Professions
There were many professions that made up the ancient Egyptian society. Some of these jobs included farmers, scribes, craftsman, soldiers and priests; all pinnacles in ancient Egypt’s survival. These professions were separated amongst the poorer and richer peoples of ancient Egypt. The most common profession for the commoner was to be a farmer. Egypt’s geographical location along the Nile allowed the lands to be extremely fertile, with the ancient Egyptians using the floodwater to irrigate their crops, made the area great farmland.
The scribes were very important in any civilization since they could write down important information giving us a better understanding of the ancient Egyptian civilization. But being an Egyptian scribe required a lot of training including going to scribe school and many who did, didn’t pass therefore making scribes a rare profession and in high demand.
Craftsmen were very important in ancient Egypt, creating the most renowned Egyptian statues, tombs and artifacts that we know about today. Many of these artifacts were crafted by unknown artisans who were employed by the pharaoh to create or design his monuments. Jobs that these skilled craftsmen included paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and carpentry.
Being a soldier in the ancient Egyptian military was a chance for the lower class to rise in society and gain a reputable name. Ancient Egypt relied on it’s military for protection and a way to gain more territory. There military comprised of infantry, cavalry, charioteers etc. Although the Egyptian military weren’t usually on campaigns and were instead used by the pharaoh to help in major building projects.
Priests were and high priests were very high in ancient Egypt’s society. Becau...
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...ing the most known statues of any Egyptian pharaoh. His 250 statues are a portrait of Amenhotep III rule, spanning his whole life and depicting major events among his rule. He is also acquainted with constructing many monuments and structures a man made lake in honor of his dead wife, numerous additions onto the temple of Karnack, a forecourt, the tenth pylon, numerous monuments in Nubia and an enormous mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile. These many constructions would have benefited Egypt by providing lower class Egyptians projects to work on and the end result would have added to Egypt’s culture and art. Not only that but Amenhotep III is also credited with having the first idea of a newspaper with the discovery of 200 scarabs with hieroglyphs explaining building projects, marriages, hunting trips and royal news that were sent out amongst ancient Egypt.
The statue of Khafre is an example of how pharaohs utilized their wealth to elaborate the power they possessed while they were alive and to utilize while they were dead. They ordered statues to be made in their name to decorate the valley temple. The valley temple is a funerary setting in which Khafre ordered 23 statues to be made for it. In this case, Khafre’s statue was made and place near the
The first form of art that I will talk about that the ancient Egyptians are known for are sculptures. An example of this is the Sphinx of Hatshepsut. I just want to say a few things about King Hatshepsut since we all know a bit more about her from the lectures. Hatshepsut is known to be a successful female Pharaoh. She declared herself as the king when Thutmose III, the one next in line, was too young to rule. She ruled for about 20 years. Her reign was full of building projects and the most recognized building under her rule was the Deir el-Bahari. Like most Pharaohs, her tomb contained statues of her as well as gods to honour them and help her transcend into the afterlife.
The Ancient Egyptian civilization’s development centered around the luxurious, green and fertile Nile river. Astonishingly, they accurately predicted Nile floods to produce surplus crops and allow the growth of society and culture. In the North of Africa, Egyptians flourished until 525 BC. The lands were ruled by powerful pharaohs who provided dominance and control to their people. The Egyptians every day lives centered around an elaborate system of religious and spiritual beliefs. In tribute to their religious beliefs, pharaohs and gods, the Egyptians built breath taking monuments that often included decoration and hieroglyphs that were symbolizations of their spirituality. The amazing architecture and the mystery to how they built these gigantic structures is one of the most intriguing issues of the ancient world. However, the aspect of society and culture also inspire individuals to ask questions about how the Ancient Egyptians went about their everyday lives, and how they managed to develop such a civilized way of living. The illustrations that adorned tombs, and monuments all around Egypt added insight into the lives of the Ancients. Along with the development of writing, the depiction of effective use in medicine became evident. “Medicine was one of the oldest professions in the Nile valley.”(White 1970) Their medical practices were highly advanced for their time and included several doctors and medical practioners. Medical care was provided by workers who laid claim to specific title such as a specailist in animal bites. Or patients would resort to traditional cures handed down throughout generations.(Donadoni 1990) Doctoral specialization was apparently related to the fields of expertise and included surgeons, general pr...
