The Great Sphinx By: Andy

          What is the great sphinx? The great sphinx is a statue of a lion combined with a human.The great sphinx was build by the pharow kafra, build to honor the gods and welcome them. This paper will focus, who build the great sphinx, Why the build the great sphinx, and why the great sphinx is half lion half human. Who build the great sphinx? The great sphinx was build by the pharaoh Kahafa. The great pharaoh kahafa build the sphinx about 2000B.C.E. This was about 2,000 years ago after there was a big problem that struck Egypt. Kahafa build the sphinx to make him self popular as a pharaoh and be remembered in the old kingdom


          Have you ever wonder why the great sphinx was build next to the pyramid of Giza. People think they build the sphinx to welcome the gods. At that time the sphinx was getting buried and it was losing it’s parts. The sphinx got buried up to the neck.

          Have you ever wonder why kahafa put a woman’s face on the sphinx? People say the face is from a beautiful woman that once khafra loved. At this time khafra was getting popular in the old kingdom. People say that khafra was only trying to be popular for himself. Khafra

          Have you ever wondered why they built the sphinx? The great sphinx was built to honor the gods and goddesses and to make Khafra popular. People say that sometimes Khafra was honest with Egyptians about his things. Some people say he was only trying to be popular and greedy. At this time Khafra was growing in crisis and he was losing his popularity. He was getting all the attention to himself as a pharaoh. Another reason why Khafra built the sphinx is because the wanted to honor the gods. The gods told khafra that he needed to be a little more careful about his popularity. At that time people were learning about how to build the sphinx. Another reason is that the sphinx would be the first half human half lion statue Khafra got inspired to get the statue a loin body is because ones he went hunting and he saw a lion lying beside him. Later on Khafra started to be inspired by animals. Then he said he will make a sculpture of a lion Combined with human.


          Why is the sphinx half lion half human? They made it half lion half human after a cultural Greek mythology because ancient Egyptians thought the sphinx was a powerful god. The sphinx had the face of a woman. The face of the sphinx is badly damage.

          The sphinx was built 2,000 B.C.E. years ago. It was build to honor the god’s .people thought the sphinx was a powerful god. The most important fact I learn about the sphinx was that the body of the sphinx is a lion because Khafra got inspired when he first saw the lion when he went hunting.

Ancient Egypt's Writing System by Ana Laura Santiago

Have you ever wonder what papyrus is meant for? Egyptians writing was used more than 2,000 hieroglyphics in a chart. Papyrus is a plant that is used to make paper. Egyptians used black ink that was deep into a tip in a tiny brush. This paper will focus on Egyptians writing, papyrus, and what kind of ink did the Egyptians used.

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to write in Egyptian writing? The Egyptians form of writing is called hieroglyphics. Each hieroglyphics would stand for someone or something. Referring to this the Egyptians new who or what they would write about. For example, when they used to write someone’s name in hieroglyphics they would now what they where talking about. To be able to read hieroglyphics they would used the Rosetta stone. Referring to this the Rosetta stone was really important. For example, they would translate what the Egyptians wrote. Egyptians writing was the same as Arabic writing. Additionally to this Arabic and Egyptians writing was the same. The meaning behind the text was almost the same. As a result the Rosetta stone was the only way to communicate. 

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to touch papyrus?  Did you know that papyrus plant is found near the Nile River? Referring to this the Nile River plant is really important to the Egyptians, thus, Egyptians get the plant out of the Nile River. The rest of the plant was used for baskets, floor mats, ropes. Referring to this they did not only used the plant to make paper they also used it for different stuff. The plant was very used full for ancient Egyptians. The papyrus plant had a multiple of used that influenced architecture. Referring to this out of what they made the paper they influenced their architecture. However Egyptians architecture was really famous in ancient Egyptians times.       

Have you ever wondered if Egyptians used the same ink as we use? Egyptians used black ink and it was made of different materials such as, vegetable gums, water mixed with soot, and a simple reed.  Step#1: They mixed water with soot and  make the ink stronger.  Step #2:  They put the vegetable on a wooden palette. Egyptians used a wooden palette to put the vegetable for it to not fall down.   Step #3: The pen had to be a simple reed, fashioned at the tip into a tiny brush.  However Egyptians nib where thin and the reeds were sharp.  As a result Egyptians ink came out to be very thin and strong. In conclusion Egyptians not only used the ink for writing they also used it for drawings.    

