{"product_id":"warriors-isbn-9781101936511","title":"Warriors","description":"\u003cb\u003eTrack the facts about warriors, weapons, and battles throughout history in this nonfiction companion to the #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in \u003ci\u003eMagic Tree House #31: Warriors in Winter,\u003c\/i\u003e they had lots of questions. What kinds of weapons did the ancient Greeks use? How did Roman soldiers fight? Why did knights have tournaments? Who was famous for his war elephants? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about ancient warriors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003eDid you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMagic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books\u003cbr\u003eMerlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMary Pope Osborne\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e number one bestselling Magic Tree House series as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce. For more information, visit the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNatalie Pope Boyce \u003c\/b\u003eand Mary Pope Osborne are sisters who grew up on army posts all over the world. They work together on Magic Tree House® Fact Tracker books to give readers information about the places, time periods, and animals that Jack and Annie discover in their Magic Tree House adventures. Natalie makes her home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Mary is the author of all the Magic Tree House® fiction titles, as well as many more books for kids. For more information, visit the Magic Tree House® website at MagicTreeHouse.com! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIsidre Monés\u003c\/b\u003e is a Spanish artist best known for his comic-book work. He has also illustrated numerous children’s books, such as \u003ci\u003eCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3: Planet of the Pies\u003c\/i\u003e by Judy Barrett, as well as several of Cynthia Rylant’s Henry and Mudge stories. Monés lives in Barcelona, Spain.Wars and warriors have been around for thousands of years. Our earliest ancestors didn’t have large armies. They fought in small groups or tribes over hunting rights or for natural resources like water. \u003cbr\u003e Much of what we know about ancient warfare comes from archaeologists (arkee-AH-luh-jists). They are scientists who learn how people lived long ago by studying the objects they used. \u003cbr\u003e In 1964, a team of archaeologists was working near the River Nile in Sudan. They discovered a graveyard that was over 13,000 years old. Fifty-nine skeletons lay close together. Twenty-seven had battle injuries. One body was found with thirty-nine pieces of flint from arrows and other flint-tipped weapons! \u003cbr\u003e We don’t know why these people were fighting. But their skeletons give us clues about the weapons they used so long ago. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMesopotamia \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mesopotamia is now Iraq and parts of nearby countries. About 10,000 years ago, people settled in southern Mesopotamia in a region called Sumer. Sumer was made up of several different city-states. City-states are like small countries that include a city and the land around it. \u003cbr\u003e Even though Sumerians all spoke the same language, each city-state had its own government ruled by a king or priest. \u003cbr\u003e The Sumerians were great inventors. They created the first written language and one of the first modern calendars. They used math to solve problems and were the first people to put wheels on carts and wagons. \u003cbr\u003e Sumerians also went to war. Much of what we know about the earliest warfare comes from written records that the Sumerians left behind. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWarlike People \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For more than a thousand years, Sumerian city-states waged war against one another. Because they needed strong armies, the Sumerians invented new ways of fighting. \u003cbr\u003e Sumerian soldiers were the first to wear bronze helmets and to fight with battle-axes. They invented the deadly socket ax, with a blade so narrow it could pierce bronze armor. \u003cbr\u003e The Sumerians began using four-wheeled chariots pulled by donkeys to carry soldiers and supplies. During a battle, archers stood in them and shot at the enemy. As time passed, soldiers fought in two-wheeled chariots pulled by two or four horses. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePhalanx \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sumerians fought in a phalanx (FAYlanks) formation. A phalanx is a group of soldiers who fight close together with shields and spears. In a Sumerian phalanx, men stood side by side in lines, one behind the other. \u003cbr\u003e Soldiers in the front overlapped their large shields to protect themselves from arrows and spears. \u003cbr\u003e Before a battle, enemy armies stood across from one another, their soldiers tense and waiting. Archers, slingers, and spear throwers got into position. \u003cbr\u003e Suddenly, hundreds of arrows, rocks, and spears whistled through the air. Then the phalanxes pushed forward to meet the enemy. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eKing Sargon \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e King Sargon was a famous warrior-king. He led an army of several thousand soldiers, including many bowmen. Sargon and his fighters swept down from the north to attack the Sumerian city-states. By about 2334 BCE, he ruled all of Sumer. \u003cbr\u003e Sargon went on to capture lands far beyond Mesopotamia. His large kingdom became the first empire in history. \u003cbr\u003e Sargon’s empire lasted about 100 years. Then, for 300 years, there was a terrible drought. Fields dried up, and people moved away. By 2193 BCE, Sargon’s empire was so weak that it crumbled. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAncient Egypt \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Egypt is a hot, dry country in northeast Africa. Five thousand years ago, it was one of the most powerful civilizations in the world. Egyptian kings were called pharaohs (FARE-ohz). Their people thought of them as living gods. Most pharaohs were men, but women could be pharaohs, too. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eEgypt and War \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Because Egypt was surrounded by water and deserts, it was a difficult country to attack. But around 1700 BCE, the Hyksos, a mixed group from West Asia, invaded Egypt. They controlled it for a hundred years. \u003cbr\u003e A great pharaoh named Ahmose I commanded an Egyptian army that drove the Hyksos out. Under Ahmose’s rule, Egypt grew into a rich, powerful country. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Army and Its Weapons \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Egyptians had learned new ways of fighting from the Hyksos. They began to use bronze weapons, horse-drawn chariots, and composite (com-PAH-zit) bows. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eComposite Bows \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The word composite means “made of different things.” Composite bows were made of wood, water buffalo horns, fish bladders, and animal sinew. Don’t laugh! These bows could shoot arrows that went 900 feet at speeds of 45 miles per hour! \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChariots \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When soldiers drove chariots into battle, one held the reins and a whip. Another shot arrows as they raced along. \u003cbr\u003e Chariots worked best on flat, smooth ground. If one overturned, soldiers leapt off, grabbed the horses’ reins, and tried to jump on their backs. In 1274 BCE, the Egyptians, led by Pharaoh Ramses II, fought the Hittites. There were about 5,000 chariots in the battle! \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eFoot Soldiers \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Most Egyptian soldiers fought on foot. Some were archers. Others were armed with spears or axes. \u003cbr\u003e The toughest foot soldiers were called “strong-arm boys.” They were experts at close combat with axes and spears. \u003cbr\u003e Because Egypt is so hot, foot soldiers dressed in short tunics and sandals. Instead of wearing armor, they carried shields made of bull hide. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Battle Begins \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Thousands of soldiers were often on the battlefield. Foot soldiers in phalanx formations stood in the middle, with chariots on both sides and archers standing by on the front lines. \u003cbr\u003e Trumpets sounded. Chariot drivers charged straight at enemy archers and turned around only at the very last minute. Then the phalanxes moved toward the enemy.","brand":"Random House Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300155379941,"sku":"NP9781101936511","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101936511.jpg?v=1767743612","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/warriors-isbn-9781101936511","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}