Why did Ancient Egypt last for so many years?
Ancient Egypt lasted a long time because the River Nile provided food and water for everyone.
Ancient Egypt was ruled by many strong Pharaohs who helped keep the country safe and organised.
Pharaohs like Hatshepsut (1479-1458BC), Akhenaten (1353–1336BC) and Tutankhamun (1333–1323BC) made sure people followed the rules and built temples.
This helped the civilisation stay strong for many years.
But over time, attacks from other countries and problems inside Egypt caused the civilisation to end after 3,000 years.
Important words
Important words on how the Ancient Egypt civilisation ended.
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Empire | A group of countries or lands ruled by one leader. |
| Hieroglyphs | Pictures and symbols used by Ancient Egyptians for writing. |
| Monuments | Buildings or statues built to remember someone important. |
| Pharoah | A ruler in Ancient Egypt. |
| Priest | Someone who worked in temples and worshipped gods. |
Watch: What happened to Ancient Egypt?
Watch the video to learn more about what happened to the Ancient Egyptians.
Child: Ancient Egypt is so different from the Egypt of today. Why did they stop building pyramids and huge statues and temples?
Abdul: Things have changed a great deal these last 700 years. My name is Abdul. This building is a mosque, built where a temple once stood.
Child: Oh, wow!
Abdul: After the birth of Jesus, most people became Christian, and forgot the ancient Egyptian religion that inspired the old temples and statues.
Then, 600 years later, Islam became the main religion.
Child: But why don’t you use hieroglyphs anymore?
Abdul: Greek and Latin have been used in Egypt for centuries as it is spoken by people in many different countries.
And since the Arab conquest, Arabic is spoken by most people here.
Child: I can’t imagine the ancient Egyptians being conquered by anyone!
Abdul: Oh, it’s happened before. You see, the pharaohs were at war with their neighbouring countries for centuries, and they didn’t always win!
Child: Oh dear.
Abdul: When Alexander of Macedon expanded his empire he conquered Egypt, and made himself pharaoh!
After he died, the descendants of his general, Ptolemy ruled for nearly 300 years!
The Ptolemaic dynasty ended with the death of Cleopatra, during the Roman conquest in 30BC which was 600 years ago.
Child: But don’t you miss all that stuff like the pharaohs and the huge statues and everything?
Abdul: Yes it was cool! But even though our religious beliefs have changed we’re still the same people.
Why did Ancient Egypt come to an end?
Ramesses III was considered as one of the greatest Pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
After his death, other Pharaohs ruled, but they were not strong rulers.
By around 1000BC, Egypt was divided by war and weaker.
Priests (someone who worked in temples and worshipped gods) ruled in the south, and the Pharaohs in the north.
Some priests and local leaders were very powerful.
At the same time, other countries in the ancient world were growing stronger.
In 332BC, Alexander the Great and his Greek army invaded and conquered Ancient Egypt, he became its ruler.
After his death, his general Ptolemy became the ruler of Egypt.
Ptolemy’s family ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years.
In 30BC, the Romans invaded Ancient Egypt.
Egypt became part of the Roman Empire (a group of countries or lands ruled by one leader) after the death of Cleopatra.
Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt.
When she died, there was no Pharaoh left, so the Romans took control of Egypt.
What is Egypt like today?
Egypt is now governed by a President.
Islam is the main religion and Arabic is the main language.
Egypt is famous for its ancient monuments (buildings or statues built to remember someone important) like the pyramids and the Sphinx, which you can still visit.
Even though the rulers and religion have changed over time, you can still see glimpses of the Ancient Egyptian civilisations today.
Think like a historian
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.
Why did Egypt become weaker after 1000BC?
Why was Cleopatra’s death such an important event in Egyptian history?
Perhaps you thought about how the death of Ramses III made Egypt weaker. After Ramses III died, the Pharaohs were not strong rulers. The country was divided and this made Egypt weaker. However, other civilisations, like the Ancient Romans, were becoming stronger.
Did you think about how Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt? When she died, there were no more pharaohs. Egypt became part of the Roman Empire. This was the end of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.
Activities
Activity 1: Timeline of Ancient Egypt
Click on the scroll to discover the history of ancient Egypt.
Activity 2: Quiz – What happened to Ancient Egypt?
Activity 3: Colour in your own battle scene
Colour in your own battle scene. document
Print out and colour in our ancient Egyptian battle scene. You can also cut out and rearrange the characters to make your ferocious own battle ground.
Activity 4: History Explorer game
Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.
History Explorer: Secrets through time
History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History
Grown-ups corner
Are you a parent, carer or teacher?
Take a look at some of the links below on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos, quizzes and activities.
KS2 History: Ancient Egypt
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 Music: Ancient Egypt
BBC Bitesize School Radio
KS2 History: Ancient Egypt. King Tutankhamun
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade game! game
Play Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade KS2 History
More on Ancient Egypt
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