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ancient and modern egypt
Critically assess the role played by the River Nile in ancient egypt
ancient and modern egypt
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Egypt is a big rich historical country in northeast Africa, its included in the region known as the middle east and its capital Cairo. Ancient Egypt which is commonly known for its rich cultural heritage has undergone several cultural changes from pre-historic times. This paper will explore burial practices and artifacts associated with those practices. The physical body was preserved properly because of the believe in afterlife which was an important funerary practice.
The land of Egypt produced four major physical regions: Nile Valley, Nile Delta, Western desert and Eastern Desert. Egyptian civilization started along the last miles of the river’s bank and extended north to the Mediterranean Sea. Every year, torrential rains caused the rivers to over flow causing a terrible flood from the Nile into their land. The cycle of flood and sun made Egypt one of the productive and stable cultures in the ancient world King Menes founded the capital of ancient Egypt at white walls (known as Memphis), in
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The most popular Egyptian pyramid was built as a tomb for the Pharaohs and their queens, it was believed that for the dead pharaoh to carry out his duties (after life) as king he needed to be taking care of in the tomb. The massive Egyptian pyramid is still a mystery of how it was built, the tools used, and hidden secrets in the building. The pyramids are the biggest architectural product of the old kingdom (2647-2124 BCE), a period of revolutionary achievements that solidified the accomplishment of the early Dynastic time. The pharaohs were buried in the pyramids. There are about one hundred pyramids known presently from Egypt, the three largest pyramids were built at Giza at the beginning of the old kingdom and about 146 meters high. The pyramids were built by skilled workers who were paid, it was believed that the stones and blocks were transported along the river Nile to the Giza
Perhaps the most notorious of burial practices originating in Egypt is that of mummification. Why such an extraordinary attempt was made to preserve cadavers may seem
As history has it, Egypt was the land of lands and great art with their high pyramids. During the year 3000 BC when two nations decides to come in one nation so that the nation of Egypt can be under one king. Since Egypt has become under one nation; the land and it’s’ people grew and develop their work of arts and crafts. Researchers O΄Connor and Robertson (2000) wrote “Egypt enjoyed long periods of peace when society advanced rapidly. From the article “The Story of the Nile” by John Baines (2011) said:
The history and tradition of Egypt is one of the most greatly studied and admired of all past world civilizations. The lure of the pyramids and the specter of the sphinx have led many archeologists to dedicate his/her life to unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egyptian culture. Arguably, the most captivating aspect of Egypt’s past is that of mummification. Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead? What beliefs did the Egyptians have regarding the after life? What portion of the Egyptian civilization was mummified? What was the Book of the Dead? This is a mere sampling of the questions that come to my mind when I think of ancient Egyptian culture. I hope to lay forth answers to these questions and many more in the following pages dedicated to the history and purpose behind Egyptian mummification.
Mummification relates to Egypt, because before the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians used mummification, but instead of using chemicals such as Natron, they preserved their dead by desiccation. Before the Egyptians would then bury their dead in the arid desert with the deceased’s belongings. However, the wealthier Egyptians began to bury their dead in tombs, and used artificial mummification, which is removing the internal organs and wrapping the body in linen and burying them in coffins. But by the New Kingdom, the Egyptians perfected their mummification process, and had elaborate funerals for the deceased. Egyptian mummification is not used by the Egyptians frequently today, but the discoveries and texts were important in discovering how the Egyptians progress in science and technology.
The Nile was a very vibrant place, where Egyptians found almost everything they needed (OI).The vegetation the river produced had many purposes, like food, aroma, and medicine (OI). The Nile was full of life, making it an attractive hunting area, along with fishing (OI). The Nile also provided fertile soil to plant crops, and since over 95% of Egypt’s population was farmers, was crucial (Doc B). It created Egypt’s seasons, the flooding season, the harvesting season, and the planting season (Doc B). When the flooding season began and the Nile flooded its banks, the Opet Festival began in Egypt (Doc B). During the planting season, farmers would plant crops in the fields (Doc B). In the harvest season, farmers would take their crops and sell them or store them away (Doc B). Those are just some of the many ways the Nile River shaped ancient
The first kingdom is known as the Old Kingdom which ranged from 2650-2150 B.C. The architecture in the old kingdom was mainly influence by the king’s first minister Imhotep. He was very good at his craft and was a skilled architect. The famous Step Pyramid in Saqqara was said to be designed by Imhotep himself; one of the first ministers of King Zoser. The most famous pyramids of the old kingdom are the three great pyramids in Giza. These pyramids run along the west part of the Nile River. The Nile River was and still is a very important major source of water for the people who live along its banks. The pyramids were built to bury the dead pharaohs, along with family, servants, pets, and their jewelry. Also the pyramids symbolize the almighty power of each pharaoh. One of the most typical and earliest of royal Egyptian sculptures is a statute of the great Zoser. “The life-size statue shows the pharaoh sitting staring straight ahead. For a long time, only such ...
