Download Who were the Egyptians? Egypt is a hot, dry country in the north of

Who were the Egyptians?
Egypt is a hot, dry country in the north of Africa. It is a vast, sandy desert
through which flows the river Nile. It is this river that fertilised the land
and here Ancient Egypt flourished for over 3000 years. This same area of
land holds 96% of the population of modern Egypt.
The Ancient Egyptians were passionate gardeners and it is fitting that the
land in which they lived resembled a flower. The map above portrays this
clearly. The head is the fan shaped delta of the river Nile and the stalk is
the curve of the river as it runs its course. The Egyptians were one of the
first great civilisations. They were advanced far more than any other
people of their time. We see evidence of this in their architecture.
When we think of Ancient Egypt today, we usually think of Mummies,
Pharaohs and Pyramids. Villages in Egypt grew into small towns and
about 3000 years ago two large kingdoms emerged. One in the North
(called Lower Egypt) and one in the South (called Upper Egypt). In early
Egypt there was a ruler called Narmer, Egypt’s first king. He united the
two kingdoms and founded the first Egyptian Royal Family. For nearly
3000 years afterwards, Egypt was ruled by Kings. The Kings are placed
in family groups called Dynasties. There were 31 Dynasties. The
Egyptian kings were called pharaohs.
The first group of Pharaohs belonged to the Old Kingdom, who were
followed by the Middle Kingdom and finally the New Kingdom. To the
Ancient Egyptians the Pharaoh was seen as a God who had come to live
amongst them. He was responsible for the wealth and success of his
country. The spiritual influence of a good pharaoh continued to shed
benefit on people after his death. The King was to be as valuable an asset
dead as he was alive. This is why the Egyptians buried their Pharaohs in
such fantastic tombs.
The word Pharaoh comes from two words “per aa” meaning “Great
House”. A Pharaohs personal name was not used because it was fraught
with magic and dangerous to say. To be touched accidentally by his staff
could bring bad luck and to be allowed to kiss his foot instead of the dirt
in front of it was a mark of favour. A Prince or King married young. His
veins were filled with blood of the Sun God Re. It was important that this
was not diluted. He must preserve its purity by marrying a member of his
own family. Some Pharaohs even married their own daughters. A
Pharaoh was the law and justice was defined as “what Pharaoh loves”.
Wrongdoing was “what Pharaoh hates”. Sometimes a Pharaoh may have
been despised by his administration, but they always paid him utmost
respect, they knew that the institutions of Egypt could cease to exist if the
monarchy was damaged. For the Egyptian State to flourish the authority
of its King must remain unimpaired.
Perhaps today the most remarkable of the monuments of Ancient Egypt
are the Pyramids. They were devoted to the burial of members of the
Royal Family. In earlier times the dead had been laid in a simple clay pit
in the sand. However these were not substantial and could not hold up to
the force of sandstorms. Wealthier citizens decided to provide themselves
with a more durable alternative. The majority of Pyramids today stand
alone, but originally they would have formed the focus point or an
elaborate network of dependent tombs and temples. The Pyramids lay on
the West Bank of the Nile. Architects sought to find a solid plateau of
rock situated close to the river, along which rafts could transport blocks
of stone from the quarries. The site was carefully surveyed to align the
four corners of the Pyramid on the four points of the compass. The
Classic era of Pyramid building began with the renowned monarch in
history Khufu, or in Greek, Cheops. It is to him that the great Pyramid
belongs at Giza. These three pyramids were considered by the Ancients to
be among the great wonders of the world. The Pyramid contains
2,300,000 blocks of stone, each weighing an average of two and a half
tons. The blocks were hoisted into position by palm fibre ropes, wooden
sledges, earthen ramps and copper chisels.
A smaller group of Pyramids were constructed around the nearby
Pyramid of King Menkaura and the third of the Pyramids of Giza. It is
here near one of its outer structures is situated the Great Sphinx.
Royal Artisans shaped it from a knoll of rock into a Lion with a human
head. The Greek word Sphinx may be derived from the Egyptian word
meaning “living image”. None of the later Pyramids that were built
during the next Dynasties were as large as the Pyramids of Giza. It would
have been not only a physical impossibility to rival them, but the rulers
who had inspired them were of unique power and prestige. The Pharaohs
of Egypt would never inspire as much awe in its citizens as those of the
fourth Dynasty. After the Middle Kingdom, the Pyramid went out fashion
for Royal Burials. The Pharaohs adopted the policy of hollowing out their
tombs in the cliffs of the Valley of the Kings. The Pyramid was once the
focal point of a special township, most have now disappeared. The
Pyramid City was a city of the dead. The ordinary folk of Egypt wanted
to keep alive the memory of their Ancient Kings.