MyFirstLibraryofKnowledge Ancient Worlds · theancientEgyptians.Forfour monthseachyearitflooded,...

My First Library of Knowledge

AncientWorlds

Orpheus

YCE Ancient worlds FINAL:YCE Ancient worlds FINAL 10/26/10 12:07 PM

EXPLORE the worldas it was thousandsof years ago. Meet thebuilders of the GreatWallof China and learn howto mummify a pharaoh.March with the Romanarmy and wanderthrough the HangingGardens of Babylon. Ortravel even further backand see the first cavepaintings being made.This book takes you onan unforgettable journeyto the ancient world.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTIONFirst published in 2006 by Orpheus Books Ltd.,

6 Church Green,Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4AW

Copyright © 2006 Orpheus Books Ltd.

Created and produced by Julia Bruce, Rachel

Coombs, Nicholas Harris and Sarah Hartley, Orpheus

Books Ltd.

Text Julia Bruce

Consultant PhilipWilkinson

Illustrated by Nicki Palin, Peter Dennis

and Gary Hincks

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior

written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 1 901323 XX X

A CIP record for this book is available from the

British Library.

Printed and bound in Singapore

4 CAVE DWELLERS

6 THE FIRST FARMERS

8 LIFE IN ANCIENT

EGYPT

10 PYRAMIDS

12 MUMMIES

14 INSIDE A TOMB

16 LIFE IN BIBLICAL

TIMES

18 ANCIENT BABYLON

20 ANCIENT GREECE

22 ANCIENT CHINA

24 GREAT WALL OF

CHINA

26 THE ROMAN EMPIRE

28 ROMAN

ENGINEERING

30 INSIDE A ROMAN

HOUSE

32 INDEX

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Around 30,000 years ago,humans in Europe beganto paint on the walls oftheir cave dwellings.They

drew mainly animals andhunting scenes.They alsoscratched images into therock using sharp stones.

INSIDE THE CAVEOn the walls, artists paintedpictures of animals: bison, deer,horses and goats.They usedcharcoal and ground-up clay,called ochre.They made hand-prints by blowing paint from

their mouths over their outspreadhands. During ceremonies held inthe cave, people might have actedout hunts. Here they are dressedup in the skins of animals, such aswild boars, bears and wolves,performing a dance.

CAVE DWELLERS

4 5

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Temple

THE F IRST FARMERS

FORTHOUSANDSof years early humanssurvived by huntinganimals and gatheringplants.This meant theywere often on the movein search of food.

Then, about 11,000 yearsago, people discoveredhow to grow certain foodplants and keep animals,such as goats. Now theyno longer had to movefrom place to place.

well as keep livestock. People stillhunted wild animals and fished inthe rivers.The villagers built hutsfrom wood and stone, and madethatched roofs from grass or reeds.They stored food to eat in winter.Some villagers spent their timesewing, weaving and making pots.

AN EARLY VILLAGE

People began to settle in smallvillages, often close to water, as inthis village in northern Europe.They cut down trees to make roomfor fields where they could planttheir crops.They could now growbarley, wheat and other grains, as

Pigs

Cattle

Grinding grainMakingpots

Sewing andbasketweaving

Repairingthatch

Boat building

Fishing

Dryingfish

Harvestingcrops

Tree fellingHunting

Building

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HUNTING

Dangerous animals, such ascrocodiles, lived in swampyareas along the banks of theNile. Hippopotamuses were anuisance to the Egyptians.Theytrampled their crops andfrightened their cattle.Daring hunters usedspecial harpoons tokill them.

L IFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Shaduf

AGREAT civilizationgrew up along the

banks of the River Nilein Egypt about 5000years ago.The peoplelived by hunting, farming

and fishing.They werealso skilled craftworkersand artists. Egyptiankings, known as pharaohs,were thought of as godsby their subjects.

River Nile

Waterchannel

Threshing cornHarvesting crops

Mud-brick house

THE RIVER NILE

The River Nile, which flowedthrough Egypt’s deserts, was vital tothe ancient Egyptians. For fourmonths each year it flooded,leaving a layer of rich black soilalong its banks. It was ideal for

growing crops, such as barley andemmer, a kind of wheat.The Nilealso provided water for animals,such as oxen and goats.Theywere also used to work the land.The farmers lived in simple mud-brick houses near their fields.The Nile was also a vitalwaterway. Cargo boats travelledup and down it each day.

Farmers used ashaduf to lift waterout of the waterchannels. It had astone weight atone end and abucket at the other.

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Pyramid

Valley temple

King’schamber

PYRAMIDS

PYRAMIDS were builtas huge tombs forpharaohs when they died.

