About 5,000 years ago, a remarkable civilization grew up along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt .  The land around Egypt was very fertile (due to the River Nile flooding every year).

The country of Egypt was ruled by kings called Pharoahs. The ancient Egyptians saw their Pharaoh as a god, more specifically as the god Horus. They thought that when the pharaoh died, a new Horus was born to rule on earth, thus achieving eternal life. In reality, the pharaohs headed the government, the army, set taxes, judged criminals and were high priests of all the temples. All this was in theory, of course. Appointed officials did most of the work, in his name.

In hieroglyphics, pharaoh means “great house” or “palace”, a word that was eventually used to describe the king himself.

The Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. They thought that when you died you would live in the afterlife for eternity.