First Children Encyclopedia

Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?

History of people

84

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.

Hands^ on

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.