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Ancient Egypt PDF

48 Pages·2012·11.255 MB·English
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AAAAAANNNNNNCCCCCCIIIIIIEEEEEENNNNNNTTTTTT EEEEEEGGGGGGYYYYYYPPPPPPTTTTTT TAMRA ORR P.O. Box 196 Hockessin, Delaware 19707 Visit us on the web: www.mitchelllane.com Comments? email us: [email protected] TTaammrraa OOrrrr ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 1 4/26/12 3:56 PM Ancient Assyria • Ancient Athens The Aztecs • Ancient Babylon The Byzantine Empire • The Celts of the British Isles Ancient China • Ancient Egypt Ancient India/Maurya Empire • Ancient Sparta Copyright © 2013 by Mitchell Lane Publishers data, and makes no warranty on the accuracy of the information contained herein. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission Printing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tamra Orr is a full time Orr, Tamra. writer and author living in the Pacifi c Northwest Ancient Egypt / by Tamra Orr. with her husband and children. She is the p. cm.—(Explore ancient worlds) author of more than 300 books for readers of Includes bibliographical references and index. all ages, including numerous titles for Mitchell ISBN 978-1-61228-279-4 (library bound) Lane. A graduate of Ball State University, Orr 1. Egypt—Civilization—To 332 B.C.—Juvenile loves exploring history and learning about literature. 2. Egypt—History—To 332 B.C.— ancient cultures and then sharing all she Juvenile literature. I. Title. learned with her young adult children. DT61.O658 2012 932’.01—dc23 PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The facts on which the story 2012008638 in this book is based have been thoroughly researched. Documentation of such research eBook ISBN: 9781612283548 can be found on page 45. While every possible effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher will not assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the PLB ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 2 4/26/12 3:57 PM CONTENTS Chapter One The Gift from Hapi ............................................5 Sidebar: Egyptian Seasons .....................................11 Chapter Two In Kebi’s Home ................................................13 Sidebar: Egyptian Pets .........................................17 Chapter Three The Season of Peret ........................................... 19 Sidebar: Putting It in Writing ............................. 25 Chapter Four People of the Pharaoh ........................................ 27 Sidebar: The Egyptian Pyramids ............................31 Chapter Five Reaping the Harvest ...........................................33 Sidebar: Egyptian Gestures ...................................37 Ancient Craft: Papyrus Project ..................................38 Ancient Recipe: An Egyptian Treat ...........................40 Timeline .............................................................42 Chapter Notes ......................................................44 Works Consulted .................................................. 45 Further Reading ....................................................46 Books ............................................................46 On the Internet ................................................46 Glossary ..............................................................47 Index ..................................................................48 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 3 4/26/12 3:57 PM Th e Nile River today 4 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 4 4/26/12 3:57 PM CCChhhaaapppttteeerrr 1 The Gift from Hapi Kebi walked outside and looked up at the sky. Soon it would show only blueness, but today a few thick, white clouds fl oated by, carried by the season’s gentle breeze. Her mother motioned to her. Kebi went over to stand with her family as they gathered for their aft ernoon prayer to the god Hapi, the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile River. Together they said, “Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifests thyself over this land and comes to give life to Egypt! Come and prosper! O you who make men to live through his fl ocks and his fl ocks through his orchards! O Nile, come and prosper!”1 Kebi had been saying this prayer for as long as she could remember. Her mother said people had been reciting it for hundreds of years. When she was very small, she had said the words because her mother and father taught them to her. Th ey had had no meaning for her then. Now they did. She spoke the words with great passion and belief. She knew what terrible things could happen if Hapi did not send enough water to the land. It was the season of Akhet, when the river began overfl owing its banks. Later, Kebi would take her two older brothers to the edge of the Nile to throw in the necklaces they had made as off erings to Hapi and his many crocodile gods and frog goddesses. She hoped the god would be pleased with their work. Th e three of them had spent hours putting small beads onto long strings and tying knots between each one. ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 5 4/26/12 3:57 PM 1 Chapter While Kebi and her brothers cast off erings to the river, Kebi’s parents, like many others, would most likely check how high the water level was that day. Th ey would climb down the steps to the water’s edge and measure the height in cubits. Kebi knew they would be looking to see if the water level was higher than the day before. If it was, they would know Hapi was listening to the people’s hymns and preparing to bring fertility and wealth to the land again. Aft er eating, Kebi sought out her father. As she oft en did, she spent the aft ernoon helping him repair the tools that had broken during the harvest season. She mended the handle of one of the sickles, while her father worked to straighten the bent blade on the plow. She liked sitting next to him, working together. It was a peaceful time, compared to the hours of hard work during planting and harvesting times. WWWaaallllll pppaaaiiinnntttiiinnnggg dddeeepppiiiccctttiiinnnggg harvesting 6 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 6 4/26/12 3:57 PM The Gift from Hapi Irrigation canals like this one literally meant survival to the ancient Egyptians. Th ey took a great deal of work to construct and maintain, but they brought life-giving water to crops and allowed the people to grow strong crops. Kebi’s two brothers were out in the fi elds, working to repair a few of the irrigation canals so they would be ready to carry the precious water where it needed to go to keep the crops—and the family—alive. Th eir labor was hard, but so important. Here in the northeastern corner of Africa, water was a treasure to be honored and respected. Because there was almost no rain, the river’s annual fl ooding was truly the key to their survival. In just a few days, her father would be leaving to go to work on the pyramid of the pharaoh. So would thousands of other men. Kebi could not remember a time when the pharaoh had not been building this huge stone temple that would house his body when he died. Progress was very slow. She had never seen the pyramid. Her father had told her that the blocks of 7 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 7 4/26/12 3:57 PM Th e Giza pyramids 8 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 8 4/26/12 3:57 PM The Gift from Hapi ThTh ee ccaauullddrroonn Stones, ropes, and heavy wood logs were used to help lines of workers pull the enormous stones that built the pyramids. stone were so big and heavy that Kebi could not imagine how hard it must be to move them up the ramps that surrounded the pyramid and put them into place. Kebi glanced over at her father. He looked worried. She knew he was thinking about the days to come. Would Hapi send the right amount of water and mud to the land? She had heard stories of past years when he had sent too little. Th ere hadn’t been enough to water the crops, give to the animals, and use for themselves. Nor had there been enough of the rich, thick, black mud in the fi elds to provide the nutrients they needed to grow strong crops. Th e crops did not grow—and so farming families like Kebi’s did not eat. It had been a dark time. Kebi shuddered as she thought of those long-ago days of drought. She hoped that Hapi would never let those hard times come again. Perhaps she needed to pray more oft en! 9 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 9 4/26/12 3:57 PM 1 Chapter A modern mud brick house “I am sure that Hapi will keep us safe,” she reassured her father. He smiled and then nodded slowly. “Did you know that Hapi can sometimes send too much water?” he asked. Kebi tried to imagine how too much water would be troublesome. Her father saw her confusion. “Too much water is also something to fear, child,” he continued. “So many of our homes, made of mud bricks, can be washed away. And sometimes too much water has brought sickness to our people.” Kebi thought for a moment. For all her life, she had imagined the fl oods as a gift , a miracle sent by Hapi. Th e idea that too much of this gift could be dangerous was something new. She would be thinking about it for the rest of the aft ernoon as she worked with her father. “Stop your worries,” said Kebi’s father, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Go inside and help your mother prepare the bread. Your brothers will come home hungry as always and I need a good meal before I join the pharaoh’s men under the hot sun.” Kebi nodded, but as she walked back into the house, she hoped that her father could not hear her muttering, “Hail to thee, O Nile” under her breath. 10 ANCIENT EGYPT BOOK.indd 10 4/26/12 3:58 PM

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