Ancient Egypt is the birthplace of one of the most important and fascinating civilizations in history. Egypt is located in the northeast of africa and their civilization developed on the banks of the Nile River.
The period of ancient Egypt is divided into pre-dynastic and dynastic. During the dynasty, Egypt was ruled by famous pharaohs, such as Menes, Ramses II, Amunhotep IV and Tutankhamun.
Summary of the history of ancient Egypt
Before being ruled by the Pharaohs, Egypt was formed by groupings of people called “nomes”. These nomos were independent but established relationships with each other. From the union of the nomes, two kingdoms were formed, the kingdom of Upper and Lower Egypt.
O kingdom of upper egypt it was to the south of the territory and was so named for its altitude and proximity to the mountains. O kingdom of lower egypt it was located to the north, until the territory's meeting with the Mediterranean Sea.
In 3200 BC Ç, Menes, who was king of Upper Egypt, unified the whole territory
Egyptian under his power. This date marks the beginning of the dynastic period and Menés becomes the first pharaoh of egypt.
Map of ancient Egypt in the 15th century BC. Ç.
The dynasty period is divided into three phases:
3200 a. C - 2100 a. C - old empire
During this phase, the pharaohs gained a lot of political, military and religious power. Among the most famous pharaohs of this period stand out Cheops, Chephren and Mikerin, to whom the famous Pyramids of Giza.
At the end of this period, revolts began with the aim of weakening the power of the pharaohs. These uprisings led to a civil war, which brought many negative consequences and disorganization in society.
Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Miquerin in the city of Giza.
2100 a. C - 1580 a. C - Middle Empire
The empire was again unified and there was economic and political stabilization. During this period there were conquests of new territories, such as Palestine and Nubia, where precious metals were found.
But at the end of this period, the territory is invaded by hyksos, nomadic peoples of Asia. Due to their military superiority, the Hyksos managed to impose their power and dominated northern Egypt for about 170 years.
1580 BC C-715 a. C - New empire
The Egyptians managed to unite and strengthen their military strength and in 1580 they expelled the Hyksos from their territory, inaugurating the New Empire, the last phase of the Egyptian dynasty.
At the end of this period conflicts arise between priests and monarchs, who were part of the privileged class of Egypt - which creates instability and weakens the power of the pharaohs. In addition, peasants are also beginning to rebel against the high taxes they paid to maintain the luxuries of the upper classes.
Thus, Egypt goes into decay and begins to suffer several invasions in its territory. Among the peoples who invaded Egyptian territory were the assyrians, you Persians, you Macedonians and the romans.
See also what was the Roman Empire.
Politics
Politics in ancient Egypt was centralized in the hands of the pharaoh. The pharaohs were considered gods and, therefore, the political regime is called theocratic monarchy.
Their authority was maximum, they had religious functions, they were judges and commanded the army. The function of pharaoh was hereditary, that is, passed from father to son.
To manage all the activities of the state, the pharaohs had numerous employees and also used to recruit peasants to work on the large works.
know more about monarchy and theocratic state.
Society
Egyptian society was status, this means that there were rigid social classes and there was no social mobility. At the top of the pyramid of society was the pharaoh, followed by the privileged class of nobles, priests and scribes.
The underprivileged class consisted of peasants, artisans and slaves. To support the luxuries of the upper classes, the peasants paid very high taxes, which became a reason for revolt at the end of the dynasty.
Economy
The economy of ancient Egypt was mainly based on the agriculture. Despite being a desert region, the Nile River fertilized the soil on its banks, making it possible to grow food.
There was no private ownership of land in Egyptian society. In exchange for the use of the land, the peasants provided the state with part of their production.
In addition to agriculture, the Egyptians raised oxen, sheep, poultry and pigs, but meat was expensive and consumed only by the upper classes of society. There was also the sale of artisan products.
See also the meaning of Private propriety.
Religion
Religion is one of the most important aspects of Egyptian civilization. the egyptians were polytheists - believed in various gods - and performed many rituals and celebrations for these deities.
these gods were anthropomorphic, had part of the human body and part of the animal body. They also considered some sacred animals, such as the cat and the scarab.
the egyptians believed in life after death and in the return to the body of good souls. That's why they mummified the dead, a technique in which they developed unparalleled expertise.
For the judgment of souls after death, the Egyptians passed through the Court of Osiris, the God of Death, and their hearts were heavy. The light hearts were from people with good attitudes, the heavy ones were from people with bad attitudes during life.
know more about polytheism.
knowledge and science
Egyptian society produced numerous intellectual and scientific advances, especially in the arithmetic, astronomy, chemistry, medicine and engineering. Pyramids are an example of construction that respected strict mathematical rules.
THE mummification it was another custom of this civilization that contributed to the advancement of science. By removing the viscera of the dead for the mummification process, the Egyptians learned a lot about how the human body works.
THE writing it was another important advance of Ancient Egypt. Three forms of writing were developed: demotic, hieratic and hieroglyphic. Demotics was a simpler script, followed by hieratic, which was intermediate.
Hieroglyphic was a more complex script that used objects and symbols for representations. The pharaohs had officials assigned to the task of writing down everything that happened in the empire, they were the scribes.
know more about hieroglyph.
Hieroglyphs made of stone.
It is thanks to these records that today we can know a little about what the structure of this society, its habits, traditions, beliefs and all the events that we know about that period.
See also the meaning of papyrus and Nefertiti.
