Ancienct Egypt

"Ancient Egypt was the birthplace of one of the world's first civilizations. This advanced culture arose about 5,000 years ago in the Nile River Valley in northeastern Africa. It thrived for over 2,000 years and so became one of the longest lasting civilizations in history." 1999 World Book, Inc.

The Nile provided everything to the Ancient Egyptians. The yearly floods left rich deposits of soil at the banks of the river in which the Egyptians grew enormous amounts of food. The Egyptians also used the Nile as a source for irrigating land farther away from the river.

The ancient Egyptians made outstanding contributions to the development of civilization. They created the world's first national government, basic forms of arithmetic, and a 365-day calendar. They invented a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics. They also invented papyrus, a paper like writing material made from the stems of papyrus plants. The Egyptians developed one of the first religions to emphasize life after death. They built great cities in which many skilled architects, doctors, engineers, painters, and sculptors worked.

The standing reminders of the glory of Ancient Egypt still dominate the sky line of Modern day Egypt. These tombs, built for the leaders and Pharaohs of Ancient times are one of the most fascinating aspects of Ancient Egypt.

There is much speculation as to how the Ancient Egyptians built these pyramids which are geometrically accurate and contains thousands of stones each weighing thousands of pounds without the use of machines. In my life time I've heard explanations ranging from visitors from outer space to a more reasonable assumption that the Ancients utilized the Nile and a system of levers and pulleys to move the stones. One thing is certain, the pyramids were built with the sweat and blood of the Ancient Egyptians.