The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

by Elizabeth Payne

Book Overview

For more than 3,000 years, Egypt was a great civilization that thrived along the banks of the Nile River. But when its cities crumbled to dust, Egypt's culture and the secrets of its hieroglyphic writings were also lost. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt explains how archaeologists have pieced together their discoveries to slowly reveal the history of Egypt's people, its pharaohs, and its golden days.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394846990
• ISBN13: 9780394846996
• Release Date: February 1981
• Publisher: Landmark Books (Random House)
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Pharaohs!

The mythology of Egypt can be fun, but the history is what really draws your attention. A clear part of Egyptian history is her pharaohs, and this book follows the line of ancient pharaohs with adequately-sized sections for each. If you are looking for specific details this might not be very helpful, but it is very good for reading about the bigger stories. This is a great book to help start young readers on their road to learning about Ancient Egypt. A 'must have' for any Egypt-history-lover!

An Effective Introduction to Ancient Egypt for Children

Written for children who are independent readers, Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt was, nevertheless, a fascinating introduction to Ancient Egypt for all my children. My younger daughter was in first grade at the time and needed some help with the reading, but the stories themselves were of great interest to her. It was fun for me to see all three of them learn about the Rosetta Stone and other archaeological discoveries, most of which I hadn't learned about until I was well past childhood. It's amazing what children will find interesting when it comes wrapped in a story. Although some may regard the story-telling as somewhat fanciful (obviously we don't really know what most of these people really thought or felt), the author has succeeded in her quest to bring the attention of the reader into the context of the history she describes. We bought this book along with the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Eqypt, which listed it as one of its primary texts for children's history. I recommend that book, along Tony Allan's Time Traveller Book of Pharaohs and Pyramids, if you are going to teach your children the history of ancient Egypt. The Greenleaf book helps you organize your children's study with questions and projects (along with recommended resources), while the well-illustrated Time Traveller book helps the children visualize what they're reading about.

Excellent introduction to Egypt!

This is a wonderful general introduction tot he study of ancient Egypt. Caution: This is really meant for grades 7 and up. The langauge is difficult for younger ones,even as a read-aloud. Also, the first chapter is mostly conjecture about the beginning of civilization in the Nile River Valley. You can skip it. Overall, it is fascinating reading.

Facinating and excellent--it makes history come alive!

We bought this book for our year of study of Egypt in Home School. Since we are following a classical approach, my oldest son is only in2nd grade. though recommended for this age by various home educators, I"ve found that I've had to summarize some of it for him. or he got bogged down. Still, we love it!

Fascinating reading even for adults!

As a home-schooling father, I bought this book to supplement our study of ancient history for my son (grade 7) and daughter (grade 5). My son who likes history is enjoying it; and although my daughter finds the reading a little difficult at times, she likes it OK, too. I found it very well written and informative. Starting out with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the author takes the reader on a journey of Egypt's remote past to the lives of the great Pharoahs. The history of ancient Egypt from the Nile valley to the military campaigns in the Middle East of Thutmose III and Rameses II are covered in good story-telling fashion. Included throughout are desciptions of the ancient Egyptians' religious beliefs and culture. Black-and-white illustrations support the text. Although it is suggested for 9-12 year olds, I would recommend it for older readers as well.