Egypt grew up along the Nile River. The Nile flows north. Each summer it flooded.

The flood left rich dark soil. Farmers grew wheat and barley. They grew flax too. Flax made rope and clothes.

Egypt's kings had pyramids built as tombs. Three giant ones stand at Giza, near Cairo.

The biggest is the Great Pyramid. It was built for a king named Khufu. When new, it stood about 481 feet tall.

It has over two million stone blocks. Each block weighs about 2.5 tons.

Egyptian workers built the pyramids. They were not slaves. Near the pyramids, diggers found a workers' town with bakeries.

The Sphinx is a huge statue. It has a lion's body and a pharaoh's head. It is about 240 feet long.

Egyptians kept the bodies of the dead. This is called mummification. They did it for about 3,000 years. They made mummies of animals too. Cat mummies were popular gifts.

Hieroglyphs were the Egyptians' writing. The symbols stand for words or sounds.

Words to know

• flood: too much water
• Sphinx: a stone statue
• mummification: saving a body
• hieroglyphs: Egyptian writing