Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It is bounded by Sudan and the Red Sea, and divided into two parts: Lower and Upper Egypt. So lets learn about Ancient Egypt.
The Founding Ancient Egypt dates back to 3500BC, where early settlers moved into the Nile Valley. Over time, the Egyptians grew in number and their wealth and prosperity grew with them. The River Nile held he Egyptians in its hands, giving gifts of fertilised soil each year when it would flood. The fertilised soil was perfect for growing crops and farming animals. The Pharaoh The Pharaoh, or king, of Egypt ruled over both Lower and Upper Egypt. He or she was worshipped like a god and treated themselves like one. As Pharaoh they had complete and utter control over the country, and were expected to take care of the export, economy etc. It was a big job, and had to be done, otherwise the country and people would suffer. The Pharaoh was extremely rich and therefore wore expensive, jewel heavy garments made of the finest silk. Whether the Pharaoh was male or female, they would wear a fake beard a important ceremonies. They would also wear black wigs that were curled into ringlets and adorned with gold. As the Pharaoh ( and all of Egypt ) believed in an afterlife, he ordered thousands and thousands of men to build him a 'tomb worthy of the gods'. Therefore, the pyramids were formed.
Religion, Art and Daily Life
A lot of what we know about the Ancient Egyptians comes from their art. From the many pieces of art that they created we can learn many things, such as what they looked like, what they wore, what food they ate etc. Their art style and techniques changed little over the time that they ruled the land of the Nile. Ancient Egyptians are well known for their enormous sculptures, such as the Sphinx of Giza and the many temples that they built, but they are also known for their more ornate works of art, such as pots and The funeral Mask of Tutankhamen. They used blues, reds, golds, yellows, oranges and any other colour that they could create to colour their artwork ( see gallery ).
In Ancient Egypt the tomb walls of the rich and powerful were often coated with paintings large and small. these paintings were create to defend the person in the afterlife. They would show scenes of this person happy in the afterlife. In one painting the man buried is shown hunting and his wife and son are in the artwork. Art in Ancient Egypt was also closely linked with religion.
Religion
The Ancient Egyptians were practically obsessed with anything religious. Religion played a big part in the lives of the Ancient Egyptians. They believed in a wide variety of gods and goddesses. These gods could take different forms, usually as animals. The same animal may represent a different god depending on the area, temple, or timeframe.
Major Gods and Goddesses
There were some gods and goddesses that were more important and prominent than others. Here are some of the more important ones:
Ra - Ra was the sun god and the most important god to the Ancient Egyptians. Ra was drawn as a man with a hawk head and a headdress with a sun disk. At one point Ra was combined with another god Amun and the two made an even more powerful god, Amun-Ra. Ra was said to have created all forms of life and was the supreme ruler of the gods.
Isis - Isis was the mother goddess. It was thought that she would protect and help people in need. She was drawn as a woman with a headdress in the shape of a throne.
Osiris - Osiris was ruler of the underworld and god of the dead. He was the husband of Isis and father of Horus. Osiris was drawn as a mummified man with a feathered headdress.
Horus - Horus was the god of the sky. Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. He was drawn as a man with the head of a hawk. The ruler of the Egyptians, Pharaoh, was thought to be the living version Horus. In this way Pharaoh was the leader of the Egyptian religion and the people's representative to the gods.
Thoth - Thoth was the god of knowledge. He blessed the Egyptians with writing, medicine, and mathematics. He was also god of the moon. Thoth is drawn as a man with an Ibis bird head. Sometimes he was represented as a baboon.
Food Most Egyptians ate wheat, barley and bread. They brewed beer, ate little meat, grew and ate dates and used olive oil for cooking.
Clothing Ancient Egyptians made their own clothing out of the Flax plant. At that period in time the Flax plant was abundant around the banks of the River Nile, so the Egyptians took advantage of this and harvested it in great amounts. After being harvested, the bundles were soaked in clean water until soft, then the fibres were separated, heated and then woven into linen. Most men wore a skirt that wrapped around their waste, and occasionally around the legs, tied with a belt. The length of the skirt usually depended on the fashion of the time. The richest men wore jewellery and makeup. Women wore straight, full length dresses with two shoulder straps. Richer woman wore see through clothing, and decorated themselves with makeup, jewellery and head-dresses. Children did not wear clothes until the age of six.
Writing The Ancient Egyptians wrote in a style called hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics are small pictures that represent sounds ( see gallery ). The Rosetta Stone is a wonderful example of hieroglyphics, written in Greek and Hieroglyphs. Egyptian writing is recognised all over the world and took hundreds of years to decode, as it has over 700 characters and is so intricate.
Ancient Egypt was a truly spectacular and abundant place, made that way by the people who inhabited the land. They made great advances in science and maths that still leave scientists in this age baffled. They will be remembered forever.