Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?
History of people
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The pyramids
The ancient Egyptians
believed in life after death.
The pharaohs built
magnificent tombs for
themselves, called
pyramids.
Beautifully
decorated
mummy
Mummy
of a cat
These men are carrying stone blocks for
building, as the ancient Egyptians did.
The ancient Egyptians lived by the banks
of the River Nile about 3,500 years ago.
Their powerful rulers were called pharaohs.
Ancient Egypt
Building skills
Egyptian builders did
not have modern tools
and machines to help
them. The workers
carried huge stone
blocks into place, or
sent them on barges
along the river.
H
a
n
d
s
o
n
Mummification
When an important
person died, the body
was “mummified”.
Some of the inside
parts were removed.
Then the body was
treated with chemicals
and wrapped in bandages.
Try writing
out a message
using only Egyptian
hieroglyphics. You could
also make up your own
set of hieroglyphic
symbols.
