Mummies and Pyramids, page 1
A Note from
Mary Pope Osborne About the
When I write Magic Tree House® adventures, I love including facts about the times and places Jack and Annie visit. But when readers finish these adventures, I want them to learn even more. So that’s why my husband, Will, and my sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, and I write a series of nonfiction books that are companions to the fiction titles in the Magic Tree House® series. We call these books Fact Trackers because we love to track the facts! Whether we’re researching dinosaurs, pyramids, Pilgrims, sea monsters, or cobras, we’re always amazed at how wondrous and surprising the real world is. We want you to experience the same wonder we do—so get out your pencils and notebooks and hit the trail with us. You can be a Magic Tree House® Fact Tracker, too!
Here’s what kids, parents,
and teachers have to say about the
Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers:
“They are so good. I can’t wait for the next one. All I can say for now is prepare to be amazed!” —Alexander N.
“I have read every Magic Tree House book there is. The [Fact Trackers] are a thrilling way to get more information about the special events in the story.” —John R.
“These are fascinating nonfiction books that enhance the magical time-traveling adventures of Jack and Annie. I love these books, especially American Revolution. I was learning so much, and I didn’t even know it!” —Tori Beth S.
“[They] are an excellent ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at what the [Magic Tree House fiction] has started in your imagination! You can’t buy one without the other; they are such a complement to one another.” —Erika N., mom
“Magic Tree House [Fact Trackers] took my children on a journey from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, to so many significant historical events! The detailed manuals are a remarkable addition to the classic fiction Magic Tree House books we adore!” —Jenny S., mom
“[They] are very useful tools in my classroom, as they allow for students to be part of the planning process. Together, we find facts in the [Fact Trackers] to extend the learning introduced in the fictional companions. Researching and planning classroom activities, such as our class Olympics based on facts found in Ancient Greece and the Olympics, help create a genuine love for learning!” —Paula H., teacher
Text copyright © 2001 by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Sal Murdocca
Cover photograph copyright © The British Museum
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published by Random House Children’s Books, New York, in 2001.
Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.
The Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series was formerly known as the Magic Tree House Research Guide series.
Visit us on the Web!
MagicTreeHouse.com
randomhouse.com/kids
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at randomhouse.com/teachers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Will.
Mummies and pyramids : a nonfiction companion to Magic tree house # 3: Mummies in the morning / by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne ; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
p. cm. — (Magic tree house fact tracker)
“A Stepping Stone book”
Includes index.
eISBN: 978-0-307-97515-7
1. Mummies—Egypt—Juvenile literature. 2. Pyramids—Egypt—Juvenile literature. 3. Egypt—Civilization—To 332 B.C.—Juvenile literature.
I. Osborne, Mary Pope. II. Murdocca, Sal, ill. III. Osborne, Mary Pope. Mummies in the morning. IV. Title. V. Series.
DT62.M7 O66 2011 932—dc22 2011004917
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.1
For Dr. Jack Hrkach
Historical Consultants:
EDITH WATTS, ELENA PISCHIKOVA, and DR. MICHAEL NORRIS, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Education Consultant:
MELINDA MURPHY, Media Specialist, Reed Elementary School, Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District, Houston, Texas
We would also like to thank Paul Coughlin for his ongoing photographic contribution to the series, and, again, our wonderful, creative team at Random House: Cathy Goldsmith, Joanne Yates, Suzy Capozzi, Mallory Loehr, and especially, our editor, Shana Corey.
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
1. Ancient Egypt
2. Everyday Life
3. Egyptian Religion
4. Mummies
5. Egyptian Funerals
6. The Age of Pyramids
7. Tomb Treasures and Tomb Robbers
8. The Most Famous Mummy of All
9. Gifts of the Pyramids and Mummies
Doing More Research
Index
About the Author
For thousands of years, mummies and pyramids were a great mystery. How were the pyramids built? Why did people make mummies? What was the strange writing on mummy cases?
In the last 200 years, scientists have learned a great deal about the people who built the pyramids and made mummies.
They were a hardworking people who enjoyed life. They loved science and music. They believed in a sun god and a cat goddess. They thought they could live forever.
They were the people of ancient Egypt.
A person who studies ancient Egypt is called an Egyptologist (EE-jip-TOL-uh-jist).
