Geography
FACT or FIB? The Nile River has dangerous rock formations that provided protection for the ancient Egyptians.
FACT. The Nile River contains cataracts which are rocks that stick up in random places. These cataracts create dangerous rapids. Only the Egyptians knew where these cataracts were located, and they could navigate their way safely up and down the Nile. Invaders and enemies however could not, so this provided a natural protection for the people of Egypt.
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians were monotheistic.
FIB. The ancient Egyptians were polytheistic which meant that they worshipped many gods and goddesses.
FACT or FIB? The writing system of the ancient Egyptians was called cuneiform.
FIB. Cuneiform was the writing system of the people of Mesopotamia. The Egyptians created a writing system called hieroglyphics, which was made up of over 750 signs and symbols.
FACT or FIB? Kings were the leaders in ancient Egypt.
FIB. Pharaohs were the leaders in ancient Egypt. They were controlled the government and were a direct connection between the people and the gods and goddesses.
FACT or FIB? It was common in ancient Egypt for both men and women to wear make-up.
FACT. Both men and women wore makeup. It is believed that makeup had healing powers, helped to reflect the harsh rays of the sun, and also had a connection to the gods Ra and Horus.
FACT or FIB? The Nile River flows south to north in Egypt.
FACT! The Nile River flows through two countries in Africa: Egypt and Sudan. It has two sections - the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The Nile flows from the southern region of Egypt to the north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Its source begins with a higher elevation in Uganda then flows down to the north.
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians worshipped over 1,400 gods and goddesses!
FACT! In ancient Egypt, they worshipped over 1,400 different deities (gods and goddesses). The Egyptians worshipped their deities in their homes, temples, and shrines. This practice lasted for nearly 3,000 years!
FACT or FIB? The pyramids were constructed so tourists could come and visit Egypt.
FIB. The pyramids were constructed to house the mummified bodies of pharaohs serving as their tombs. There were nearly 118 Egyptian pyramids built. Today, tourists can visit any of the 8 pyramids that stand near the city of Cairo. Regular people were buried in the hot sand!
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians did not have a social pyramid to classify their people.
FACT! The Egyptians had several levels - six to be exact.
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians did not trade with people from other civilizations because they lived in isolation.
FIB. The ancient Egyptians sailed up and down the Nile River, and they used it as a trade route. They traded with people from places as far away as Canaan, Lebanon, and Nubia.
FACT or FIB? The Nile River does not contain silt like the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in Mesopotamia.
FIB! Much like the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Nile also floods and leaves behind the rich soil which is silt. Farmers depend on this to grow their crops.
FACT or FIB? Cats were worshipped in the ancient Egyptian religion.
FACT. Cats took care of the rat/mice problems! The rodents could eat and destroy crops quickly, and the cats took care of that! Because the cats played an important role in the farmer’s lives, they were worshipped. The cat goddess was called Bastet.
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians invented many things such as paper, so they could write hieroglyphics.
FIB. The ancient Egyptians invented something called papyrus which is not the traditional paper we use today. Papyrus is made of the reeds (sticks) that grow alongside the Nile River.
FACT or FIB? In the Egyptian social pyramid, there were five levels. Beginning at the top: priests/royalty/government officials; scribes/soldiers; merchants/artisans; peasants; slaves/servants.
FACT! The Egyptians valued their religion above all other aspects of their lives, therefore, priests were at the very top of the social pyramid. Next at the top with the priests were the pharaohs, of course!
FACT or FIB? During the mummification process, the brain was scraped out from the nose and thrown away.
FACT. The brain was not considered to be important, so they were removed through the nostrils and thrown away!
FACT or FIB? The Nile River is home to many creatures, such as the Nile Crocodile.
FACT! The Nile Crocodile is a freshwater creature that can be found in 26 different African countries. They can be as long as 20 feet and weight over 1,600 pounds! They are responsible for a number of human deaths each year.
FACT or FIB? When a pharaoh died, the ancient Egyptians believed they became gods in the afterlife.
FACT. The word “pharaoh” literally translates to mean “great house” as in “house of the god.” The people believed that when the pharaoh died, he became another god.
FACT or FIB? In addition to papyrus and hieroglyphics, the ancient Egyptians also gave the world geometry - a type of math.
FACT. The Egyptians created geometry, which uses lines and angles, to survey their crops and measure how much farmland they would need for each harvest season.
FACT or FIB? King Tutankhamun, AKA King Tut, is famous for being one of the strongest pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
FIB. He is famous for being the “boy king.” He began ruling Egypt around age nine, and he also died young—around age eighteen.
FACT or FIB? Egyptian history is organized into periods called dynasties. There were 105 dynasties in total.
FIB. There were many dynasties in ancient Egypt, but historians recognize three main dynasties: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom.
.FACT or FIB? The Nile River is the longest river in the world.
FACT. The Nile River is 4,132 miles long! The Amazon River in South America comes close at 3,977.
FACT or FIB? During the mummification process, the chief embalmer, who wore the mask of a jackal to represent the god Anubis, would remove the internal organs of the pharaoh and give them to people as souvenirs.
FIB. The chief embalmer would wear the mask of Anubis, and he did remove the organs of the pharaoh, but they were not used as souvenirs! They were put into canopic jars and buried with the pharaoh’s body in a sarcophagus.
FACT or FIB? The ancient Egyptians were the world’s first lawyers. They had a court system where they defend the accused.
FIB. However, the ancient Egyptians were the world’s first doctors! Because of the mummification process, they created medicine and even wrote medical books which are still used in medical schools today because of how incredibly accurate they are.
FACT or FIB? There were female pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
FACT. There was a very famous female pharaoh named Queen Hatshepsut. She ruled on behalf of her deceased husband. During her reign, Egypt prospered and thrived because she chose to focus on trade and building projects rather than war.
FACT or FIB? The Egyptians—ancient and modern-day—would be fine if there was not a Nile River in the region.
FIB! The Nile has provided a source of life for all Egyptians. It is used for farming, trade/transportation, livestock, fresh water for drinking, fishing.