Perimeter wall

Neat rows of mud-brick tombs, calledmastabas, were builtfor the pharaoh’srelatives and courtiers.

The pharaoh’scoffin wasbrought to thevalley templeby boat. It wastaken up thecauseway to thepyramid.

Mortuary temple

Mastabas

Causeway

“Satellite”pyramid

The largest one, the GreatPyramid of Khufu, was147 metres high.

It took thousands ofworkers more than twentyyears to build a singlepyramid. Most of the

pyramids still stand todayabove the banks of theNile, 4500 years after theywere completed.

BUILDINGTHE PYRAMIDS

We do not know exactly how thepyramids were built but workersprobably dragged the huge stonesfrom nearby quarried.Then as thepyramid became higher, a massiveramp was built up with it.Workershauled blocks of stone up the ramp

on sledges. Finally, the pyramidwas cased in smooth whitelimestone and painted red.Thevery top block was covered ingold, so that it shone in the sun.

INSIDE THE PYRAMIDS

Inside the Great Pyramid ofKhufu at Giza, there areseveral passageways andburial chambers.They mayhave been built to foolthieves. Despite this, manypyramids were still robbedof their treasures.The pharaoh’s coffin wasplaced in the King’s Chamber.

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MUMMIESThese men aremaking thepharaoh’s body intoa mummy. Theyhave taken out the

organs and placedthem in special jars.Now they arewrapping the bodyin linen bandages.

Mummy

Jars fororgans

Coffin lid

Linenbandages

“Opening the mouth”was an importantpart of a pharaoh’sfuneral. Thisceremony ensuredpharaoh couldbreathe, eat and talkin the afterlife. Herea priest dressed asthe jackal-headedgod Anubis holds upthe mummy.Anubis was thegod of makingmummies.

MAKING A MUMMY

First the brain, lungs, liver andother organs were removed andput into special jars.The heart wasleft in the body.The Egyptiansbelieved it was used for thinkingand would be needed in theafterlife.The body was dried outusing salt. It was then covered withspices and resin (sticky tree-sap).The inside was packed with sand.Finally, the body was carefullywrapped in linen bandages.

The Egyptiansbelieved that their

pharaoh was a god. Hewould come to life againafter he died, but only ifhis body did not decay.They prevented thisfrom happening byturning the bodyinto a mummy.

Some pharaoh mummies havesurvived right up to the presentday.This (above) is the mummy ofRamesses II. His reign lasted for66 years.This powerful ruler wasfather to more than 100 children!

THE FACE OF A PHARAOH

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INSIDE A TOMB

THE MUMMIFIED body ofa dead pharaoh was laid to

rest in a stone coffin called asarcophagus. Priests said prayersfor the pharaoh’s spiritor ka.Treasures andthings the pharaohmight need in theafterlife, such asfood, wine,furniture and finejewellery werepiled up insidethe tomb.

VALLEY OFTHE KINGS

Pharaohs used to havetheir tombs in pyramids,but these were oftenrobbed. Later pharaohswere buried in tombscarved out of the rock intheValley of the Kings.They hoped these tombswould be more difficultto rob. Some had a wellshaft to drain awaywater if the tomb everflooded.The well wasalso a barrier to thieves.The burial chamber washidden behind manyrooms and passageways.It was sealed shut withblocks of stone.

Pharaoh’streasures.

Well shaft

Outer passage

Burialchamber

Stonesarcophagus

Wall decorations

Hieroglyphs(Egyptian writing)

Priest

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L IFE IN B IBLICAL T IMES

THE PEOPLE living inIsrael about 3000 years

ago were called Hebrews.They came to Israel fromexile in Egypt.At times theybattled with the Philistineswho already lived there.Theyfinally settled, and becameshepherds andfarmers.

THE TEMPLE

David’s son, King Solomon, builta magnificent temple (right) to theHebrew god,Yahweh. It was madefrom stone, cedarwood, bronzeand gold. It housed the Ark of theCovenant, which contained theTen Commandments.

JERUSALEMJerusalem was originally a Philistinecity. It was well defended with strongstone walls.The Hebrew king, David,captured Jerusalem and made it hiscapital. He built a great palace in thenorth of the city to mark his victory.

A typical house was made of mud andpainted white to reflect the hot sun. Itwas build on two levels. The flat roofwas used for drying fruit. People oftenslept there on hot nights.

The city was protectedby strong stone wallsand entry controlled byguards at the gates.

Jerusalem stood on top of ahill with steep valleys onthree sides.

Temple

Ark of theCovenant

King David’spalace

The East orWater Gate

City walls

Mud brickhouses

A shepherd

Mound

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ANCIENT BABYLON

BABYLON becameone of the richest

cities in the world underKing Nebuchadnezzar II.Before him, the city hadbeen under the rule of thewarlike Assyrians, whoeventually destroyed it.

