Ancient Egyptian Civilization Phase I

1、 Egypt is a gift from the Nile River.

Egypt is located in northeastern Africa, with the Nile River running through it from south to north. The Nile River is the longest river in the world, with a total length of 6671 kilometers. It flows from south to north into the Mediterranean and is the mother river of Egypt. The ancient Egyptian civilization with a long history is closely related to this mother river. In the 5th century BC, the great historian Herodotus said, "Egypt is a gift of the Nile.".

Geographically, Egypt is divided into Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, with present-day Cairo (ancient Memphis) as its boundary. Upper Egypt is the Upper Nile region of Egypt, located south of Cairo. The climate here is dry and the annual rainfall is less than 100 millimeters. Lower Egypt refers to the lower reaches of the Nile River in Egypt, which is the Nile Delta region north of Cairo. This area is influenced by the Mediterranean monsoon climate and receives a large amount of rainfall. The silt of the Nile River made it a flat and fertile area, thus the agricultural civilization of Egypt took root here.

Before 2400 BC, Egypt was still in a humid period, with lush vegetation everywhere. After 2400 BC, the climate became increasingly arid, and large areas became deserts. The Nile River became increasingly important to Egyptian people, and controlling its water became necessary. They learned to build dams and ditches, and developed unique flood control and irrigation systems. This flood control and irrigation system was the foundation of ancient Egyptian civilization.

The residents on both sides of the Nile River set various working days based on the fluctuations of the river water and created a natural calendar of three seasons a year: in mid July, the Nile River begins to flood, the first quarter begins, and then the fields are soaked in water; The second season is the growing season of crops; The last season is the season for harvesting crops, leveling the land, and building embankments.

Due to the short actual farming cycle each year, Egyptians had enough time to engage in religious, palace architecture, and other artistic creation activities, allowing them to reflect on the natural phenomena around them. The powerful and turbulent nature of the Nile greatly inspired the Egyptians. They regarded the Nile as the source of all life and worshipped it as a god.

2、 The Characteristics of Ancient Egyptian Civilization

The ancient Egyptian civilization was an imperial civilization rather than an urban civilization. In contrast to the urban civilization of Mesopotamia, Egypt was a unified country that had long been under the rule of the same dynasty in the river basin.

The ancient Egyptian civilization was stable, conservative, confident, and optimistic. The western part of the Nile Valley is the Libyan Desert, the eastern part is the Arabian Desert, the southern part is the Nubian Desert and the Nile River Falls, and the northern part is the coastline of the delta region without a harbor. These natural barriers provide it with good protection. Egyptians live in this safe valley area and can freely arrange their own destiny. The Nile River is like a natural link, connecting the entire watershed into a stable and effective whole. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which experience devastating and unpredictable floods every year, the Nile is a gentle and predictable river. The Mesopotamians regarded the flood as a merciless evil god, but the Egyptians regarded it as the West God. The arrival of the West God would bring joy to everyone.

The ancient Egyptians were concerned about death and made material preparations for the afterlife, especially for the king, which was a major characteristic of Egyptian religious beliefs. The ancient Egyptians were very eager to explore the world after death. They believe that the world after death is the subject of a person's life, and living in this world for decades is to serve and prepare for death. They didn't expect the king's death to be the final outcome, so after the king's death, they smeared the body with medicinal herbs such as sesame oil, and then placed the body, along with essential items such as food, into a huge tomb, known as the pyramid. Egyptian farmers were very enthusiastic when building these pyramids, believing that they were building a mansion for a god who could determine their common happiness. The pharaoh has always been regarded as the king of God, without any distinction between divine pharaohs and secular pharaohs. For this reason, Egypt does not have any laws corresponding to the Mesopotamian Code. As a divine king, the power of the pharaoh is sacred, and his words are the law.

The absolute control of the state over economic life is the last prominent feature of Egyptian civilization. The bureaucrats led by the prime minister strengthened the power of the king. The state not only controls most of the production in agriculture and handicrafts, but also is responsible for the distribution of products. The king is responsible for the food supply for everyone. In addition to paying taxes, each village also needs to send people to do corv é e. The pyramid is the most famous achievement of these laborers.

