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The Pyramids of Egypt Mini Unit Study

The Pyramids of Egypt were built by slaves as tombs for the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The pyramids were marvels of ancient engineering that still inspire awe in modern-day visitors. These artificial mountains hid archaeological treasures and delights. In addition to the carefully mummified body of the pharaoh for whom each pyramid was build, one would also find articles that were intended to accompany the departed pharaoh on his journey to the afterlife. Some of these articles have made their way to museums and exhibitions. Dozens of items from the tomb of Tutankhamen, a very young pharaoh who ruled for a short nine years, have been exhibited in cities around the world.

In this mini unit, you can: wander through the Great Pyramid, follow the 1997 field season of a team of archaeologists as they excavated the bakery that fed the pyramid builders, learn about all of the pyramids of the Old Kingdom, explore a reconstruction of Khufu's pyramid complex, learn who the pyramid builders were, follow a timeline of pyramid construction, tour inside Tut’s tomb and try your hand at a wide variety of puzzles and games sure to test your knowledge and wits.

Reading

Pyramids – The Inside Story

National Geographic – Secrets of Egypt

Pyramids: Houses of Eternity

The Pyramid Builders

Timeline

National Geographic Pyramids Timeline

Fun and Activities

Inside King Tut's Tomb

Build a Pyramid Role-Playing Game

Pharaoh Maze

Find the Right Key

Tomb Magic Eye – Find the Hidden Pictures

Recommended Resource

Pyramid

There are quite a few books for children on this subject, such as David Macaulay's Pyramid (Houghton, 1975), George Hart's Ancient Egypt (Harcourt, 1989), and Jacqueline Morley's An Egyptian Pyramid (Peter Bedrick, 1991), but most of them use drawings as illustrations, whereas Putnam's has full-color photographs. The best coverage is given to Egyptian tombs, but pyramids in Nubia, Mexico, and Central America are also described.

In addition to sharing information on what is known about the Egyptian pyramids, Putnam also mentions unsolved riddles about them, such as how many workers built them, how the stones were moved, etc. Occasionally, the author makes conjectures about why things were done or how people felt. The information here is similar to that found in the titles mentioned above, but the photo-essay format is a novelty. (School Library Journal Review)

Hardcover
Author: DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $10.87

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