1 00:00:10,934 --> 00:00:20,979 Laurie had just come home from school when she heard a light hammering sound coming from Grandpa's study. 2 00:00:20,980 --> 00:00:26,234 Curious, she tapped on the door. "Grandpa? Can I come in?" 3 00:00:26,235 --> 00:00:33,505 "Just a second!" Grandpa answered. Laurie heard lots of shuffling. "Enter!" 4 00:00:33,506 --> 00:00:39,764 Grandpa was sitting empty-handed at his desk, but there were wood shavings everywhere. 5 00:00:39,765 --> 00:00:43,478 "Aren't you supposed to be at school?" he asked. 6 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:49,423 "It's over at three. What were you doing in here?" Laurie said suspiciously. 7 00:00:49,424 --> 00:00:53,106 She saw something wooden poking out from underneath a book. 8 00:00:53,107 --> 00:00:59,077 "Aha!" she cried, pulling the object out. "What's this?" 9 00:00:59,078 --> 00:01:03,367 "Well, Miss Nosy, that's your birthday present. 10 00:01:03,368 --> 00:01:06,916 But now it won't be a surprise," Grandpa said. 11 00:01:06,917 --> 00:01:13,762 It was a wooden crocodile with a string attached to the top of its head so the mouth could be opened and shut. 12 00:01:13,763 --> 00:01:18,354 Laurie pulled the string and snapped the crocodile's jaws. 13 00:01:18,355 --> 00:01:22,453 "It's an ancient Egyptian toy," Grandpa said. 14 00:01:22,454 --> 00:01:28,172 "I made this, but if you were a child in ancient Egypt, you might have something similar. 15 00:01:28,173 --> 00:01:38,740 Crocodiles were a significant part of Egyptian life because the civilization was built along the Nile River, and many crocodiles lived there. 16 00:01:38,741 --> 00:01:43,587 The Egyptian civilization has been called the gift of the Nile, 17 00:01:43,588 --> 00:01:50,466 because the Egyptians depended on the river for many things, including irrigation and fertilizer. 18 00:01:50,467 --> 00:01:57,310 It flooded every year, supplying much-needed water and nutrients to the surrounding land. 19 00:01:57,311 --> 00:02:00,352 This made farming easy for the Egyptians. 20 00:02:00,353 --> 00:02:05,850 The soft, wet land also made good mud for building mud-brick houses. 21 00:02:05,851 --> 00:02:14,427 And the river unified the people of the area by providing a convenient highway for transportation and communication. 22 00:02:14,428 --> 00:02:17,906 Ancient Egypt was an agricultural society. 23 00:02:17,907 --> 00:02:22,794 Do you know what that means? It means life depended heavily on farming. 24 00:02:22,795 --> 00:02:30,717 If you were a little Egyptian girl living about four thousand years ago, your father would probably be a grain farmer. 25 00:02:30,718 --> 00:02:40,390 Grains were the most common crop, especially wheat and barley, which were used to make bread and beer—the most typical food and drink. 26 00:02:40,391 --> 00:02:45,187 Unfortunately children didn't get to go to school like you do now. 27 00:02:45,188 --> 00:02:49,004 You'd probably spend most days helping your parents. 28 00:02:49,005 --> 00:02:53,528 During harvest season maybe you would bundle wheat on the farm. 29 00:02:53,529 --> 00:03:00,291 Or perhaps you'd be at home, helping to cook or take care of the vegetable garden near your house. 30 00:03:00,292 --> 00:03:09,702 But Egypt wasn't all farms. If you were a well-to-do Egyptian family, you might live near a city," Grandpa said, looking around his desk. 31 00:03:09,703 --> 00:03:13,770 He handed Laurie a drawing of an ancient Egyptian city. 32 00:03:13,771 --> 00:03:20,719 "What's this big thing?" Laurie asked, pointing to a large structure rising above palm trees. 33 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,761 "And what's that funny picture of a bird with a beach ball?" 34 00:03:24,762 --> 00:03:30,415 "That's the temple to the sun god, Ra. 35 00:03:30,416 --> 00:03:37,065 He was the most important god, as the Egyptians thought he was responsible for the rising sun, 36 00:03:37,066 --> 00:03:40,128 which brought light and nourishment to their land. 37 00:03:40,129 --> 00:03:43,134 Many temples were built in worship to him. 38 00:03:43,135 --> 00:03:45,961 And that's not a bird with a beach ball! 39 00:03:45,962 --> 00:03:50,857 That's ‘Ra' in hieroglyphics, an ancient form of writing. 