Ancient Egyptian retainer sacrifices

This strange practice happened way back in ancient Egypt, a land of hot deserts and the mighty Nile River. It was during the very first Egyptian times, called the First Dynasty. Think of it like the beginning of a super long story! This was a time when Egypt was just starting to become the amazing place we learn about in history books, with pharaohs and pyramids.

These weren't just any people. They were servants, like helpers, who worked for the pharaohs, who were like kings. When a pharaoh died, some of these servants were killed too. The Egyptians believed that these servants would go with the pharaoh to the afterlife, which is like a special place you go after you die, to keep helping them there.

This happened a super long time ago, from about 3100 BC to 2900 BC. That's over 5,000 years ago! It was only for a short time in Egyptian history, like a brief chapter in a very big book. After that, this practice slowly stopped, and people stopped doing it. It's a bit like a game that people stopped playing.

The ancient Egyptians had many interesting beliefs about life and death. They thought the afterlife was very important and that a pharaoh would need help even after they were gone. So, they made sure their pharaohs had servants ready for them in the next world. It's a very different idea from what we think today!