Egypt is where one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. Five thousand years ago, Egyptians invented one of the first forms of writing. They made a kind of paper from reed plants. They invented a calendar much like the ones we use today.
A civilization is a group of people with an advanced way of life that includes science, art, and most often writing.
The ancient Egyptians built some of the most amazing buildings the world has ever known. Their painters and sculptors created beautiful works of art. Their doctors went to school to study how the body works.
Why did such a great civilization begin in Egypt so long ago?
Most historians think the answer is simple: the Nile River.
The Nile River is the longest river in the world. It flows through the middle of Egypt.
The Nile gave the ancient Egyptians water for drinking and bathing. Egyptian fishermen caught many kinds of fish in the Nile. Hunters hunted wild birds along its banks. Boats sailed up and down the Nile, carrying people and goods.
But the Nile’s greatest gift to the Egyptians wasn’t fish or birds or drinking water or travel. It was mud!
Floods and Farming
Most of the land in Egypt is part of the Sahara Desert. Desert soil is sandy and rocky. It is not good for farming.
The Sahara is the biggest desert in the world!
The ancient Egyptians called the desert the Red Land. No one lived in the Red Land. Hardly anything could grow there.
The land along the banks of the Nile was very different from the Red Land. The soil there was dark and soft. The Egyptians called this land the Black Land. The Black Land was some of the best farmland in the world.
Why was the Black Land so good for farming?
Every July, the Nile flooded its banks. The floodwater dumped a layer of black mud along each side of the river.
The black mud was very fertile (FUR-tul). That means it was full of the things that plants need to grow.
In November, the floodwaters went down. Farmers plowed the Black Land. They planted seeds in the rich, fertile soil.
In March, they harvested their crops. The harvest was almost always very plentiful. That means there was more than enough food for everyone.
To harvest means “to gather and store the crops you’ve grown.”
Two Kingdoms
Villages formed near the good farmland along the Nile. Some of the villages became cities. Over time, the villages and cities became part of two separate kingdoms.
For many years, each kingdom had a different king. One king ruled over the land in the north, where the Nile flows into the sea. The other king ruled over the land in the south, along the Nile valley.
About 5,000 years ago, a king named Menes (MEE-neez) united the two kingdoms.
To unite means “to join together.”
King Menes built a capital city close to where the separate kingdoms had met.
He wore a special crown. It was made from the crowns of both kingdoms.
Most historians say the joining of the two kingdoms was the beginning of the great Egyptian nation. When King Menes put on his double crown, he started a civilization that lasted for 3,000 years.
The ancient Egyptians wrote with pictures. Their picture writing is called hieroglyphic (HY-ro-GLIF-ik) writing.
The pictures were mostly of things from everyday life.
But the pictures did not always stand for the thing they showed.
Most Egyptians never learned to read hieroglyphs. There were over 700 different signs!
Most ancient Egyptians were farmers. They lived in villages and towns in the Black Land along the Nile River. Their houses were made of mud bricks. The mud for the bricks was another gift of the Nile.
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Egyptian houses usually had high, flat roofs. Families often did their cooking on the roof. They sometimes slept on the roof in the summer.
Poor families’ houses usually had only one room. Wealthy Egyptians had larger houses. They had servants to do their cooking, washing, and other chores.
Most Egyptians did not have a lot of furniture. Their houses had only a few stools, small tables, and floor mats. Walls were painted bright colors. Ceilings were high to help keep the house cool.
Egyptians slept on beds made of wood and reeds. They rested their heads on headrests. The headrests were usually carved from wood.
Egypt has a very warm climate. Most ancient Egyptians hardly ever wore shoes. Their clothing was mostly white and loose-fitting. Almost all their clothes were made of linen. Linen is a cloth made from flax plants.
Climate means “the usual weather of a place.”
Ancient Egyptians cared a great deal about how they looked. Wealthy Egyptian men and women both wore eye makeup and wigs. They also wore necklaces, bracelets, and rings.
Egyptians loved perfume. They liked to rub good-smelling oils and creams on their skin.
Children and Family Life
Egyptologists believe the ancient Egyptians loved children. Egyptian art often shows parents having fun with their sons and daughters.
Egyptian children played with spinning tops and balls. Both boys and girls played with dolls and wooden animals.
Children and grownups also played board games. These games were sort of like checkers or chess.
Most children did not go to school. They lived with their parents until they were married.
