The civilization of ancient Egypt stood for thousands of years and left behind a rich legacy of architecture, art, medicine, politics, culture and more. Today, it looms large in our imagination as the home of Cleopatra, Ptolemy, Tutankhamun, people who worshipped cats as gods and buried their embalmed dead in tombs filled with treasures and sustenance for the afterlife. Candlelight flickering on a stone wall covered in hieroglyphs. A proud queen brought low by the bite of a snake. Reeds rustling along a river, waiting to be turned into papyrus, or maybe a basket.
Now the Egypt of your imagination can be brought to life with new Street View imagery in Google Maps, and you can take a virtual walk among the stunning monuments and rich history of this ancient civilization.
Here are some facts about Egypt:
- The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World and is made of more than two million stone blocks.
- The Great Sphinx of Giza is thought to be the oldest large statue in Egypt. It is believed to be over 4,000 years old.
- The capital of Egypt is Cairo which is also the largest city in Africa and the Middle East.
- Aswan high dam in Egypt is the world’s largest dam, built to contain the raging waters of the world’s longest river, the Nile.
- Egypt is a very dry country. The Sahara and Libyan Desert make up most of the area of Egypt.
Virtual tour of the Giza Pyramids
Virtual Tours of Ancient Egyptian Landmarks
The Pyramids of Giza
Start where most tourists do: at the Pyramids of Giza, which rise from the vast expanse of the Sahara like man-made mountains. The Giza Necropolis is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, and is home to the last standing wonder of the ancient world: the Great Pyramid.
Built as a tomb and a symbol of eternity for the Pharoah Khufu, it stands 139 meters high (the height of the world’s highest roller coaster!) and was the tallest man-made structure on Earth for 3,800 years.
Read also: The Language of the Pharaohs
The Great Sphinx
Now turn east to the Great Sphinx, the oldest and largest known monumental sculpture in the world. With the body of a lion and the head of a human, it measures a grand 73 meters long and 20 meters high.
The Pyramid of Djoser
In addition to the Giza Necropolis, you can explore The Pyramid of Djoser, the ancient site of the world’s very first Pyramid designed by the great Egyptian Architect Imhotep in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara.
Other Notable Sites
Other sites you can check out on your virtual tour include:
- Abu Mena, one of the oldest sites of Christianity in Egypt-the church, baptistry, basilicas and monasteries
- The Hanging Church, one of the oldest Coptic Churches in the world
- The Cairo Citadel, a medieval Islamic fortification and historic site
- The Citadel of Qaitbay, a 15th-century defensive fortress on the Mediterranean coast.
Google Cultural Institute
If wandering through the imagery of these historical sites has piqued your interest in Egyptology, head over to the Google Cultural Institute, where you can explore the treasures of ancient Egypt through a series of drawings, historic photographs and artifacts from the famed sites.
Amateur Discoveries and Expert Opinions
A self-described "satellite archaeology researcher" has garnered widespread media attention with claims that she has found two possible pyramid complexes in Egypt using Google Earth. Angela Micol, a North Carolina-based woman who blogs at Google Earth Anomalies, says she discovered the two clusters of mysterious, angular mounds in the Egyptian desert while surveying satellite images of the terrain using Google Earth, the virtual map program.
Read also: Pharaohs: A detailed look
One site shows four mounds next to a much larger and much more striking triangular shaped plateau. About 90 miles away, a second site shows several mounds next to a pyramid-like mound with a clearly square-shaped plateau at the top. Some features of the sites do indeed look very much like something man made.
Expert Skepticism
But experts say her pyramids are nothing more than eroded hills infused with a heavy dose of wishful thinking. "It seems that Angela Micol is one of the so-called 'pyridiots' who see pyramids everywhere," said James Harrell, professor emeritus of archaeological geology at the University of Toledo and a leading expert on the archaeological geology of ancient Egypt. "Her Dimai and Abu Sidhum 'pyramids' are examples of natural rock formations that might be mistaken for archaeological features provided one is unburdened by any knowledge of archaeology or geology.
Meanwhile, the smaller hills found in Micol's Google Earth screenshots are circular, and thus nothing like pyramids, Harrell said. Other geologists attribute the features to the forces of nature as well. So in summary, sorry folks: nothing to see here but a couple of big buttes.
Educational Applications
Take your students on a virtual field trip to learn the geography of ancient Egypt! Using a combination of Google Earth 360-degree views, informational text, video, and visuals, your students will learn about and explore 6 geographic locations of ancient Egypt including: Upper & Lower Egypt, the Nile River, Nile Delta, Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara, and the Red Sea.
Virtual Field Trip Components:
- Informational Text (build background knowledge)
- Drag & Drop Map Skills throughout (answer key included)
- Response Questions (EDITABLE)
- Google Earth Links to 360-degree views
- Video Links
- Grading Rubric
This virtual field trip can be conducted teacher-led or shared with students through Google Classroom as an independent assignment. Everything is set up for you. All work is completed digitally. No printing necessary.
Read also: The Art of Ancient Egypt
The Pyramids of Giza have survived nearly five millennia and are the planet’s oldest man-made wonder. Now their legacy-and the legacy of many other sites of ancient Egyptian culture-are preserved in a new way with panoramic and immersive Street View imagery.
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