* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Who were the Egyptians? Egypt is a hot, dry country in the north of
Thebes, Egypt wikipedia , lookup
Plagues of Egypt wikipedia , lookup
Great Pyramid of Giza wikipedia , lookup
Index of Egypt-related articles wikipedia , lookup
Joseph's Granaries wikipedia , lookup
Prehistoric Egypt wikipedia , lookup
Middle Kingdom of Egypt wikipedia , lookup
Ancient Egyptian medicine wikipedia , lookup
Ancient Egyptian funerary practices wikipedia , lookup
Ancient Egyptian race controversy wikipedia , lookup
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.