So much of what we know about the ancient Egyptians has passed down to us from the way they buried their dead... the mummies, the fabulous golden treasures accompanying the fallen kings to the afterlife, the great pyramids of Giza.  Yet to think of this civilization as death-obsessed when in fact it was life-enhancing would be a profound mistake.  Here in the valley of the Nile, farming as we know it was pioneered in strict observance with the cycles of the season; communities formed, culture spread, and the gods watched over everything.