EGYPT

Maybe it’s the sheer scale of the great pyramids, the tallest structures in the world for more than 4,000 years. Possibly it’s the mystery of the mummies, remarkably preserved for centuries. Perhaps it’s simply the achievement of a highly advanced civilization with its own systems of writing, mathematics and medicine. Whatever the reason, something about ancient Egypt has fascinated people around the world and through the years. And many questions remain unanswered. To learn more about ancient Egypt, use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site:

http://161.35.110.226/launchpoint/

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

LEVEL 1

Conestoga Elementary Ancient Egypt Exhibit: The ancient Egyptians believed in a life after death, which explains why they took great care to preserve their dead through mummification. Find out about that process as well as many other details at this site, created by students at Conestoga Elementary School in Gillette, Wyo.

https://cyberkids.ccsd.k12.wy.us/ Conestoga/cruseold.html

Pages Through the Ages--Building Blocks of Civilization: Did you know that the pharaohs, the name ancient Egyptians called their rulers, were often very young when they came to power? King Tut became a pharaoh at age 9. Read facts and stories compiled by students at Oak View Elementary School in Fairfax, Va.

https://www.oakview.fcps.k12.va. us:80/~harris/96-97/agespages/ egypt/egypt.html

Splendors of Ancient Egypt: This site leads you through Egypt’s history from 2700 B.C. to the 7th century A.D. with many interesting details. Color photos of artifacts illustrate the different periods.

https://mfah.org/splendor/docs/highlts/

LEVEL 2

Field Trip to Ancient Egypt: An in-depth look at life in ancient Egypt. Take a tour of ancient cities, view a timeline explaining the different kingdoms and dynasties, and test your knowledge with a quiz on Egyptian gods and goddesses.

https://www.edcoe.k12.ca.us/egypt.html

Life in Ancient Egypt: Most Egyptian children learned a trade or worked in the fields; only privileged children could receive an education. Get a glimpse of what life was like then through this nicely organized site.

https://www.clpgh.org/cmnh/ tours/egypt/walton.html

Cleveland Museum Rosetta Stone Exhibit: Discovered in 1799, the Rosetta stone helped archeologists to decipher the writings of the Egyptians. How? It had the same inscription in three languages: hieroglyphics, Demotic and Greek. Learn more about this culture through a number of activities.

https://www.clemusart.com/ archive/pharaoh/rosetta/

LEVEL 3

Egypt Antiquities--Information Presented by Tour Egypt: An impressive collection of resources on ancient Egypt’s history, mythology, religion, people and more. Visit a virtual museum organized by historical period. Use a glossary that explains terms relevant to Egypt’s past.

https://interoz.com/egypt/Antiq.htm

NOVA Online Pyramids--The Inside Story: Explore the chambers and passageways of the Great Pyramid, then build your own scale model 3,000 times smaller than actual size. Follow the progress of a team of archeologists as they excavate what turns out to be bakeries that fed the pyramid builders.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/

Akhet Egyptology Index: Did you know that cats were mummified in Egypt long ago? Read the myths of the Egyptian gods as well as the actual stories of such rulers as King Tutankhamen and Queen Nefertiti. Be sure to visit the “clickable mummy.”

https://wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/iwhawkins/egypt/

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Gloria Talag, Rizwana Mela, Mary Duddles, Stan Woo-Sam and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

What metal was used to decorate funeral objects?

Clue: See Splendors of Ancient Egypt

Tell Us What You Want to Know

Have a paper or project coming up? Just curious about something? Send us a topic, and we’ll consider it for a Launch Point column. Write to us at The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. E-mail us at educ@latimes.com or leave a phone message at (714) 966-4550.

Answer to last week’s Quest:

Two tetrachords and one whole step make up a major scale.