Predynastic Egypt

Architecture Despite many modern inventions, and the mastery of materials such as steel, concrete, power glue etc., the achievements of Ancient Egypt remain unsurpassed. In many ancient civilisations such as the Egyptians' and Mesopotamians' architecture and urbanism reflected the constant engagement with the divine and the supernatural (Wikipedia). Somehow highly sophisticated craftsmanship developed over not much more than a hundred years, starting in the 3rd dynasty. Several design elements…

If the slaves built the Great Pyramid at Giza is very hard to know. I believe that most of the workers were slaves but, I think a small number of them were paid workers. The sources Herodotus and the textbook showed that the slaves did build the Great Pyramid at Giza. Herodotus and the textbook states that the king forced the Egyptian slaves to work for 20 years. They also state over 10,000 men worked on building the pyramid. The source Shiffman said a large number of the workers were…

Many scientists have been wondering for years, why the egyptians were mummified?They also been wondering if there was a reason why they did the mummification.So they asked these questions “How did the mummification work?”.Was mummification important to the egyptians? Mummification or being buried? Why they were they mummified?The egyptians believed that there was an afterlife they could live, and in the afterlife it gives you a second chance to live.Egyptians made sure if you would bring along…

When looking at the three cultures of the Moche, the Qin, and the Egyptians, it is clear to see that these cultures hold a strong belief in the afterlife. As archaeological evidence has shown, many special burials of ancient leaders were buried with artifacts. It was believed that these dead leaders would go on to another life and bring these artifacts with them. The artifacts also served as an indicator of the importance of these leaders. In 1987, grave robbers unearthed a spectacular,…

Cleopatra Ruler of Egypt by Kerrily Sapet was an interesting documentary to read, the life and rule of the mighty woman, Cleopatra. Sapet has written a few other historical documentaries and several other present documentaries in her career. She mostly focuses on children’s books on all types of subjects. In the book, she portrayed Cleopatra as a strong leader, even when most women were viewed as low class citizens and not leaders. Although this book would be considered more of a children’s…

superstitious times (Brier and Hobbs [Page 263]). Despite this they still saw injuries and diseases more important than the contemporaries. Egyptian doctors were of the highest social class and had a reputation throughout the ancient world. In ancient egypt, knowledge of medicine was knowledge of ritual. Although the physician acted as a specialized ritualist, it is not to be implied that recitation took priority over therapeutic practice. In the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, individual cases…

the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her family background, education and the ruler cult all gave her validation to attain her role as queen. The family background of Cleopatra provided her validation and a right on the royal throne as Queen. The Ptolemies were feuding dynasty that was ravenous for power. There were 13 Ptolemies all with different surname. The first three were great businessmen and increased the wealth and productivity of Egypt. They also brought intellectual life…

respected god(s). Akhenaten’s Hymn to the Sun is a poem that is very important to ancient Egypt. Through the use of imagery and personification, it is visible that Akhenaten is showing his devotion to Aten though vivid and hyperbolized language and diligent piety. It also not only shows homage to the god Aten, it shows the reverence and importance they give to their gods. Akhenaten was the first pharaoh in Egypt to implement a monotheism in a primarily polytheist culture; his infatuation with…

Introduction The Khopesh is one of the most unique weapons in the ancient Egyptian military arsenal. The sword was brought to Egypt from Canaan where it had a much longer handle and was used as a war axe. Personal Interest We find khopeshes in many Ancient Egyptian art forms including statuettes found in tombs and in bas-reliefs of battles drawn on walls and murals. Pictures of the weapon where usually not to scale with khopeshes often shown as large daggers, even though surviving examples are…

In first century Egypt (A.D.) Alexandria was the focal point of Greek civilization on the Mediterranean and the center of Roman trade routes to the deserts, inner Africa, and the East. Sarapis and Isis, two Greek gods, became very popular in the Roman Empire. Inside Egypt the Roman emperors referred to themselves as heirs to the pharaohs and went on to build temples in the traditional Egyptian style. The ancient Egyptian funerary tradition didn’t change very much and the dead were still being…