Live Like an Egyptian

Live Like an Egyptian

Live Like an Egyptian
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	4.29

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		barley, convenient, dates, emmer, fashion-minded, footwear, headrest, luxury, make-up, oblong, ready-made, receded, scribes, tight-fitting, entire, life
	content words:		Ancient Egyptians

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Live Like an Egyptian
By Vickie Chao

¹     Today's life is a great life. We have many convenient things. For example, we have electricity. We have cars. We go to shopping malls to buy ready-made clothes. And we go to supermarkets to pick out foods we like. But suppose we could travel back 5,000 years. We are now in Egypt. Suddenly, none of these convenient things are there. Our life would simply revolve around a river named the Nile.

²     The Nile is the longest river in the world. It flows across the entire length of Egypt, from south to north. Back in the old days, before a dam was built, the river flooded once a year. After the water receded, it left behind a layer of black soil. This layer of black soil was perfect for growing plants, and ancient Egyptians knew it. So they kept a close eye on the Nile. As soon as the flood ended around October, they started to plow and sow their fields.

³     Ancient Egyptians grew many things, such as emmer wheat, barley, cucumbers, onions, lettuces, and beans. Among all those different types of produce, emmer wheat and barley were the two most important ones. Ancient Egyptians used them to make bread and beer. They ate bread and drank beer every day! Meat was a treat back then. Only rich people could afford it. Even so, they would only eat meat during festivals. On those special occasions, they would also drink wine made from grapes. Ancient Egyptians ate a lot of fruits. They really liked dates and figs. They sometimes trained baboons to climb up trees and collect figs for them. They used dates and figs to make cakes and then sweetened the pastries with honey. Ancient Egyptians did not know about sugar. They were the first people in the world to keep bees and collect honey!

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