Egypt
as she lay sleeping...
DIANE SEVERYN MORRIS
Lee & Diane Morris
Experience will show you, a master can only point the way.
EGYPT As she lay Sleeping “It is said that some are linked through the sands of time...”
DIANE SEVERYN MORRIS January 14-22, 2011 Copyright ©2012 Diane Severyn Morris. All rights reserved.
A Picture Book for Reagan who loves Pharaohs as he once said to me “The Gods will never keep us apart.� Age 7
Photography Diane Severyn Morris
A Brief History Egypt is the land that gave birth to the first great civilization. From the pyramids to the minarets to the Nile—the scope of Egypt is magnificent. During Egypt’s Old Kingdom (2575-2150 BC), the pharaohs established a stable central government in the fertile Nile Valley. Perhaps the greatest testaments to their power were the pyramids and other tombs built to shelter them in the afterlife. Pyramids were huge structures full of treasures that had storage rooms, courtyards, secret passageways, and all kinds of fancy traps designed to catch robbers. Pyramid construction was abandoned after the time of the Old Kingdom because it was simply too easy for grave robbers to find a pyramid and steal the riches. The Great Pyramid of Giza still stands today and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The ancient Egyptians enjoyed many natural barriers. There were deserts to the east and west of the Nile River, and mountains to the south. This isolated the ancient Egyptians and allowed them to develop a truly distinctive culture. The Nile is the world’s longest river. It is over 4,000 miles long! Each spring, water would run off the mountains and the Nile would flood. As the flood waters receded, black rich fertile soil was left behind. The ancient Egyptians called this rich soil The Gift of the Nile. Fertile soil for crops was not the Nile’s only gift. The Nile gave the ancient Egyptians many gifts. Thanks to the Nile, these ancient people had fresh water for drinking and bathing. The Nile supported transportation and trade. It provided materials for building and for making paper made from the wild papyrus weed that grew along the shores of the Nile. Because of the annual flooding of the Nile, the ancient Egyptians enjoyed a high standard of living compared to other ancient civilizations. Without the Nile Egypt would be a desert. About 95% of Egypt’s population still live in the Nile Valley.
Over 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians wrote things down using a picture writing called hieroglyphics. The people who did the actual writing were called scribes. It was not until quite recently, a mere 200 years ago, that a stone was found in Egypt. This stone had the same short story written on it in Greek, in Demotic, and in hieroglyphics. Scientists could read Greek. And now, scientists could begin to read hieroglyphics. They named the famous stone the Rosetta Stone.
Diane Severyn Morris was born in 1944 in Massachusetts where she spent her childhood. She enjoys world travel, gardening, and tending to her grandchildren. She presently resides in Vermont, South Carolina, Washington, DC and Naples, Florida.
“Love is one thing, knowledge is another...�
To my traveling companions... Doug and Sukie Azar • Pete and Betsy Forster Tony and Marion Sweeten and my husband Lee Thank you for your friendship and the wonderful laughter that was shared by all.