3、 Are the ancient Egyptians white or black?

There has been a heated debate in anthropology about which race created ancient Egyptian civilization.

The ancient Egyptian civilization was once clearly labeled as created by white people. In recent years, some anthropologists have determined that ancient Egyptians were of the black race by measuring the bones of mummies and melanin under a microscope. The head of the Sphinx also reflects black features such as thick lips, round face, and wide nose.

However, from the large number of portraits passed down from ancient Egypt, it can be seen that their physical features are not singular, and it is inappropriate to explain them solely as white or black people. So, a reasonable explanation is that ancient Egypt was a place where multiple ethnic groups lived together. There are black people from the south, namely black people from West Asia and the Mediterranean region, Caucasians, and Mediterranean people. Their skin color is relatively white.

Mixed race children are closely related to their geographical location. Egypt is a crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, making it an inevitable convergence point for various neighboring races. After the 18th century BC (13th Dynasty), with the increase of immigrants from West Asia and Europe, the residents of Egypt, especially in the Nile Delta, showed a gradually increasing white population.

4、 The Rise and Fall of the Ancient Egyptian Dynasty (5000-332 BC)

The ancient Egyptian civilization can be divided into two parts: the pre dynastic period and the dynastic (pharaoh) period, which lasted for about 4000 years. It entered the period of foreign rule in 332 BC.

During the pre dynastic period (5000-3100 BC), vultures ruled the world

In the early pre dynastic period, Egypt entered the Bronze and Stone Age. The improvement of production tools and the development of irrigated agriculture have increased social wealth and population, and the polarization of wealth has led to the disintegration of primitive societies. Egypt is gradually entering the era of military democracy.

Around 4000 BC, two kingdoms were formed in Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt respectively. The southern Upper Egypt is symbolized by rushes and defended by vultures. Lower Egypt in the north uses papyrus as its totem and cobras as its guardian deity. Around 3100 BC, Narmai (also known as Menis) became the king of Upper Egypt. He led a powerful army down the Nile River and conquered Lower Egypt, thus entering the era of pharaohs.

The unification of Egypt marked the birth of the world's first centralized state. At this time, civilizations in other parts of the world, even the Two Rivers civilization, ancient Indian civilization, and rapidly developing Chinese civilization, had only reached the stage of city states and tribal alliances.

Pharaonic period (3100-332 BC)

From 3100 BC to 332 BC, the Greek Macedonian king Alexander conquered Egypt, which went through 7 stages and 31 dynasties. Because the ruling king was known as the pharaoh, it was also known as the "pharaoh period".

The pharaoh early dynasty period (approximately 3100-2686 AD) was a period of establishment of the Egyptian monarchy and consolidation of national unity. After the unification of Egypt by Nair, a centralized national organization was initially established, placing the country's land, taxation, and water conservancy and irrigation under unified national management. A strong standing army was established, and a new capital, Baicheng (known as Memphis in the Sixth Dynasty), was established at the border of Upper and Lower Egypt.

The Pharaoh Ancient Kingdom period (approximately 2686-2181 BC) was the first peak period of the development of ancient Egyptian civilization. The absolute monarchy system has been fully established, and the pharaoh, who holds all the power of the country, is revered as the highest deity of the country, the son of the sun god. The ruling machine tends towards perfection. Starting from the first pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, successive pharaohs built nearly 80 pyramids, hence the ancient kingdom period is also known as the "Pyramid Age". Although pyramids were outstanding representatives of ancient Egyptian civilization, their construction was a waste of human and financial resources, becoming a significant cause of the downfall of ancient kingdoms.

The second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Khuf, was a famous tyrant who built the largest pyramid.

Hu's successor is his son Rajiv. Hu's tyranny led to widespread public opinion, so Reggie Dev established the Sphinx to promote his family. This tactic of "politics cannot use religion" was repeatedly imitated by later pharaohs. He died at the hands of his brother (uncle) Haraf.

The first period of the pharaohs (approximately 2181-2040 BC) was the first low point in the development of ancient Egyptian civilization. The country was divided into two and established five small dynasties in Upper and Lower Egypt.

