Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide

Cultures of the Ancient World

by Marian Broida

Want to speak Hittite? Hold out a glass and ask for “wa-tar.” This unique activity book for children ages nine and up shows what life was like among the Nubians, Mesopotamians, Hittites, and their neighbors the Egyptians from around 3100 B.C., when Upper and Lower Egypt became one kingdom, to the death of Queen Cleopatra under the Romans, in 30 B.C. Projects such as building a Nubian irrigation machine, creating a Mesopotamian cylinder seal out of clay, making kilts like those worn by Egyptian boys and men, and writing in Hittite cuneiform help young readers to connect with these ancient cultures and see how profoundly they have influenced our own.

Genres: History, School, Childrens, Nonfiction, Ancient History

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! We use it as a supplement to our homeschool history lessons, and the activities are actually more fun than the ones that come with our spine. I also appreciate that it talks about everyday life -- what the houses looked like, who they traded with, what they ate, what they wore. It bring history alive! (And honestly, the maps are better than the ones that came with our main history spine...)

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with a ton of information and numerous hands-on activities. It covers groups of people you can't really find information about, like the Hittites. We checked it out of the library many, many times so finally decided to purchase it.

It doesn't have any pictures so you'll want to add those from another source.

[Christine Sopko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written for older children and adults this book has a variety of related activities that match life activities.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good supplement for great activities to study ancient cultures. We've used it with Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer and especially enjoyed making Nubian homes, clay envelopes with Sumerian letters, and Egyptian jewelry.

[Laurie Wheeler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly detailed, boring, we only did one craft.

[Carlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting. Activities are engaging enough for small children, (e.g. building a pyramid with sugar cubes; wrapping yourself like mummy). When I find some time, I will use some of these activities for some of my lessons.