Egypt’s
ancient civilisation began over five
thousand years ago on the edge of the
Sahara. The desert protected the Egyptians
from possible enemies to the west and
provided them with a source of precious
metals and stones.
In ancient
Egypt people built pyramids. Inside,
they buried their pharaohs
when they
died. The Great Pyramid of Khufu
is the biggest. It
would take me a lot of energy
to fly to the top of the pyramid.
It
is really big -
150 metres tall, and the length
of each side is 230 metres!
The pyramid is made of two million
stone blocks. Each block weighs 2.5
tons - that’s the same
weight as a baby humpback whale! There
were no machines in those days -
no wonder it took 20,000 men over
20 years to build the Great Pyramid.
The
pyramid has four sides, that make a
square on the ground, but each side
looks like a triangle. Do you know what
this shape is called? The name of this
shape is hidden in the anagram. Roll
over the anagram to see if you were
right!
Using
Harry and Jack’s facts and figures,
see if you can pick the right answer
to these three questions about the Great
Pyramid. If you need help, click on
the ‘Help’ icons.
1.
What shape is the base of the pyramid?
2. What is the area of the base of the pyramid?
3.
What is the total weight of the pyramid
(in tons)?
You
can learn more about pyramids at these
websites. www.guardians.net/egypt/
and www.ancientegypt.co.uk
Ancient Egypt is also famous for its
special writing called hieroglyphics.
Hieroglyphics
was an alphabet that used symbols instead
of letters.
Have a look at these hieroglyphics.
Roll over them to find out what it
says.
Within
the desert itself, the Tuareg
have learned to live in this harsh
environment by being nomadic.
For generations, they have crossed
the Sahara to trade goods and
to find food and water for their
animals. The Tuareg are nicknamed,
‘the blue men of the Sahara’.
From the photo, can you see why?
How
do their clothes help them to cope
in the desert?
to find out.
Their
animals cope well in the desert too.
Camels can survive many days without
water because they can store liquid
in their humps. They have long eyelashes
that can protect their eyes from the
sand!
When
people like the Tuareg travel a lot
they like to tell stories to keep
them entertained.
to
read a story about a man called Sundiata
who lived in Mali.
After reading the story
to do some fun activities about the
tale of Sundiata.
(you
will need flash player 6)
they
died. The Great Pyramid of Khufu
is the biggest. It
would take me a lot of energy
to fly to the top of the pyramid.
It
is really big -
150 metres tall, and the length
of each side is 230 metres!
Within
the desert itself, the Tuareg
have learned to live in this harsh
environment by being 
