EGYPT
There
were deserts to the east and west of the Nile River,
and mountains to the south. This isolated the ancient Egyptians and
allowed them to develop a distinctive culture.
The
Nile is the world's longest river. It is over 4000 miles long! It is
shaped like the lotus flower so often seen in ancient Egyptian art.
The ancient Egyptian called this rich soil The Gift of the Nile.
Because of the annual
flooding of the Nile, the ancient Egyptians enjoyed a high standard
of living compared to other ancient civilizations. Without
the Nile, Egypt would be a desert
Thanks
to the Nile, these ancient people had fresh water for drinking and
bathing. The Nile supported transportation and trade. It provided
materials for building, for making cloth for clothes, and even for
making paper - made from the wild papyrus weed, that grew along the
shores of the Nile.
THE PYRAMIDS
It
was only during the time of the Old
Kingdom
(2500 BC) that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids to hold the royal tombs of
their kings. Pyramids were huge structures. Pyramids had storage
rooms, courtyards, secret passageways, and all kinds of fancy traps
designed to catch robbers who tried to break into the pyramid to rob
it.