his chest. It is an amulet which will protect the Pharaoh. There were many treasures in the tomb. A beautiful Anubis shrine (he is a jackal-headed god that looks like a dog), art and writing on the walls told us about Tutankhamun. Each of the Egyptian symbols they use in writing is called a hieroglyph. One of these symbols is the Ankh which appears in his name. The art on the walls also shows us that he had a queen.
Some tombs are built above the ground. This is known as a pyramid. There are three large ones and the Sphynx at Giza, five miles from the river Nile. Another place to read hieroglyphs and art is a temple such as the one at Luxor on the Nile.
Pyramids
When you think of Egypt you probably think of pyramids. After all, Egypt does have the most famous ones in the world! Not the only ones – lots of ancient cultures built pyramids – but Egypt’s are certainly very impressive.
You can take a tour of the largest of Egypt’s pyramids by clicking on the video below. The Great Pyramid of Khufu was built as a tomb for the Pharaoh over 4600 years ago, and for almost all that time it was the tallest man made structure in the world. It’s the only one of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World to remain standing, and probably the most famous of all Egypt’s treasures.
Once you’ve “visited” the pyramid, you can build your own from Lego. Watch the second video for inspiration and the third for simple instructions. If you’d rather not use Lego, you can download our instructions on how to make a cardboard pyramid, with a simple template here
How much do you know about Hieroglyphs?
Have you seen pictures of Egyptian art? It’s amazing. But what’s even more amazing is that a lot of the pictures are actually writing! Click below to learn all about Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and have a go at writing your name.
Colour King Tut’s Mask
Eat Like the Egyptians
Dress like an Egyptian
Wonderful Things!
It’s time to get your thinking hat on! What have the shifting sands of Egypt revealed? Lots of objects that could tell you about life in ancient Egypt. Click below to see some of them, and try our quiz to work out what they are for!