Explore the Ancient World Student Research Guide

Logan, Claudia and Melissa Sweet. The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2002. Readers follow a fictional family to Egypt in 1924 to an actual expedition led by American Egyptologist and archaeologist, Dr. George Reisner. Written in diary form from the perspective of young Will Hunt, who joins the expedition, the book communicates the mystery and excitement of an archaeological dig. 41 pages. Fiction.

McGraw, Eloise. Mara, Daughter of the Nile. New York: Puffin Books, 1990. Mara is a 17-year-old Egyptian slave girl living during the reign of Hatshepsut, around 1550 B.C. 279 pages. Fiction.

Rubalcaba, Jill. A Place in the Sun. New York: Penguin Putnam Books, 1998. In ancient Egypt, the gifted young son of a sculptor is taken into slavery when he attempts to save his father's life. He is almost killed before his exceptional talent leads the pharaoh to name him Royal Sculptor. 96 pages. Fiction.

Sabuda, Robert. Tutankhamen's Gift. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997. This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of a young boy who was often overlooked until the sudden death of his older brother, the pharaoh. Upon taking the throne at age 10, Tutankhamen began to restore the monuments and temples that his predecessor worked to destroy. 32 pages. Fiction.

Nonfiction Books

Andronik, Catherine, M. Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself. New York: Atheneum, 2001. This is a picture-book story telling of Egypt's only successful female pharaoh. A map and time line are also included in this 2002 NCSS Notable Book. It is a good selection for English language learners. 40 pages. Nonfiction.

Donoughue, Carol. The Mystery of the Hieroglyphs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Donoughue traces the story of how hieroglyphs began with simple drawings of everyday objects. She then describes the race to decipher them after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. Photographs and drawings, maps, time lines, a glossary, and numerous descriptive sidebars support this entertaining narrative. 48 pages. Nonfiction.

Ganeri, Anita and Fiona MacDonald. Discovery Plus: Pyramid Builders. San Diego: Silver Dolphin, 2000. Travel back in time to ancient Egypt to read and write hieroglyphics. Learn about the inner architecture of the pyramids, the gods of ancient Egypt, plus many other topics. 48 pages. Nonfiction.

Green, Roger. Tales of Ancient Egypt. New York: Puffin Books, 1996. This is a concise, easy-to-read collection of myths, folktales, and legends of ancient Egypt. 256 pages. Nonfiction.

Tanaka, Shelley. Secrets of the Mummies: Uncovering the Bodies of Ancient Egyptians. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2000. Tanaka describes Egyptian burial practices and mummification techniques with information on the methods of scientists who discover these things today. This is a NCSS Notable Book for 2000. 48 pages. Nonfiction.

Web Sites

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk
Ancient Egypt—The British Museum. Provides a wealth of information on all aspects of Egyptian life, including the local religion, pyramids, and mummification. Each section has a description of the subject, a story incorporating pictures or animation, and an interactive web activity. Teachers will like the "Staff Room" pages that outline the objectives covered on the site and provide discussion questions, activity sheets, and more to enhance classroom study of ancient Egypt.

http://www.bediz.com/hatshep/index.html
Hatshepsut: The Queen Who Would Be King. Survey the story of Hatshepsut and absorb the intriguing facts about this woman-pharaoh who ruled Egypt for almost twenty years. You can see her family tree, learn about the journeys made to Punt for exotic goods, and then view photographs from her temple. See Hatshepsut's cartouche, and then type in your own name to reveal what it would be like in hieroglyphics.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/
The History of Ancient Egypt. Go to these pages for more information about ancient Egypt. The time line shows important people in the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Click on the link in the New Kingdom section to read about Ramses the Great. Then learn about Egyptian accomplishments in architecture, like the construction of the Sphinx, and read up on their military. There are even maps of the region. Try to locate the Nile River and the Valley of the Kings.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/
BBC—History—Egyptians. What could Egyptian women do? Could they rule? Serve as priestesses? These pages discuss many aspects of Egyptian culture, including the role of women. Remember to take the challenge to oversee the construction of a pyramid and supervise the mummification of a body, two of the many activities in the "Multimedia Zone."

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/
National Geographic: Secrets of Egypt. Read fascinating articles about animal mummies and how the Bubonic Plague might have started in Egypt. Finish a cartoon about King Tut, take a short quiz, and even learn how to make a three-dimensional model of a tomb or a mummy case. This site will keep you both entertained and informed!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
National Geographic. Discover maps of the world, historical photographs, and interactive adventures on the National Geographic site.