During the pharaoh Middle Kingdom period (approximately 2040-1786 BC), in 2040 BC, the ruler of Upper Egypt, Mentuhotep II (considered a heroic monarch of half man and half god), with Thebes as the capital, unified the country and ushered in the glorious era of the Middle Kingdom. This is the second peak of the development of ancient Egyptian civilization. The pharaoh honored the local god Amon of Thebes as the highest deity in the country and built tombs and temples throughout the country. Several pharaohs of the 12th Dynasty made multiple expeditions to Nubia in the south, expanding Egypt's southern border to the second waterfall of the Nile River. During this period, the artist's portrait making and jewelry making art reached a very high level.

During the Second Middle Kingdom period (approximately 1786-1567 BC), a nationwide uprising broke out in the late Middle Kingdom, and the pharaoh was abolished. Just as Egypt was falling apart, Hiksos of West Asia took the opportunity to rule Egypt for over 100 years, marking the second low point in the history of Egyptian civilization. In 1567 BC, the ruler of Thebes, Yehmus, launched a counterattack against the Hyksos people, driving them out of Egypt and pursuing them to West Asia, incorporating Palestine into the Egyptian territory and beginning the New Kingdom period.

The pharaoh New Kingdom period (approximately 1567-1085 BC) was a peak period for the development of ancient Egyptian civilization, giving birth to several famous pharaohs, such as the first female pharaoh Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, who made 17 expeditions to Asia over 20 years, the wealthy pharaoh Amophnis III, and the young pharaoh Tutankhamun. The continuous expansion made Egypt a great empire spanning Asia and Africa. By the 12th century BC, the power of the Temple of Amon in Thebes rapidly expanded, and the Egyptian Empire declined with frequent foreign invasions. In 1085 BC, the high priest of the Temple of Amun, Heliholus, seized the throne and ended the New Kingdom period.

Hatpersut's son, later known as the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose III, was the most outstanding politician and military strategist in ancient Egypt and the founder of the Egyptian Empire. He had the longest reign, the largest territory, and the highest national strength, and was known as the "Napoleon of the ancient world".

Ramses II of the 19th Dynasty reigned for 67 years and was on par with Alexander the Great. He won the Battle of Cadiz and signed a peace treaty with Heidi in 1258 BC. Ramses II was fond of building temples, which consumed a lot of national strength and was an important reason for the decline of the 19th Dynasty and ancient Egyptian civilization. Now, when I go to Egypt, I see most of his statues and temples, including the famous Abu Simbo temple. The blockbuster "Pharaoh and the Gods" tells the story of him and Moses, who left Egypt with 400000 Jews.

In fact, several dynasties coexisted in the third middle period (around 1085-664 BC). Although the economy was prosperous during this period, the politics were relatively tragic. From the initial soldiers being regent as high priests to later being occupied by the Assyrians, the prosperity and decline of the former began to emerge, laying the groundwork for long-term colonization and the disappearance of civilization.

The pharaoh post dynastic period (approximately 664-332 BC) was the period of decline of pharaoh Egypt. The country is divided and suffering from internal turmoil and external threats. Since the establishment of the 21st Dynasty by the priests of Amun Monastery, Libyans from the West, black people from southern Nubia, Assyrians from West Asia, and Persians have successively established dynasties in Egypt. In the 26th Dynasty, Egypt experienced a brief revival. Pharaoh Nick led his army to capture the famous Nebuchadnezzar II, ordered the excavation of a canal between the Nile and the Red Sea, and dispatched a fleet of Phoenicians as sailors to sail throughout Africa. In the post dynastic period, despite frequent dynastic changes and constant wars, culture and art still developed.

Psamtik II, the son of Nick II, inherited his will, befriended Greece, and opposed the expansion of New Babylon. April was the son of Psamtik II, who sheltered Jews persecuted by New Babylon, but led to an internal mutiny and was assassinated while fleeing Egypt for refuge.

Before the Persian invasion, the greatest pharaoh Yehmus II came to power through a mutiny and vigorously developed friendly diplomacy with the Greek countries to confront the Persian Empire, but the effect was not satisfactory. His son, Psamtik III, was defeated by the Persian king Gombis in just six months of his reign.

