Egypt was one of the first civilizations—a society with a large population—that used writing, lived in cities, had a system of religious beliefs, and was ruled by a government. In 2700 BCE, the Egyptians built their first pyramid. (BCE means “before the common era.” Historians study time in BCE and CE—"common era." BCE refers to the years before year 1, and CE refers to year 1 and later.) That was almost 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians built many pyramids as tombs for their kings, whom they called pharaohs (fair-ohz).

This short video that asks an important question about the pyramids: Why did the Egyptians build them? Click on the left to watch the video.

In this lesson, you will learn about Egyptian society and the pyramids that the Egyptians built, as well as how historians believe the Egyptians were able to build these enormous structures.