40 00:03:50,858 --> 00:03:56,888 Just as the sun looks different throughout the day, Ra appeared in many different forms. 41 00:03:56,889 --> 00:04:03,959 But most often he was shown as a falcon carrying the great, big sun over his head. 42 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:09,957 Every morning he rose from underground and traveled across the sky in a boat. 43 00:04:09,958 --> 00:04:13,665 And every evening he went back beneath the ground. 44 00:04:13,666 --> 00:04:19,457 He had the most important job of all—creator of the universe. 45 00:04:19,458 --> 00:04:24,396 The next most important job was that of the pharaoh, the Egyptian king. 46 00:04:24,397 --> 00:04:33,685 Pharaohs were considered part god. They were in charge of politics, the military, and the welfare of their citizens. 47 00:04:33,686 --> 00:04:37,703 They were also the link between the gods and humans. 48 00:04:37,704 --> 00:04:42,994 Without the pharaoh, Egyptians thought, the world would end up in chaos! 49 00:04:42,995 --> 00:04:47,955 But the pharaohs lived a life of luxury compared to common farmers. 50 00:04:47,956 --> 00:04:56,263 They owned most of the land, lived in huge palaces with many servants, and could get whatever they wanted. 51 00:04:56,264 --> 00:05:01,189 Both their responsibilities and wealth continued after death too. 52 00:05:01,190 --> 00:05:10,318 When a pharaoh died, Egyptians believed he became the king of the dead and buried him in an elaborate tomb. 53 00:05:10,319 --> 00:05:17,636 In order for him to be able to perform his duties properly, he had to be buried with everything he would need. 54 00:05:17,637 --> 00:05:22,981 This included his body, which was preserved, and his most valuable possessions. 55 00:05:22,982 --> 00:05:29,583 Inside the tomb the walls were also covered with paintings of slaves, food, and animals. 56 00:05:29,584 --> 00:05:34,399 You've seen pictures of the pyramids of Giza, right? 57 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,617 Those magnificent structures were tombs for pharaohs! 58 00:05:39,618 --> 00:05:43,603 The tomb paintings have taught us a lot about the Egyptians. 59 00:05:43,604 --> 00:05:47,245 For example, one of their favorite sports was hunting. 60 00:05:47,246 --> 00:05:52,057 Egyptians are thought to be the first people to hunt purely for pleasure. 61 00:05:52,058 --> 00:06:00,878 The area around the Nile was full of wildlife; they hunted birds, gazelles, lions, and hippopotamuses! 62 00:06:00,879 --> 00:06:04,694 Hippo hunts seem to have been particularly popular. 63 00:06:04,695 --> 00:06:08,334 Hippos, you know, live mostly in the water. 64 00:06:08,335 --> 00:06:12,815 Egyptians hunted them with long spears from boats. 65 00:06:12,816 --> 00:06:18,869 Hippo ahead!" Grandpa cried, jumping up and pretending to spot something in the distance. 66 00:06:18,870 --> 00:06:24,119 "Attack!" he yelled as he hurled an imaginary spear into the air. 67 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:31,082 "Grandpa, did they hunt crocodiles?" Laurie asked worriedly, holding the toy on her palm. 68 00:06:31,083 --> 00:06:35,700 Grandpa returned from his fantasy hippo hunt and looked at Laurie. 69 00:06:35,701 --> 00:06:42,327 "Well, I haven't seen any pictures of it, but hunting dangerous animals was a way to earn respect. 70 00:06:42,328 --> 00:06:51,458 And crocodiles are pretty dangerous. But crocodiles were associated with the water god, whom Egyptians both feared and honored. 71 00:06:51,459 --> 00:06:56,485 So perhaps your little crocodile would have been spared." 72 00:06:56,486 --> 00:07:01,822 Grandpa smiled and tapped the crocodile on its head. Laurie smiled too. 73 00:07:01,823 --> 00:07:06,042 "Laurie! I'm home!" Mom called from downstairs. 74 00:07:06,043 --> 00:07:10,225 "Hi, Mom! I'll be right down!" Laurie hollered back. 75 00:07:10,226 --> 00:07:19,346 "Thanks, Grandpa. I'll pretend I never saw this," she said, putting the crocodile back on the desk. "Until next time!" 76 00:07:19,347 --> 00:07:27,322 "Until next time! Bye, Laurie!"