When Nebuchadnezzarbecame king in 604 BC,he changed Babylon’sfortunes. He fought manywars and created a hugeempire. He used wealthfrom his conquests torebuild the city.

ZIGGURATSZiggurat was the Assyrian wordfor mountaintop. Ziggurats weretowering stepped pyramids witha temple at the very top.Theywere built in the Middle Eastthousands of years ago.Theywere believed to be stairwayslinking heaven and earth.King Nebuchadnezzarbuilt a huge ziggurattemple to the god Marduk

in the centre of Babylon.

THE HANGING GARDENS

Nebuchadnezzar created theHanging Gardens toremind his wife,Amytis, of thegreen hills ofMedia, herhomeland.Water waspumped upfrom the riverand ran downthrough the gardens ascooling streams. Sadly, notrace of the Hanging Gardensremains today.

The Ishtar Gatewas the greatnorthern entranceinto the city ofBabylon.

The lush gardensare thought to havebeen built onarched terraces.

Stairway

Temple

1918


ANCIENT GREECE

THE GREEK city ofAthens was rich and

powerful around 440 BC.At the heart of the citywas the market square oragora. Public meetings

were held here and goodsand slaves were bought andsold. On a hill above thecity stood the Parthenon.This was a temple to thegoddess Athena

AT HOME

A typical home ofa wealthy Greekfamily was builtround an opencourtyard. It was usually twostoreys high with bedrooms and aroom for women, called the gynaeceum, upstairs.The kitchens, a bathroom and the men’s diningarea, or andron, were downstairs. Slaves wouldprepare the food, and do all the domestic workaround the house.

GREEK PASTIMES

Plays were popularwith both men andwomen.The Greeksalso enjoyed sports.The ancient OlympicGames were heldevery four years, butonly men wereallowed to compete.

The audience sat on stone seats in anopen-air amphitheatre. All the actorswere men. They wore specialcharacter masks so that evenpeople sitting right at theback could still tell whowas who.

A Greek house wasbuilt of wood and mudbricks. Its roof wasmade of pottery tiles.

Andron

Bathroom

Bedroom

Gynaeceum

Well

Kitchen

Market stalls

Soldiers Slave market

A temple

Parthenon

Public meetingShops

Agora

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ANCIENT CHINA TERRACOTTA ARMY

Despite his great power, therewas one thing Qin Shi Huangdiwas afraid of: death. He madeelaborate plans for his burial.When he died in 210 BC, morethan 7500 life-size soldiers, anddozens of horses, all made of abaked clay called terracotta,were buried alongside him in histomb.They were there to protect

QINSHI HUANGDIwas China’s first

emperor. He was a verypowerful man. He endedyears of war in Chinaand kept order by killinganyone who opposed

him. His laws were verystrict. He made everyonepay tax and use the samesort of money, weightsand way of writing. ShiHuangdi also built newroads across the country.

the emperor’s spirit. Every statue,based on a real person, wasdifferent.They were originallypainted in bright colours andcarried real weapons.

The ancient Chinesewere great inventors. Aswell as gunpowder,rockets and paper, they

invented an earthquakedetector. When themachine was shaken byearth tremors, a ballwould drop from one ofthe eight dragons’mouths into a waitingtoad’s mouth. Thisindicated the directionof the quake.

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BUILDING THE WALL

More than 300,000 soldiers,peasants and convicts helped tobuild the GreatWall.They usedstone from nearby quarries, woodand earth. Many died in theprocess and their bodies wereburied inside the wall. Soldiers

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

IN 214 BC Emperor QinShi Huangdi, orderedthe building of a great

were stationed in watchtowers allalong the wall’s 3000-km length.They sent messages to one anotherby smoke signals. Messages couldtravel from one end of the wall tothe other in less than a day.

Quarrying stone

wall to protect the northof China from attack byits enemies.

Watchtower

Workers

Tower

Soldiers

EmperorBamboo

scaffolding

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THE ROMAN EMPIRE

TWO thousand yearsago the Romans ruled

most of Europe and beyond.Their way of life spreadacross the empire.Theybuilt roads, aqueducts, andfine buildings in the landsthey conquered. Many peoplelearned to speak and write inLatin, the language of Rome.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

In AD 117, the Roman Empirestretched from Britain to theMiddle East.Today the samearea includes more than 40countries.The Romansgoverned their empirewell and protectedit from otherinvaders.Theempire lastedfor nearly500 years.

THE ROMAN ARMY

The Romans were successfulin conquering their hugeempire because of their well-trained and organized army.Ordinary footsoldiers werecalled legionaries (right).Their officers were centurions(left).The army became verypowerful. It crushed anyrebellions within the empireand could even control whobecame emperor.

