Egyptians
Egyptians are considered an ethnic group as well as the citizens that call Egypt home. They share a common culture and a variety of Arabic as their spoken language. Because there culture is so fast, our group centered our portions of the presentation on what we believe were the most interesting aspects of Egyptian culture.
The first topic that I covered was Egyptian symbols. Because Egypt has a vast number of symbols, I focused specifically on the “Mau,” Ankh, Canopic Jars, Flail and Crook, and Scarab. I picked these topics because they are some of the most well-known symbols of Egypt to the outside world. The “Mau,” or cat, is considered a sacred animal to Egyptians. Praised for its ability to control and kill vermin (mice, scorpions, …show more content…
I picked this topic because it relates to the first and also because I find the Egyptian gods fascinating. Not wanting to overwhelm the students with too much information, i kept my summation brief. Horus is the god of the sun. He is usually depicted as a falcon headed man. Set, also known as Seth, Setekh, Sut, Sutekh, and Sety, is the god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religions. Set was one of the most ancient of the Egyptian gods. Thoth is the god of wisdom. In artwork, Thoth was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis, or a baboon. Khnum is the god of creation. In art he is usually depicted with the head of a ram. Hathor is the goddess of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. Sobek is the god of the Nile, the most important resource to the Egyptian people which sustains life in a land of sand. Ra, god of the sun, merged with Amun, god of the air, and became Amun-Ra the King of the gods. Ptah was the god of craftsmanship, artisans, and creation. Anubis, one of my personal favorites is the god of mummification, funerals, and death. He was also at one point the Lord of the Underworld until Osiris took over his position. Osiris then became the god of the dead, which leaves Isis the god of …show more content…
Seeing as the history of Egypt and its people covers thousands of years, I decided to focus my information on the Sphinx and the Egyptian pyramids. The Sphinx of Gaze is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. Made out of limestone with the body of a lion and the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom. From the north side you can see the profile of the Sphinx. It appears as though the head is disproportionate to the body. Because of the desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand was cleared away so that the Sphinx’s beautiful entirety could be observed. The paws themselves are 50 feet long while the entire length is 150 feet. In contrast to this the head is 30 feet long and 14 feet wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than other there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure. But that’s only one explanation. According to Colin Reader the sphinx actually started life as a lion and over time as the head began to deteriorate, it was reshaped into the pharaoh’s head we see today. I believe that his theory has some weight to it but it’ll take a lot more theorizing and study to prove what he believes. But it’s still an interesting concept to think
Egyptians are considered an ethnic group as well as the citizens that call Egypt home. They share a common culture and a variety of Arabic as their spoken language. Because there culture is so fast, our group centered our portions of the presentation on what we believe were the most interesting aspects of Egyptian culture.
The first topic that I covered was Egyptian symbols. Because Egypt has a vast number of symbols, I focused specifically on the “Mau,” Ankh, Canopic Jars, Flail and Crook, and Scarab. I picked these topics because they are some of the most well-known symbols of Egypt to the outside world. The “Mau,” or cat, is considered a sacred animal to Egyptians. Praised for its ability to control and kill vermin (mice, scorpions, …show more content…
I picked this topic because it relates to the first and also because I find the Egyptian gods fascinating. Not wanting to overwhelm the students with too much information, i kept my summation brief. Horus is the god of the sun. He is usually depicted as a falcon headed man. Set, also known as Seth, Setekh, Sut, Sutekh, and Sety, is the god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religions. Set was one of the most ancient of the Egyptian gods. Thoth is the god of wisdom. In artwork, Thoth was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis, or a baboon. Khnum is the god of creation. In art he is usually depicted with the head of a ram. Hathor is the goddess of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. Sobek is the god of the Nile, the most important resource to the Egyptian people which sustains life in a land of sand. Ra, god of the sun, merged with Amun, god of the air, and became Amun-Ra the King of the gods. Ptah was the god of craftsmanship, artisans, and creation. Anubis, one of my personal favorites is the god of mummification, funerals, and death. He was also at one point the Lord of the Underworld until Osiris took over his position. Osiris then became the god of the dead, which leaves Isis the god of …show more content…
Seeing as the history of Egypt and its people covers thousands of years, I decided to focus my information on the Sphinx and the Egyptian pyramids. The Sphinx of Gaze is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. Made out of limestone with the body of a lion and the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom. From the north side you can see the profile of the Sphinx. It appears as though the head is disproportionate to the body. Because of the desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand was cleared away so that the Sphinx’s beautiful entirety could be observed. The paws themselves are 50 feet long while the entire length is 150 feet. In contrast to this the head is 30 feet long and 14 feet wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than other there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure. But that’s only one explanation. According to Colin Reader the sphinx actually started life as a lion and over time as the head began to deteriorate, it was reshaped into the pharaoh’s head we see today. I believe that his theory has some weight to it but it’ll take a lot more theorizing and study to prove what he believes. But it’s still an interesting concept to think