In addition, hieroglyphics were important in ancient times because it was a form of communication among people. The plant papyrus was very used full for much stuff. Egyptians use the same ink we use, but their ink was thinner and it was only one color which was black. In conclusion I learned that Egyptians are very wise to create things. To sum up Egyptians where almost like inventors that would come out with ideas and would create there ideas.       

 



The Ancient Sphinx By: Daniel

Did you know that the great sphinx was over 200 feet tall? Khafra used 100 carvers and 1000 workers to build the sphinx out of limestone. Khafra built the sphinx so that he would be remembered as a tough king. He got inspired by a lion because a loin is strong. Therefore this research paper will focus on: Building the Great Sphinx, Why Khafra built the Sphinx, and How Khafra got inspired.

            The Great Sphinx is one of the famous sculptures ever built by Khafra. The Great Sphinx took about 3 years to build the half human-half lion. It meant that the sphinx was special by its appearance. It may matter or interest other people because the sphinx was one of a kind. Let’s go into the main section of the body of the sphinx, which is 171 feet long. People may interpret this by going to Egypt and confronting the sphinx face-to-face. This might be important to certain people because it is the longest sculptures ever built. In Ancient Egypt, the sphinx was built around 2,500 B.C.E. It means that the builders started to build the sphinx in the early 2,690 B.C.E. It is so important because this information might be useful in the future so we have to keep track of the sculptures in Ancient Egypt. In conclusion, the sphinx is one of the greatest sculptures ever built in the world.

            Have you ever wondered why Khafra built the sphinx? Khafra, the young king, wanted to be remembered from the day he died to today and in the future. It may mean different things, but to me it means that that Khafra’s name would be mentioned today. It is important to son. Khafra didn’t want to be long gone to people or people thinking of him as a weak leader. To prove his toughness, he built the body of a lion. It means to me that people who read about him might think he is a sloppy weak king. I interpret that Khafra might considered himself a god that’s why he considered himself tough. When Khafra was little Khufu told Khafra about his pyramid in Giza, so Khafra wanted to do something to represent himself. It meant that Khafra wanted to represent himself in the sphinx. It is important because you would like to represent yourself in school wouldn’t you or in fieldtrips. To wrap things up, Khafra was one of Egypt’s rulers.

Have you ever imagined how Khafra got inspired? He got inspired by the pyramids he had seen around Egypt. It means to me that he liked pyramids to be built around Egypt. It is important to know this because you don’t like a period in class, but all of a sudden something inspires you to like and try the period. Khafra also thought to himself “Why build something that has been built when I could make a one of a kind sculpture.” My way of interpreting this is that instead of using the same idea, Khafra used a different idea. This is important because he wasn’t free loading and building another pyramid. His father saw his inspiration in his life too because Khafra saw his father like a strong man. What I mean is that Khufu was a strong, so Khafra wanted to be like him Khufu. This matters because Khafra’s inspiration was his father and mine is my big loving family that loves me so much. To sum everything up, Khafra got inspired by a lot of things especially his father Khufu.

            In conclusion, The Great Sphinx took time to build. Khafra wanted to be remembered and not lost in the future. Khafra’s father was the most inspiring person in his life. This essay was all Khafra’s thoughts. Thank you for you wonderful time and I hope you enjoyed me essay.

Ancient Egyptian Afterlife By: Kate and Ivan

Did you know that the afterlife is a place of happiness? When a pharaoh died, the ancient Egyptians believed that death was not the end, but the beginning.  You will be reading about the process of mummification, how they died, and the afterlife.

Welcome to Egypt.

How they died

Many pharaohs died because of sickness diabetes, but they died with peace and happiness. Not many people know what caused the fatal sicknesses. When the pharaohs died, Egyptians believed that they will go to another world or afterlife. Scientist’s have been researching what caused the sicknesses and they have taken tests on the mummies, and till today they still haven’t found proof of how they died. This is why we are doing death, because death is a natural thing. Like Ivan said, death is not the end, but the beginning.

The Process of Mummification

Not many Egyptians could afford such luxury to be mummified, but lucky for us, we can see how it’s made.

First, the embalmers cut open into the side of the body, removing the liver, both lungs, and the intestines then put each of them in their own canopic jar. They removed the brain with a long hook, inserted through the nose, crushed the brain and scooped out. The Egyptians did this because they thought the brain was useless. They left the heart intact in the body because it was thought to be the seat of intelligence and life force.