During the reign of Greece and Rome (332-642 BC), in 332 BC, Alexander from Greece and Macedonia overthrew the 31st Dynasty, making Egypt a part of the Alexander Empire and ending the nearly 3000 year long "pharaoh Egypt". Alexander only stayed in Egypt for a short time before building the city of Alexandria. After Alexander's death, his subordinate Ptolemy was established as the pharaoh of Egypt, establishing the last dynasty in Egyptian history, the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Ptolemy I was a general under Alexander the Great. Although he comes from Greece, he regards respecting the traditional culture of ancient Egypt as the mainstream, and a large number of Greeks are attracted to live in Egypt. The influx of Greek culture and the intense collision and fusion of ancient Egyptian culture occurred. Greek and Greek gradually spread from the government to the people, and Greek temples appeared in Egypt, with Egyptian gods having increasing similarities with Greek gods.

Greek culture did not completely destroy ancient Egyptian culture. The ancient cuneiform script and ancient Egyptian are still widely used. Egyptian temples still stand on deserts and oases, with priests guarding their beliefs, which have a Greek flavor.

In 30 BC, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the famous Cleopatra VII, died mysteriously. Although she had astonishing beauty and superb tactics that made Caesar bow down and preserve Egypt's independence, her death only proved one thing. Egypt officially became a province of the Roman Empire.

Egypt held an important position in the entire Roman Empire and was the "imperial granary" that supported the entire empire. So the Empire's rule over Egypt was mainly to maintain stability, and the local religious and cultural traditions were respected. The culture passed down from the Ptolemaic dynasty continued under the rule of the Roman Empire.

Around the first year, Christianity appeared among Jewish people in Palestine and then spread to Egypt, where nearly a million Jews lived. In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great of the Roman Empire issued the Milan Edict, recognizing the legal status of Christianity and converting to open Christianity as the mainstream religion in Egypt. The widespread dissemination of Christianity meant the complete decline of ancient Egyptian civilization. Christianity completely destroyed the faith of ancient Egyptian civilization, and cuneiform and ancient Egyptian script were replaced by Latin and Latin, and gradually penetrated into the people with the continuous expansion of the Christian Church. When the pyramid is accused by the Christian Church of being a symbol of heretics, it signifies that everything left by the pharaoh has been completely destroyed.

In 642 AD, the cavalry of the Arab Empire entered Alexandria, Egypt, and the arrival of the Arabs brought a more advanced Islamic civilization than the Christian civilization at that time. As a country of political and religious unity, the Arab Empire had much stronger control over religion than the Greeks and Romans who conquered Egypt. At the moment when the Arab Empire conquered Egypt, under the joint influence of cultural attraction and government coercion, the Islamization process on Egyptian land began almost without pause, and the remaining ancient Egyptian culture began a new round of revival. Modern Egypt is a country based on Islamic culture. Its ethnic identity is Arabic and it speaks Arabic. More than 90% of the population believes in Islam, and their social culture and customs are basically the same as those of other Islamic countries.

5、 The brilliant civilization of ancient Egypt - hieroglyphs and the Rosetta stone tablet

The text of the Pharaoh's Book of Heaven slept for thousands of years, only to be awakened by the appearance of a stone, which is the treasure of the British Museum - the Rosetta Stone.

The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were formed around 3500 BC. They are symbols that depict the image of objects, so they are called hieroglyphs. The ancient Egyptians believed that hieroglyphs were the invention of the moon god.

Ideographic characters are usually carved on the walls of temples and are mainly used by monks in temples. In the ancient kingdom of Egypt, writing on papyrus began with a pen made of tiny reeds, which led to the appearance of simplified monastic forms in hieroglyphs. Around the 7th century BC, the monastic script evolved into a faster secular writing style and evolved into Coptic script during Roman rule.

After the decline of ancient Egypt, by the 4th century AD, only a few Egyptian monks could understand these hieroglyphs. In 391 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius I ordered the closure of all non Christian temples in the Roman Empire. From then on, Egypt no longer built temples with hieroglyphs, and hieroglyphs became a dead language that was completely forgotten by people.