Agriculture- farming in Egypt was completely depended on the Nile River. If you were to go a couple miles farther away from the Nile River you would see nothing but bone dry desert so the Nile was very important to the Egyptians. Flooding season lasted from June to September, depositing a layer of silt beside the river. After the flooding season was over growing season lasted from October to February Egypt had very little rain fall so farmers made canals and ditches to the field.
Egypt relied on their pharaohs to rule and run their county. Amenhotep III was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty; he ruled as pharaoh for a long period and achieved a significant amount of development in national and foreign affairs. He has been known as one of the best pharaohs that the world has seen. While Amenhotep was ruler of his era, it was known as the period of peace and prosperity. This allowed him to build many of the impressive structures that are found throughout Egypt today. He went on military campaigns and not only strengthened but expanded the boarders of Egypt throughout his campaigns. Amenhotep III was a successful pharaoh because he completed the roles of a pharaoh exceptionally well; these roles are High Priest, Administrator and Military commander. His name ‘Amenhotep’ means that the gods are satisfied.
The Egyptians had three four-month seasons (Doc B). The seasons were flooding (Akhet), planting (Peret) and harvesting (Shemu). The Nile set the Egyptian calendar and the agricultural cycle for farmers’ work activity and crop growth. Several occupations depended on the Nile River (Doc C). Sailors, boat builders, fishermen and farmers depended on the river transport to market crops and make money. The Egyptians used sailboats, barges and tugs for transportation and trade (Doc C). The Nile was like the superhighway of ancient Egypt. It helped them move crops and goods up and down the river and sell beyond their local market. Nothing could happen without the Nile.
In the early years there were two ‘kingdoms’ that operated like two different countries. Each had a ruler and their own religious beliefs and ways of doing things. After the two kingdoms were united, they became a lot more organized and over the years developed a system of what is called a ‘hierarchy’. This was a class system and each person living in ancient Egypt knew where they existed in the system and had specific rights of that class.
The invention of Ancient Egyptian art was one of Egypt’s biggest accomplishments. Art for the Egyptians were very important because most of the art they made were for their religion. Art was made mostly for their religion because they would paint pictures from the after- life or build exceptional pyramids that had to do with their religion. Art today was different from art back then. Back then art was made onto cave walls and gave direction or meant a special thing. For example, when they wanted to capture an animal, they
Egyptians were an astounding set of people woe helped shaping their culture and the rest of the world with the lack of modernized tools. This is translated through their arts, architecture and culture, thus guiding and building the foundation for contemporary society. In terms of history, Egyptians were and still are filled with a vast amount of history which has also contributed with the development unique and diverse society. Their development of religion and culture can be dated back to ancient times and is seen through their various ways of storytelling which has been passed onto generations. These forms of storytelling can be seen ancient Egyptians mythology. Mythology played an important role in ancient Egyptian history because it provided
Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.
Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians also believed in god and goddesses and was one of the first to develop their unique writing system called hieroglyphics. Egyptian’s also were the first to construct triangular pyramids with magnificent tombs to bury their dead pharaohs and queens. These pyramids were very comparable to the ziggurats built by the Mesopotamians. The Egyptians unlocked more access when they started using papyrus to make paper in order to communicate. They also inven...
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.
The ancient Egyptians were people of many firsts. They were the first people of ancient times to believe in life after death. They were the first to build in stone and to fashion the arch in stone and brick. Even before the unification of the Two Lands, the Egyptians had developed a plow and a system of writing. They were accomplished sailors and shipbuilders. They learned to chart the cosmos in order to predict the Nile flood. Their physicians prescribed healing remedies and performed surgical operations. They sculpted in stone and decorated the walls of their tombs with naturalistic murals in vibrant colors. The legacy of ancient Egypt is written in stone across the face of the country from the pyramids of Upper Egypt to the rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings to the Old Kingdom temples of Luxor and Karnak to the Ptolemaic temples of Edfu and Dendera and to the Roma...
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...
David, Rosalie. The Pyramid Builders of Ancient Egypt Modern Investigation of Pharaoh's Workforce. 1s ed. London, Boston: Routledge, 1996. 148.