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Name Mathematics, Science, and Technology of Ancient Egypt By Phyllis Naegeli We may think of ancient cultures as being primitive. This is not always true. The ancient Egyptians were an advanced society. They had knowledge in the areas of math, science, and other technologies that have influenced discoveries around the world. Ancient Egyptians used a numbering system based on ten. Vertical tally marks were used to represent the numbers one through nine. They used symbols for larger numbers. For example, a heel stood for 10, a crook was 100, 1000 was a flower, a finger represented 10,000, and a tadpole represented 100,000. Most of the time, the highest numbers were written first, however, sometimes the numbers were written out of order. It seems as long as they added up to the correct number, the Egyptians were happy! They also had methods for adding, subtracting, and using fractions. In addition, simple division and multiplication were used. Most of the time these functions were done using only ten and two to perform the operation. The standard used for measuring in ancient Egypt was the cubit. A cubit was approximately twenty-one inches in length. Measurement was important to the ancient Egyptian's economic system. They needed to assess the size of land in order to calculate taxes. They devised a system of weights to help in the sale of products. Angles of pyramids and volume of columns were calculated with great accuracy. In addition, they knew how to calculate the area of squares, rectangles, and circles. Just as we do, ancient Egyptians divided circles into three hundred and sixty degrees. And, you know that little symbol we use to mean degrees? It's an Egyptian hieroglyph! The ancient Egyptians had a calendar based on three hundred sixty-five days. The beginning of each year was designated by the appearance of the Dog Star - Sirius. The calendar was divided into three seasons, which coincided with the farming cycle. Akhet was the season when the Nile River flooded and deposited the rich soil needed for growing crops. Perit was the season for sowing and growing the plants, and the harvest season was called Shemu. Each season had four months of thirty days accounting for three hundred sixty days. The five extra days were designated as a festival. A legend says that these days were given to the people by the sun god - Thoth. After Thoth played a game of dice with the moon and won, the moon gave him some of its light. With his winnings, Thoth created five extra days for a festival. Ancient Egyptians were also knowledgeable about astronomy. As we have seen, they based their calendar on the appearance of the star Sirius. The sun was used to measure time and determine direction. Pyramids were placed so that each side faced exactly north, south, east, or west. Ancient Egyptians used shadow clocks to keep track of the hours in a day. They did not use numbers to identify the hours. Rather, certain times of day had special names. The length of their hours changed with the seasons, too. While we measure each hour of the day at sixty minutes, the ancient Egyptians divided their days and nights into twelve equal parts. Because of the change in the length of daylight hours from summer to winter, the length of the hours changed a little each day! One of the most famous architectural achievements of the ancient Egyptians is the pyramids. These wonders are a testimony to the advanced knowledge of this great civilization. The first pyramid was built in 2650 B.C. for King Djoser. His architect, Imhotep, designed a six level pyramid to represent a stairway to the sun god. The largest pyramid is the Great Pyramid built for King Khufu in 2589 B.C. This giant wonder has over 2.3 million limestone blocks and is 450 feet tall. Another great structure is the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Its long line of columns is so perfectly placed that a visitor in midsummer can see the sun rising in the center of the last two columns. Builders in ancient Egypt also constructed the Sphinx, huge palaces, and amazing temples, including the Great Temple built by Ramesses II in 1290 B.C. The ancient Egyptians had a great deal of knowledge in the areas of mathematics and measurement, calendars, astronomy, and architecture. From the great pyramids to adding, counting, and measuring, the ancient Egyptians made many contributions to the science and technology of today. We owe them a hearty "thank you"! 5. What is the difference between how we divide our days and how the ancient Egyptians divided their days? Name Mathematics, Science, and Technology of Ancient Egypt Questions 1. Ancient Egypt's numbering system was based on ______. A. fifteen B. twelve C. ten D. one hundred 2. The numbers one through nine were represented by ______. A. circles B. vertical lines C. horizontal lines D. special symbols 6. The ancient Egyptians used names for times of day rather than numbering them. A. false B. true 7. Name two of the architectural wonders found in Egypt. 3. What is a cubit? How long is it? 8. The ancient Egyptians always wrote their numbers in descending order. A. true B. false 4. The ancient Egyptian calendar began when ______. A. The Dog Star, Sirius, appeared in the sky. B. The Nile River flooded. C. The festival given by Thoth began. D. none of the above Plan a celebration for the festival given to the ancient Egyptians by their god, Thoth. Include the food, games, and other festivities that you would have at the festival. Name Make up names for three different times of the day. Explain the reasons for your names.