The testudo (tortoise)formation of lockedshields protectedsoldiers from arrows.

The standard was thesymbol of each legion orcentury. It was carried intobattle by the aquilifer (left)or the signifer (below).

The Roman Empireat its greatest extent

Britain

Spain

Judea

Rome

Gaul

GreeceAsia Minor

Mediterranean Sea

Africa

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ROMAN ENGINEERING

THE ROMANS wereexpert builders and

engineers.They builtthousands of kilometres ofroads across their empire.

They also built greataqueducts: long stonechannels that carriedwater into towns andcities from rivers or lakes.

Aqueducts werea great challengeof engineering.They had to bebuilt with just theright slope allalong theirlength so thatwater ran freely.Where anaqueduct crosseda valley, Romanengineers built ahuge stone orbrick structure.Some of thesestructures stillstand today.

Supervising engineer

Crane

Woodenscaffolding

Woodenarchframe

Mixingmortar

Barge

ROAD BUILDING

Roman roads were builtto last.Workers wouldfirst dig out a trench thenstamp down the base.Alayer of sand was laid tomake the road level.Stones and clay followedthen a layer of concretewith stones or brokenpottery.A final layer ofconcrete or flat slabscompleted the road.

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There werefew windowsor doors on tothe noisystreet. The lowerrooms at the frontwere often rented outto shops and traders.

Most houses had bedroomson an upper floor. Herethey overlooked a tranquilgarden, called a peristyle.

Pool(Impluvium)

Garden(Peristyle)

Atrium

Shops

Street

WEALTHY Romans wouldown a large town house

or domus. It was plain on theoutside but luxurious on theinside. It had a grand space inthe centre called the atrium. Thishad an open roof to let in light.

INSIDE AROMAN HOUSE

LIVING IN A DOMUS

At the centre of the atrium was a rain-water pool beneath an open skylight.The atrium was ornately decoratedand guests to the house werewelcomed there.The dining room andbedrooms were lavishly furnished.Thehouse also had running water and

underfloor heating.

Upper storeybedrooms

Dining room(Triclinium)

Kitchen

Bakery

Study

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INDEXAactors 21afterlife 13, 14agora 20amphitheatre 21Amytis 19ancient Babylon18-19

ancient China22-23, 24-25

ancient Egypt 8-9,10-11, 12-13,14-15, 16

ancient Greece20-21

andron 21Anubis 13aqueducts 26, 28-29aquilifer 27Ark of the Covenant17

artists 4-5, 8Assyrians 18-19Athens 20-21atrium 30-31

BBabylon 18-19boats 9, 11building 6-7, 10-11,19, 24-25, 26,28-29

burial 14-15, 23, 25

Ccave dwellers 4-5cave painting 4-5caves 4-5

centurions 26ceremonies 5, 13China 22-23, 24-25crocodiles 8

DDavid, King 16-17deserts 9domus 30-31

EFearthquake detector23

Egypt 8-9, 10-11,12-13, 14-15, 16

emperors 22-23, 24, 26Europe 4, 7farming 6-7, 8-9, 16fishing 7, 8

Ggarden 30Giza 11gods 8, 13, 17, 19Marduk 19Yahweh 17

GreatWall of China24-25

Greece 20-21gynaeceum 21

HIHanging Gardens ofBabylon 19

Hebrews 16-17hieroglyphs 15hippopotamuses 8hunting 4-5, 6-7inventions 23

Ishtar Gate 18Israel 16

JKLJerusalem 16-17ka 14Khufu 10-11Latin 26legionaries 26

MMarduk 19mastabas 11Media 19mummies 12-13, 14

NONebuchadnezzar II,King 18-19Nile, River 8-9, 11Olympic Games 21“opening the mouth”ceremony 13

Ppainting 4-5Parthenon 20peristyle 30pharaohs 8, 10-11,12-13, 14-15

Philistines 16plays 21pyramids 10-11, 15,19

QQin Shi Huangdi22-23, 24

RRamesses 11 13rivers 7, 8-9, 11, 19,28

Nile 8-9, 11roads 22, 26, 29Roman Army 26-27Roman Empire26-27, 28-29

Roman engineering28-29

Roman house 30-31Roman roads 29Rome 26-27

SSahara Desert 9sarcophagus 14-15shaduf 8shepherds 16signifer 27slaves 20-21Solomon, King 17

Ttax 22temple 11, 17, 19, 20Ten Commandments17

terracotta army 23testudo 27tomb 10-11, 14-15

WYZwriting 15, 22Yahweh 17ziggurats 19

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