How do we know so much about Ancient Egypt?

What can we still see from Ancient Egypt today?

A photo of the Great Sphinx and the pyramids in the background. — Image caption,
Lots of Ancient Egyptian artifacts can be seen today, like the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza in Cairo.

Many things from Ancient Egypt can still be seen today.

We can still see the pyramids (huge, triangular-shaped structures used as a tomb for Pharaohs), the Sphinx (a statue with the body of a lion and the head of a human), temples , statues and tombs (special places where people were buried after they died).

As pharaohs were often buried with a lot of their wealth and objects that were important to them, we have learned a lot about their lives from their tombs.

These remains show us how Ancient Egyptians lived, worked and worshipped their gods.

Some artefacts (objects made or used by people in the past) are also in museums, like the British Museum.

Popular artefacts include Tutankhamun’s golden mask, statues of Pharaohs, jewellery and ancient tools.

Visitors can explore these museums to learn even more about Ancient Egypt.

Important words

Important words on how we know so much about Ancient Egypt.

Keyword	Definition
Artefacts	Object made or used by people long ago that helps us learn about how they lived.
Pyramids	Huge, triangular-shaped structures used as a tomb for pharaohs.
Sphinx	A statue with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Some sphinx statues also had the wings of a bird.
Temples	Special places where people were buried after they died.

Watch: What remains of Ancient Egypt?

Watch the video to learn more about what remains of Ancient Egypt.

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Let’s visit some ancient Egyptian sites

Click through the slideshow to learn more about some of the Ancient Egyptian ruins we can still see today.

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Image caption,
The largest Egyptian pyramid ever built was Pharaoh Khufu’s Great Pyramid of Giza, over 4,500 years ago. It is the tallest pyramid that you can see in this picture. It is made from over two million stone blocks.
Image caption,
The Valley of the Kings was a royal burial ground. Many pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, were buried here, along with other important people.
Image caption,
Karnak was the largest temple complex found in Ancient Egypt. It had many temples, halls, and statues all in one big area. It was built for the god Amun.
Image caption,
A sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. This is the Great Sphinx of Giza. It is chiselled from limestone and has the face of Pharaoh Khafre.

Artefacts in the UK

The UK we have some of the biggest collections of Ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world.

The British Museum in London has the largest collection of Egyptian objects outside Egypt.

A photo of a statue of Ramesses II in the British Museum. — Image caption,
The British Museum in London has the largest collection of Egyptian objects outside Egypt, like this statue of Ramesses II.

However, not all of the artefacts were willingly donated. Many of these objects were taken by British explorers and soldiers during the 19th and 20th centuries, when Britain ruled a large Empire.

Think like a historian

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Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to the questions. You could even write it down on a piece of paper or discuss it with somebody else if you want to.