Ancient Egypt

48 Pages·2012·11.255 MB·English

by  Tamra Orr

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TAMRA ORR
P.O. Box 196
Hockessin, Delaware 19707
Visit us on the web: www.mitchelllane.com
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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
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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
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Th e Nile River today
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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.
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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.
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harvesting
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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
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Th e Giza pyramids
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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!
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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.
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