1. A guide to Ancient Egypt by Amy Innes.

2. Egypt is officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt. In 2012 the population was just over 83 million. Egypt is bordered by the Gaza strip,Israel,Libya and Sudan as well as the Mediterranean sea and the Red sea.

3. The official language of Egypt is Arabic,but other languages like English and French are also understood by many.

4. Most Ancient Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs (rulers of Ancient Egypt) and their families. To date, over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.

5. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. This incredible structure weighs as much as 16 Empire State buildings!

6. The Egyptian alphabet contained more than 700 hieroglyphs

7. Ancient Egyptians believed in more than 2,000 gods. They had gods for everything from, dangers to chores! Each had different responsibilities and needed to be worshipped so that life could be kept in balance.

8. Cats were considered to be a sacred animal by the Ancient Egyptians. It's thought that most families kept a cat as a pet, which they believed would bring the household good luck!

9. The Ancient Egyptians invented lots of things we still use today, such as paper, pens, locks and keys and - believe it or not - toothpaste !

10. The afterlife was incredibly important to the Egyptians. They believed that by preserving a dead person's body - which they did through the process of mummification - their soul would live on in the after-life forever.

11. The Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that they had to preserve their bodies so they could use them in the afterlife

12. The Egyptians believed that when they died, they would make a journey to another world where they would lead a new life. They would need all the things they had used when they were alive, so their families would put those things in their graves. Egyptians paid vast amounts of money to have their bodies properly preserved. Egyptians who were poor were buried in the sand whilst the rich ones were buried in a tomb

13. It took a very long time, from start to finish, it took about 70 days to embalm a body. The priest in charge would wear the mask of a jackal representing the god Anubis. 1. The body was washed and purified. 2. Organs were removed. Only the heart remained. 3. The body was filled with stuffing. 4. The body was dried by covering it with a substance called natron*. This substance absorbed all the moisture from the body. 5. After 40 - 50 days the stuffing was removed and replaced with linen or sawdust. 6. The body was wrapped in strands of linen and covered in a sheet called a shroud. 7. The body was placed in a stone coffin called a sarcophagus. The mummy was now ready for its journey to the afterlife

14. Thanks for listening to my story of Ancient Egypt