Ancient Egypt for Kids

Five thousand (5,000) years ago, the ancient Egyptian made their home at the mouth of the Nile River, where the Nile runs into the Mediterranean Sea. It was a wonderful place to live. The soil was rich. Food was plentiful. They were surrounded by desert, which kept them safe from intruders, but the Nile kept their world green.

The ancient Egyptians believed in many gods. They were not afraid of their gods, not most of them anyway. They understood that they could not always get everything they prayed for. But, when their prayers were not answered, they might give a statue of a god in the temple a little whack with a reed to let the gods know they were quite disappointed.

 A popular family outing was visiting the family tomb with armloads of grave goods they had made, things they might need in their afterlife to make their eternity comfortable. They believed that after you died, your Ka, your spirit, flew off to enjoy endless, perfect days along a magical Nile. At night, your Ba, your night spirit, returned to your tomb, because even mummies need a good night's sleep.

There was a catch, though. To reach their afterlife, the ancient Egyptians believed they had to do many good deeds while they were alive to keep their heart light. What happened to them if their heart was not light when they died? Oh dear - find out here.  

Come meet the clever, creative, ancient Egyptians, and enter a world of free speech, tall tales, and magic.