Ancient Civilizations

Akhenaten and His Family 1348-1336 BC; painted limestone relief 31x39cm

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Encyclopedia > Canopic jars Among the ancient Egyptians, canopic jars were covered funerary vases, normally composed of clay, intended to keep the viscera of mummified corpses. All the viscera were not kept in a single canopic jar, but rather each organ in its own.

Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death and the possibility that the deceased might return to Earth and need the use of their body again. So those who could afford it, like members of the royal family and other important people, had their body mummified and some internal organs stored in sacred jars. These have become known as Canopic jars, possibly named after the Egyptian god Canopus.

utankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation is ambitious in its scope but simple in its aims: to make the complete records of Howard Carter's excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun available on these web pages. It is astonishing, but no longer acceptable, that some eighty years and thousands of articles, hundreds of books, and dozens of exhibitions after the discovery of the tomb, this most famous event in the history of Egyptian archaeology has not yet been fully published. The documentation is presented in its original form and all, scholars, interested members of the public and school students, can consult it. We hope that this will help bring the knowledge and love of ancient Egypt to everybody.

Portal to the Past of Ancient Egypt

Writing The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to record and communicate information about religion and government. Thus, they invented written scripts that could be used to record this information.

Here you go, In Young! :)

Ancient Egyptian Government was dominated by a single man, the Pharaoh. The people believed that the king was more than a man, however, but that he was a god. This gave him absolute control over the affairs of the Empire and its people. Ancient Egypt was also a theocracy, controlled by the clergy. The Pharaoh¹s advisors and ministers were almost always priests, who were considered the only ones worthy and able to carry out the god-king¹s commands. As in most religious ancient societies, priests had special status above the rest of the citizens, forming a kind of nobility.

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Without the Nile, Egypt may never have become one of the most extraordinary civilisations in history. John Baines assesses the great river as a physical, political and spiritual presence in Ancient Egyptian culture.

Introduction to How the Nile River Works Most people will probably never venture down the Nile River. Instead, they choose to live vicariously through action movies and television shows. That's definitely the safest route, as the Nile came by its treacherous reputation honestly, thanks to rough rapids, rabid mosquitoes and some very unfriendly, yet beautiful, wildlife. Despite all of these factors, the Nile has given great opportunities to millions of people throughout history, and continues to do so to this day.

Hieroglyphs: Say What?

So what's so great about the Great Pyramid? Lots of stuff, like its amazing shape and dimensions. Click on the pyramid to find out more.

The Pharaonic Era dates back to 3000 years B.C. till Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 323 B.C. During the Pharaonic Era, Egypt witnessed many aspects of progress and renaissance in all fields.

Did you know that not all mummies of the Egyptian pharaohs have been discovered? Visit the Mummies of the Pharaohs to discover the facts.

A cartouche is a kind of nameplate. Ancient Egyptians used cartouches for kings, queens, and other high-ranking people in the kingdom. A cartouche consists of a number of different hieroglyphic symbols enclosed in a loop. Click on any of the names below to see what they would look like as a cartouche.

ou've just applied for a summer job as a helper to a world renowned Egyptologist. She wants you to be able to read and absorb information quickly, and to be facile at using the World Wide Web to locate data about Ancient Egypt. To weed out the non-serious applicants, she has created a scavenger hunt. The winner of the hunt will be her first choice for the job. Are you game?

"Hatshepsut's Revenge" is an adventure game that takes you back to Ancient Egypt. The pharaoh of Egypt, King Tut, is disturbed by strange things happening in the palace.. Only you can help him! Read each page then select a choice at the bottom of the screen to continue on. Some paths may take you in circles if you don't choose wisely.

Links to Internet Sites Dealing with Papyri