Ancient Egyptians were very religious people with various beliefs and gods. Ancient Egypt consisted of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Not only is Ancient Egypt known for their outstanding architecture in pyramids, but also, their astonishing understanding of the human body. Mummification began around c.3500 BCE and by the Old Kingdom it had become a standard practice. Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.
The development of cities is essential in the development of a civilization. Egypt’s cities began close to the Nile River. The Nile ran directly through the land and was the main attraction to settlers. It flooded every year, and in doing so, it fertilized the ground and allowed the growth
Over time, many changes took place, and some were very important. The indicating signs of these changes were sometimes very obvious. For example, the burial practices of the Egyptians, which were certainly affected by their religious ideologies, went from simple mastabas in the very early periods and during the Predynastic Period, to monumental pyramids during the Old and Middle Kingdoms.
About four and a half thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians started a tradition that would last for thousands of years. The practice of preserving the bodies of the dead was both ritualistic and spiritual. Their intricate burial procedures and elaborate tombs were also a crucial part of laying the deceased to rest.
A few pyramids still stand today, and are great attractions for tourists. The pyramids were built by taking blocks of granite to the workshop, measuring the blocks down to size, shaping the blocks, and placing the blocks into the body of the pyramid. The core of the structure is now completed. Then, you place the limestone blocks on the top of the structure (they started putting the blocks on top and then worked their way down). They left two empty rooms to place the pharaoh and his belongings in. They sealed the pyramids so well, it took four hundred years for two robbers to figure out how to get in. Free citizens, drafted for public work, not by slaves of any sort, built the pyramids. Four thousand expert stone sculptors built the pyramids all year round. An extra work group of about ninety-five thousand men worked on the pyramids during the four-month period of the inundation (the time of enforced idleness for farmers, since the field were covered with the Nile water flood). The pyramids were built between the year 1600 B.C. and the year 2700.
Thus, the art and architecture of Ancient Egypt stemmed directly from their religion. Egyptian theology, with its deified pharaohs and strange animal-headed gods, was complicated, but the most important belief was that survival after death depended upon the preservation of the body. This belief would influence the architectural design of the tomb, where the corpse was ultimately sealed (Silverman:142, 1997). Immortality was only for privileged royal and priestly beings (Stierlin:54, 1983).This implies that their tombs would be somewhat prestigious and not just and ordinary burial site. At the day of resurrection the Ka or soul would re-enter the dead body; this meant that it must be there, intact, ready for that moment. It followed logically, that 'once the corpse was embalmed or mummified, it must be preserved in an impregnable tomb.
Ancient Egyptian burial rituals and customs have evolved over time as source C depicts. Source C is relief illustrating the evol...
The rich history of Egypt is tied very closely with the Nile River’s fertile banks and existence as a source of water. Flowing south to north, this massive river has had a tremendous impact on agriculture, transportation, religion, migration of populations, and culture as a whole. The narrow Nile Valley as well as the surrounding deserts provided defense and isolation from the arising cultures of the time. Over many centuries, the rainfall has affected the levels of flooding on the Nile and therefore the way in which the Egyptians had to live. This region is rich with cultural and historical records of the ongoing relationship of culture and society with the environment and the Nile.
Large Egyptian pyramids were built (on a king’s instructions) to protect tombs, each holding the mummified body of a king (see Embalming). It was believed that entombment in a pyramid would ensure a person’s soul would live forever. A chamber at the heart of the pyramid, or underneath it, acted as the tomb and the Egyptians would fill this with gold and other treasures. Smaller pyramids were built alongside the larger structures to house the bodies of Egyptian queens.