Second, the body was washed with the water from the Nile River after embalming, rubbed with sweet smelling oils for smell, and then dried covered with natron (salt) from inside out so the mummy wouldn’t decompose. The next step for mummifying the body was to coat it with resin (a type of cement that is a dark brown color) to make it look realistic.

Last was wrapping the body. A priest chanted from The Book of the Dead to ensure the mummy would safely arrive to the afterlife, while hundreds of yards of linen were used to wrap the body. Amulets made of precious gems and metals, shaped of gods, the eye of Horus, scarabs, and many more were tucked in between the layers around the whole body were also used for safety and good fortune. It took about 70 days to complete the process of preserving the mummy.

In the end, you have mummy jerky, wrapped and ready for eating! Just kidding, though, I would eat it. You have a mummy, ready for the land of paradise, and to be left alone for the next thousands of years.

The hall of Ma’at (or The Hall of Judgment)

When the pharaoh dies, he goes into “The Hall of Ma’at” The gods take out the pharaoh’s heart and weigh it with an ostrich feather. If the heart was heavier than the feather, then it means that the pharaoh did many cruel things in his life, and as punishment, the gods set loose a monster that had a face of an alligator, upper body of a lion, and the lower body of a hippopotamus. If the heart was lighter than the feather, then the pharaoh had a pure soul and was free to go to the afterlife.

Arriving to the Afterlife

Death was not beloved to be the last stage of life, but the stage in which a person was at rest for revivification.

Egyptians believed each person had a physical body and a “ka”, a life force that continued after death. The ka needed the same substances as the living, even in death, so food was mummified and went inside the tomb. Sometimes, the higher ranked Egyptians wanted their pets to join them in the afterlife, so the embalmers mummified them too.

The dead needed to rejoin its ka after death to regain life, but the physical body cannot go from the tomb to the underworld, so their “ba” or personality went instead. When the ba and ka reunited, they reanimated the “akh”. The akh was the soul to be effective in the afterlife. The reanimation was only possible if the proper funeral rites were used, followed by constant offerings.

                After they reunited, the ba and ka turn to the sky and forever become a spirit   

Conclusion

In conclusion, mummification, death, and the afterlife were very interesting subjects to research. Now we know every body has separate cultures and different beliefs. The important thing is that it doesn’t matter what kind.

So, there you have it, a few of your questions, and we hope that this report fulfilled your thirst of Egyptian death. J

Ancient Egyptian Laws (Misael Macario)

Crimes, Punishments, and Death Penalty

          Did you know who began and invented the Death Penalty? There were many laws in Ancient Egypt. Crimes were a little crime like stealing something from the store or somewhere. The Death Penalty was whoever breaks the Ma’at or a big crime.This paper will focus on Laws, Punishments, Crimes, and last one but not least Death Penalty.

Laws

            When it came to Laws, many of them involved Punishments to fit Crimes. The universal law strictly observed in Egypt. They really followed the law, but if they didn’t respect that rule they will have consequences. The Ancient Egyptian laws were headed and dominated by the Pharaoh. That means that Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s made up those rules. The Laws included crime such as murder, theft, sacrilege, and attempt to spy on the Pharaoh. Breaking this law would cause a punishments or Death Penalty. Therefore their laws were taking seriously.

Crimes and Punishments

            Capital Punishment in Egypt can be traced back to the Ancient Egypt. Other punishment included branding, exile, mutilation, drowning, beheading, and burning alive. That was their punishment if they didn’t respect the law. If someone was caught doing something bad their punishment will be savage or they would take that criminal to the pharaoh and the pharaoh will chose the punishment. This is trying to say is the pharaoh will chose that punishment. One of the punishments were one hundred strokes of cane, and if the crime was worse, five bleeding cuts were added. Whoever does something really bad they will cause themselves DEATH.

Death Penalty

            Death penalty was applied whoever killed a bunch of Ancient people. Death penalty is applied whoever breaks the Ma’at. Whoever breaks the Ma’at they would die by the Death Penalty. One of the Death Penalty was methods of execution included beheading, sacrifice, and drowning in the Nile River in a closed sack. If they do something worse they will burn them alive and drowning with a closed sack. Death Penalty was whoever was stealing things from the Pharaoh’s tomb and get in then pyramid. These are some of the things they don’t want to see.

 Oh well did you learn anything today? I wish you did. You learned about the Laws, Crime, punishments, and Death Penalty. In the time Pharaohs ruled Egypt but they had their punishments , and laws. Never disrespect the laws.