Ancient Egypt

One of the greatest and longest-lasting civilizations in history grew up on a narrow strip of fertile land along the banks of the River Nile in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were...

History of ancient Egypt

For over 30 centuries—from the time Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt united to become one kingdom in around 3100 BC, to its conquest by the Romans in 30 BC—ancient Egypt was the...

Pharaoh

Pharaoh was the title for the man (and, in a few cases, woman) who was king (or queen), high priest and ruler of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was more...

Famous pharaohs

Pyramids

The pyramids were massive stone monuments built by the pharaohs to house their own tombs. Tens of thousands of workers were employed to set in place the huge blocks of stone with...

First pyramids

The pyramids of ancient Egypt were designed as monumental tombs for the pharaohs. Years before the first pyramids were built, pharaohs were buried in smaller tombs. Later, larger...

Pyramids: how they were built

The building of a pyramid was a massive undertaking, employing thousands of workers for 20 years or more. We do not know for sure exactly how the pyramids were built. Our best...

Great Pyramids of Giza

Three massive pyramids were built on the desert plateau above Giza, almost perfectly aligned along a diagonal. Pharaoh Sneferu’s son, Khufu (2589–2566), chose the site for his...

Egyptian gods and goddesses

The ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses. As religious beliefs changed over the centuries, some old gods became less popular, became merged with others, or...

Hieroglyphics

The ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphic script for writing on official documents, monuments and the walls of tombs. Hieroglyphs, the oldest form of Egyptian writing, were picture...

Afterlife

The ancient Egyptians believed in the Afterlife, a place where they went when they died. This was the kingdom of Osiris, god of the dead. To be reborn in the Afterlife required...

Mummies

For the pharaoh to be reborn in the Afterlife, his spirit, made up principally of his ka ("life force") and ba ("personality") needed his body to survive after his death. The way...

Funeral of a pharaoh

On the death of the pharaoh, the plans for his funeral were put into action. Firstly, his body was taken to be prepared for burial: made into a mummy. This process took 70 days to...

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is hidden among hills on the western bank of the Nile near Thebes in Upper Egypt. Here, in tombs cut into the rock beneath a pyramid-shaped peak, are buried...

Hatshepsut

Queen Hatshepsut (ruled c. 1478–1458 BC) was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during Egypt’s New Kingdom period. Her name means "Foremost of Noble Ladies". When her husband...

Akhenaten

Akhenaten (reigned 1348–1338 BC) was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during Egypt’s New Kingdom, and the probable father of Tutankhamun. He was the son of Amenhotep III and Queen...

Queen Nefertiti

Pharaoh Akhenaten's queen, Nefertiti, whose name means “the beautiful one has come”, was one of the most powerful women in the history of ancient Egypt. She is thought to have...

Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun (sometimes known as "King Tut", or the "Boy King") became pharaoh at the age of nine and ruled for only ten years, from about 1336 BC to 1327 BC during the period of...

Tutankhamun's tomb

Pharaoh Tutankhamun died aged only 19. The shrines enclosing the stone sarcophagus where his coffin was placed were fitted into the burial chamber inside his tomb. The other...

Ramesses II

A pharaoh of the 19th dynasty in the New Kingdom, Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 BC) was probably the most powerful ruler in ancient Egyptian history. At the beginning of his reign...

Ancient Egyptian temples

Ancient Egyptian temples were the domain of the gods. Only the pharaoh and his priests were ever allowed to enter them. The pharaoh was also the highest priest of Egypt. He...

People of ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, social rank was extremely important. A person’s position in society was closely linked to the work he did, from the pharaoh himself down to the common peasant...

Nile in ancient Egypt

Fed by tributaries that rise in both the Ethiopian Highlands and the Great Lakes region of East Africa, the Nile, the world’s longest river, flows north across the Sahara Desert...

Farming in ancient Egypt

Each summer, rains further upstream caused the River Nile to overflow its banks in Egypt, laying down a fresh layer of rich, fertile earth across the floodplain on both banks of...

Fishing and hunting on the Nile

The waters of the Nile were constantly crowded with small fishing boats. These boats were mostly roughly constructed from bundles of reeds strapped tightly together. Fishermen...

Craftworkers in ancient Egypt

Over time, the farmers of ancient Egypt were able to produce more food than they needed just for themselves. This enabled some people to do types of work other than farming. Many...

Ancient Egyptian nobility

After the royal family, the wealthiest people of ancient Egypt were the nobility: government officials, army generals, courtiers and high priests. The houses of these noble...

Education in ancient Egypt

Only the pharaoh's children and the sons and daughters of wealthy families went to school. Many children who received an education learned to be scribes. Scribes were highly...

Ancient Egypt A-Z