The ancient Egyptians were some of the first people to keep animals as pets. The Egyptians loved their pets. They treated them like members of the family. One story says that when a family’s pet cat died, the whole family shaved off their eyebrows to show their grief.
Artists and Craftspeople
There were many skilled artists and craftspeople in Egypt.
Sculptors and painters decorated the palaces and temples.
Potters worked with clay to make bowls, jars, and statues.
Weavers wove cloth for clothes and bedding.
Shipbuilders built sailboats and barges for traveling up and down the Nile.
A barge is a boat with a flat bottom.
Other craftspeople made leather goods and jewelry.
Scribes
One of the most important jobs in ancient Egypt was that of a scribe.
Scribes kept records for the government. They also kept records for merchants and traders. They copied down magic spells and scientific information.
It took years of schooling to become a scribe. The hieroglyphic alphabet was very hard to learn. Most Egyptians never learned it at all. They hired scribes to read and write for them.
Not fair! Only boys could go to school and become scribes!
Pharaohs
The rulers of Egypt lived very differently from ordinary people. They had hundreds of servants. Their homes were grand palaces.
Egyptian rulers came to be called pharaohs (FAIR-roez). Pharaohs had total power over their people. Ancient Egyptians believed their pharaoh controlled the weather, the flooding of the Nile, and the growth of their crops.
Pharaoh means “great house.”
Egyptians thought their pharaoh was more than a person. They worshipped him as a god.
Crocodiles, hippos, and beautiful birds lived along the Nile River. Lions, wild bulls, and jackals also lived in ancient Egypt. Egyptian statues and jewelry were often made to look like animals.
Ancient Egyptians worshiped their pha-raoh. They also worshiped many gods and goddesses.
Egyptians pictured their gods and goddesses in several different ways. A few were like ordinary men and women. Some were like animals. Many were half-human and half-animal.
The Egyptians believed the gods and goddesses watched over everything they did.
Temples
The Egyptians built great temples for their most important gods and goddesses. Inside the temples were sacred statues. Priests at the temples cared for the statues. They washed and dressed them. They even served them meals!
Ordinary people were not allowed to see the sacred statues inside the temples. When they visited, they said prayers and left gifts outside. At home, they prayed to their own statues of their favorite gods and goddesses.
The Next Life
An important part of Egyptian religion was belief in a Next Life. The Next Life was where people went after they died. There they could enjoy many of the same things they had enjoyed on earth.
Egyptians believed that every person was made up of three parts. The first part was the body.
The second part was the ka. The ka was the person’s life force. It was what made the person alive.
The third part was the ba. The ba was what made the person different from anyone else.
Egyptians believed that when a person died, the ba and ka left the body. For the person to live in the Next Life, the ba and ka had to come together again.
The body was home for the ba and the ka. So it was very important that the body of a dead person not be destroyed.
To keep the body from being destroyed, the ancient Egyptians turned it into a mummy.
Ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods and goddesses. Here are some of the most important ones.
RA (RAH)
Ra was the sun god. He was sometimes shown with the body of a man and the head of a falcon. The Egyptians believed Ra created the world. They thought Ra sailed across the sky every day in a golden boat. At sunset, Ra sailed his boat into the underworld. The underworld was a kingdom beneath the earth. At sunrise, Ra rose from the underworld and sailed his boat across the sky again.
OSIRIS AND ISIS (oh-SY-ris and I-sis)
Egyptians believed that long ago, Osiris and Isis had been the first king and queen of Egypt. When Osiris was murdered by his evil brother, Isis used magic powers to bring him back to life.
Osiris became god of the dead and ruler of the underworld.
Isis became the goddess of healing, marriage, and motherhood.
HORUS (HOR-us)
Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was a falcon-headed god. Egyptians believed their pharaoh was Horus in human form.
BASTET (BAST-ut)
Bastet was Ra’s daughter. She was a cat goddess. She was shown as a cat, or a woman with a cat’s head. Egyptians believed Bastet had the sun’s power to make their crops grow. They prayed to Bastet for a good harvest every year. Bastet was also the goddess of music and dance and the goddess of joy and love.
THOTH (THOTH or TOTE)
Thoth was the moon god. Egyptians believed Thoth gave them the gift of writing. He was also the god of medicine and mathematics. He was sometimes shown as a baboon. He was also shown as a man with the head of a bird.
