Ancient Egypt
The developing of a sophisticated civilization existed in Egypt more than 3000 years before the Christian era began. Being one of the great powers of the ancient Middle East, Egypt held on the its position for more than 2000 years.
Although Egypt wasn’t the earliest civilization, Egyptian achievements have certainly left a significant mark in the history of civilization. As early as Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of 1798, scholars exhibited a great interest in ancient Egypt. The pyramids, the Sphinx, and other ancient relics amazed the French conquerors and study of the ruins and artifacts began immediately. This launched the field of research known as Egyptology.
The Rosetta Stone supplied the key to Egypt’s written history while tombs & temples provided evidence which gave a detailed picture of ancient Egyptian life. A great deal of research and study has been devoted to Egypt. Sir Flinders Petrie & Howard Carter are among the archeologists known for their work in Egypt.
Three forms of Egyptian writing were developed. They were archaic hieroglyphics; hieratic, an abbreviated form of hieroglyphics; and demotic, a formal and abbreviated form of hieroglyphics. Ideograms, determinatives, syllables of a word, or the most important single letters were represented by specific signs. The hieroglyphics were written horizontally or vertically, and generally the lines of hieroglyphics are read from right to left.
Another form of writing in which pictures represent objects, known as pictographic writing, originated around the time the Two Lands were united. Pictographic writing actually preceded hieroglyphic writing. When the system of hieroglyphics evolved, pictographs came to represent ideas as well as objects.
The Egyptian spoken language developed in four stages. The venacular language of the Old Kingdom became the classical language of Egypt and persisted as such throughout Egypt’s history. The second stage was a colloquial form of Old Egyptian. Demotic, or popular, speech, was the third of the Egyptian spoken language. A combination of Egyptian & Greek, called Coptic, was the last stage of spoken Egyptian.
The Egyptians obtained their cedar oil, resins, and timber from the Lebanon coast. The Sinai Peninsula was their source for copper. They learned to carve stone using the copper for tools. In time, the Egyptians began creating exquisite stone vases, as well as fine sculptures.
As far as their trade goods, the people of Egypt had many products. About 4000 B.C., the Egyptians learned how to make beads of glass, which became one of their trade products. Additionally, they also traded salt from the shallowwaters of the Delta and papyrus stalks.
The Egyptians were polytheists, believing in many gods & goddesses. Human torsos and human or animal heads were often used to represent the gods. Sacred animals such as the hawk, cow jackal, and bulls were venerated because of the gods to which they were attached. However they weren’t worshiped until the later part of the New Kingdom. Symbols, such as the sun disk and hawk wings, were also used to represent the gods.
The burial of the dead was an important, religious concern to the people of ancient Egypt. Their burial & funerary rituals came to be the most elaborate that the world has ever known. They had beliefs that the vital life force had several physicla elements. The bodies were embalmed and mummified. The souls of the dead were believed to be beset by many dangers, and were therefore furnished with a copy of the Book of the Dead.
The three main time periods in which Egypt is classified are known as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. The Old Kingdom (2686 B.C. – 2181 B.C.) was prosperous and peaceful for the most part. There wasn’t much distinction of classes. The possibility of a common man becoming an important official was just as good as any other man. However, a class of feudal lords did develop toward the end of the Old Kingdom. Also, instead of the pharaoh being the main god, he became in religious belief the son of a god.
The Middle Kingdom lasted from 2133 B.C. – 1786 B.C. During this period, the power of the pharaohs was equal to their armies. Numerous temples were put up during the Middle Kingdom. Mathematics & medicine were also highly developed at this time.
Under succeding pharaohs, a stron standing army was established during the New Kingdom (1567 B.C. – 1085 B.C.). It was in this period when the pharaohs built an abundance of temples dedicated to favorite gods or memorializing themselves. Egypt was the greatest power of civilized world during the 15th century. Egypt was the land of plenty, the center of a vast international-trade network, and the embodiment of luxury & culture.
To this day, Egypt remains a country of great interest to many worldwide. There are so many milestones and marks made in history by the Egyptians. Egypt is a country of wonders and lives up to those expectations.
