Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt Facts, By: Bryna Carey, Gleeson, 3rd Hour, SS
Geography
The geography of Egypt protected the Egyptians from all the enemies. The Nile river protected them because it's cataracts are so rough that it can rip an enemies hull in half. The Nile was also long and wide so it wasn't really something you would just want to cross. Egypt was also protected by the deserts surrounding Egypt. The deserts were hard to cross because by the time you were half way to Egypt you would be out of supplies and water. Some of the important pieces of the physical geography are the deserts, the Nile and it's delta, and all the dry orange-yellow sand. The Nile brought life to Egypt because it's silt gave them good soil so they could farm. If Egypt didn't have the Nile it would have never survived as a civilization.
The Religion
In ancient Egypt the religion played a very important role in the way that they did things. It changed why they mummified people, it changed all their beliefs in gods, it changed their everyday life, and it changed how the pharaohs ruled. The Egyptians were mummified because they thought that would help them journey to the afterlife. When the Egyptians were mummified they were drained of all their fluids. Then the organs were removed. Then they were wrapped, set out to dry, then buried. The only time people were mummified is because they paid a lot or they were a pharaoh.The Egyptians believed in polytheism: the belief in many gods. They thought that having many gods to do different things was more effective. They built places like temples where you would go and worship the different gods and the things that they do. Another important religious building was the pyramid. Most people don't think this building is religious but it really is. The pyramid is what the Egyptians thought would carry the pharaoh inside, to the afterlife. The gods who journeyed along side the dead pharaoh was the god Anubis. The Egyptians thought that there were three parts of the dead body: the ka, the ba and the akh. The ka is thought to be the most important one of the 3.The Ka is thought to be the deceased person's double.
Social Hierarchy
In Egypt the social hierarchy was very important. In their social hierarchy there were rankings. Most important, 2nd important, 3rd important, 4th, 5th, and 6th important. 1st is the pharaohs, 2nd are the government officials, 3rd are the priests, 4th are the scribes, 5th are the artisans, 6th are the peasants. The social hierarchy was important to the Egyptians because it kept everyone on their own level. And it helped the pharaohs be more organized.
Pharaohs
In Egypt the pharaoh was the ruler of all the things Egypt owned. The pharaoh was like today's president except they didn't have a designated time frame to rule. The Egyptian pharaoh just ruled until they died. The Egyptian pharaohs had power over everything so they could bend the laws, start a war, and change everything and no one could do anything about it once they made up their minds. When a pharaoh died the son usually took over so the bloodline would continue. When a pharaoh made his son the next pharaoh before he died that was called a dynasty.
Some of the most known pharaohs
Akhenaten
Akhenaten is known because he tried to change all Egyptian religion and beliefs. He tried to make the Egyptians only believe in the god Aten.
King Tutankhamen
King Tutankhamen is most likely known to most people by the name of King Tut. King Tut is known because of the fact that tomb robbers skipped over his ancient tomb. This made him famous because he was buried with so many precious artifacts that archaeologists use today.
Djoser
Most people don't know who Djoser is but he isn't any less important than the other pharaohs. Djoser actually was the pharaoh that built all the pyramids. Djoser built the first stone, stepping pyramid.
Hatsheput
Hatsheput was best known for being the most powerful pharaoh in ancient Egypt. Hatsheput helped establish a system of trade with a few foreign countries instead of going to war.
Amenhotep
Amenhotep was best known for the many different temples that he made throughout his reign.
Thutmose the 3rd
Thutmose the 3rd was known for his great strategies which allowed him to be victorious in all battles he fought. Thutmose the 3rd saved all of Egypt's money instead of spending it on things that Egypt didn't really need.
Cleopatra the 7th
Cleopatra the 7th was a female ruler who brought Egypt back from being captured by enemies. Cleopatra wrapped herself in a rug and traveled to enemy territories so Egypt wouldn't be captured. Cleopatra was one of the best and bravest pharaohs.
Ramses the 2nd
Ramses was probably best known for all his great temples and amazing pyramids. While he did still lead Egypt to battle he was't really appreciated for that. I still think he should be thought of as the great pyramid builder.
Ramses the 3rd
Ramses is really just known for all his war and combat skills. Ramses lead Egypt (successfully) through war with the Libyans and the Sea People.
Egyptian Contributions
The most known Egyptian contributions are the pyramid, the temple, the hieroglyphic, papyrus paper, calendars, and the Rosetta stone. The hieroglyphic was the worlds first system of writing. It is a series of pictures in the form of words. Papyrus paper was the paper that was used to write the hieroglyphics on,the paper was made out of a papyrus tree sap. The Rosetta Stone is a piece of clay written in three scripts that archaeologists used to understand the Egyptians writing more than before.
Hieroglyphics
The Egyptians invented hieroglyphics for their system of communication. That is how the Egyptians wrote to each other.
Temples And Pyramids
Ancient Egypt had a system of religion where when their pharaoh died they would mummify them then bury them in pyramids, and temples.
Papyrus Paper
The people of Egypt used paper called papyrus paper to write on. The papyrus paper was made out of a plant called the papyrus tree. The papyrus paper felt smooth and hard so it was perfect to write on. The paper also was drained of moisture so that it would last longer.
Egyptian History
The ancient Egyptian culture was centered around religious beliefs that helped to shape and define their society. The Egyptians were forced by royal rulers, called pharaohs, to believe in certain gods. Every day or so, all Egyptians were forced by their government to go and worship all the gods in a palace-like building called a temple. Because of their religion, the Egyptians needed a system to keep them in order, so they invented social hierarchy. Social hierarchy is what keeps different levels of important people separated into categories. The different classes in the social hierarchy were treated differently and were allowed different permissions and freedoms. In Egypt there were three different types of language and writing there was hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek. The Rosetta stone is important to history because it teaches all architects the ancient language of the ancient Egyptian people.
Pyramids In Ancient Egypt
Pharaohs In Ancient Egypt
Hieroglyphics In Ancient Egypt
Egypt to Mesopotamia
Egypt is just like Mesopotamia but the two places have some differences too. In Egypt they had a different social hierarchy than Mesopotamia, although they were pretty similar. Some other differences were the geography, Egypt had the Nile, Mesopotamia had the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers. Some differences are the buildings. The Egyptians buried people in the pyramids they built, Mesopotamian's just dug a hole in the ground and put the corpse in it. One more difference for Egypt and Mesopotamia is why they buried people the way they did, the people of Mesopotamia buried people by digging a hole in the ground then placing them in, they did this because they thought it would make their trip to the afterlife quicker. Egyptians buried people by mummifying them then putting them in a pyramid with gold and food, because they thought that that that would help the persons trip to the better life easier and they thought Ka and Ba could get to them easier.
Egyptian Religion
Egypt And Mesopotamia on a Map
Mesopotamian Religion
Rosetta Stone Random Facts
The Rosetta stone was found by French soldiers. The Rosetta Stone helped archaeologists understand more about hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts, the Demotic, the Hieroglyphics, and the Greek that was being used at the time. The Rosetta Stone is 45 inches tall, 28.5 inches wide 11 inches wide, and weights 1,700 pounds.