In 799, Napoleon led his army on an expedition to Egypt, and the soldiers discovered a black basalt rock monument. There are three types of characters engraved on the stone tablet: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, ancient Egyptian secular hieroglyphs, and Greek. This is the famous stone tablet known as the "Rosetta Stone" by later generations. The news of the discovery of the stone tablet immediately caused a sensation. The same content on the stone tablet is recorded in three languages, providing a valuable key for interpreting ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Rosetta Stone Stele aroused great interest from the 11 year old French genius Shang Boliang. After more than 20 years of hard work, Shang Boliang finally deciphered the hieroglyphs, making him known as the father of Egyptology. In gratitude for Shang Boliang's contribution to Egyptian culture, the Egyptian government has given France a obelisk, which now stands in Concord Square.

6、 The Splendid Ancient Egyptian Civilization - Pyramids

It is a symbol of Egypt. Egyptian proverb: People fear time, time fears pyramids. For nearly 5000 years, pyramids have stood on the banks of the Nile River, overlooking the land of Egypt, witnessing countless changes and vicissitudes of the world and nature. More than 80 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt, all located on the west bank of the Nile River. This layout is related to the ancient Egyptian concept of life and death. The east bank of the river is the place where the sun rises, symbolizing the source of life, while the west bank of the sunset is the world of the dead.

The pharaoh believed that the transition from life in this world to death was only a temporary separation of the body and soul from one world to another. After death, people will live in the underground kingdom, so it is necessary to build the future house - the tomb - while alive.

In the late pre dynastic period, the king's tomb was only an underground burial chamber. In the early period, the royal tombs developed into square flat topped brick tombs (Mastaba tombs). At the beginning of the Third Dynasty, a tomb called the "hierarchical pyramid" appeared. For the first time, this tomb used stones instead of bricks as building materials, becoming the world's first large-scale stone building and paving the way to a true pyramid.

The founding king of the Fourth Dynasty, Sniveru, built three pyramids for himself, with the third one standing 99 meters high. It became a model for the pharaohs of the following 10 dynasties to build their own tombs, recognized as the beginning of a true pyramid. Afterwards, all previous pharaohs built pyramids, which lasted for about 1000 years.

Why did the pharaohs build tombs into pyramids? In the inscription on the pyramid, there is a saying: "Build him a ladder to heaven, so that he can ascend to the sky from the ladder." The meaning of building the pyramid is to send the pharaoh to heaven, because he is the representative sent by God to the world and will still go to heaven after death. The pyramid is a worship of the sun god "La God", because the symbol of La God is the sunlight, and the pyramid symbolizes the sunlight piercing through the sky.

The most famous pyramids are the three pyramids in Giza, southwest of Cairo: the Pyramid of Khuf, the Pyramid of Kaufra, and the Pyramid of Monkola. There is a series of small pyramids around, forming a pyramid group.

The largest of the three pyramids is the Khufu Pyramid, which is 146.5 meters high. It was once the tallest building in the world, standing for over 4400 years. This miraculous building has perfect proportions and a complex internal structure, and its orientation and size planning have been carefully calculated by astronomy and geography. At that time, every step of quarrying, transporting, and stacking was an unimaginable and massive project, hailed as the first of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The wall of a small house is engraved with the words "Khufu ruled for seventeen years", which is the only important physical evidence in the tower that mentions Khufu's name.

Naturally, the mummies of Pharaoh Khufu and his wife should have been placed in the Khufu pyramid, but the mummies or remains of Khufu and his wife have never been discovered. The ancient Egyptians studied while alive and died, so they had to maintain their bodies and be resurrected thousands of years later. A mummy made through special steps will not rot for thousands of years.

The Sphinx is located to the northeast of the Hafra Pyramid and is regarded by the priests of Helios as the guardian deity of the gates of the underworld. It, like the pyramid, is another important symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization. For over 4000 years, it has sincerely guarded the pyramids of Giza. Sphinx, also known as the Sphinx, refers to a terrifying monster in Greek mythology.