Ancient Egypt as we know it began about 5,000 years ago beside the River Nile in Northern Africa. The Nile floods made this land very fertile, although beyond it lay a vast area of blistering desert thought to be inhabited by demons.
Ancient Egyptian history spans thirty centuries and throughout this time the country was ruled by kings called pharaohs. The people believed that the pharaoh was a living god and so it was very important to keep him happy. The pharaohs had huge monuments built for them so that they would always be remembered. Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife and thought that by saying the name of a dead person, you could make them live forever. Another way to achieve immortality was to preserve the body of a person once they had died, and wrap them up in linen bandages. This process is called mummification.
Now cast yourself back 3,000 years. You are a wealthy ancient Egyptian on the point of death and you want to make yourself immortal. To achieve this, you will have to go through the expensive and complicated process of becoming a mummy.
Get ready, as you are about to...drop dead.