Ancient Egypt and Mondern Society

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Over the last several thousand years, dozens of great civilizations have risen from nothing and fallen back into obscurity. Not all civilizations, however, leave a lasting mark on the world, especially not one so profound that influences the world as it exists today. One such civilization that has had a profound impact on daily modern lives was that of Ancient Egypt. Their systems of religion and technological innovation helped not only to leave a permanent impression on the world, but also served to mold both the civilizations that directly followed it as well as society today.
The Ancient Egyptian civilization spanned several thousand years and is one of the few societies of the time that came into being independently. “Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 B.C. with the unification of upper and lower Egypt under the first Pharaoh” (Dodson 46). Because of the Nile river, Egypt was able to grow and thrive. “The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave humans the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization” (Shaw 17).
Although Egypt is perhaps best known for the pyramids, monuments such as the Sphinx, and mummies, their culture created many other important artifacts. Because Egypt did not want for food due to their ability to harness the waters of the Nile, they were able to focus more of their energies on their religious practices as well as their fantastic technological innovations.
The Egyptian religion is complex. They worshipped not only many deities but also the souls of their leaders and even certain others among the dead. Similar to several European societies that would come later on in Egypt’s timel...

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... Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London,
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McKenty, R. “Dimensions and Mathematics of the Great Pyramid.” Global Education Project.
15 September 2000. Global Education Project. 15 April 2014. http://www.theglobal education project.org /egypt/studyguide/gpmath.php
“Process of Embalming.” Ancient Egyptian Facts. January 2014. Ancient Egyptian Facts. 15
April 2014. http://www.ancientegyptianfacts.com/ancient-egyptian-process-of- embalming.html Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford, England: Oxford University
Press, 2003. Print.
Sirry, Mai. “Ancient Egyptian Religion.” Experience Ancient Egypt. 15 April 2014. http://www.experience-ancient-egypt.com/ancient-egyptian-religion.html “Writing.” Ancient Egypt. The British Museum. 15 April 2014. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/
writing/home.html

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