Ancient Egyptian Civilization Phase II

2024-06-24 15:30:53 hkct1

Seven Temples - Splendid Ancient Egyptian Civilization

The authoritarian monarchy of ancient Egypt heavily relied on the power of religion. Pharaoh is known as the son of God or regarded as the representative of God in the world. Every time the pharaoh triumphs in a foreign war, he first sacrifices a large amount of wealth and slaves to God to express his gratitude for God's help. The worship of gods and pharaohs by the general public is enduring. In the atmosphere of universal reverence for gods, another iconic building of ancient Egyptian civilization, second only to pyramids, emerged - temple architecture.

As the center of communication between humans and gods, temples are not only the dwelling place of gods, but also a symbol of the universe. It was a necessary tradition for ancient Egyptians to regularly hold celebrations for their gods. The dates and procedural details of each celebration are recorded, indicating the ancient Egyptians' fervor for sacrifice. The most important event of the New Kingdom era every year was the celebration of opera. Both gods and kings obtain rebirth and power through the celebration of traditional Chinese opera, which is the true purpose of the celebration.

It was not until the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt that temples began to take shape and established the basic format of temple architecture. The New Kingdom had many temples built, which were larger than any other period in ancient Egypt and were known as the "Temple Age". Among the numerous temples, the most spectacular and luxurious ones were the Luxor and Kanak temples located in the capital city of Thebes at that time.

The Temple of Luxor was built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Perfectly embodying the laws of Egyptian temple architecture. In front of the gatehouse of the temple, there are six giant statues of Ramses I (four standing and two sitting) and two exquisite obelisks (now only one remains, the other in Paris). The 32 pillars in the hall are carved into the shape of papyrus flower buds in bud. This is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture.

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The Kanak Temple is the largest temple in the world, located on the banks of the Nile River in Luxor. In ancient Egypt, it was the highest temple dedicated to Amun. It was built during the ancient kingdom period and lasted until the Ptolemaic era in the 1st century BC, spanning over 2000 years. In order to please the gods, almost every pharaoh expanded and decorated the Kanak Temple, making it a complex complex complex of temple buildings.

The stone pillar forest of Karnak Temple consists of 134 stone pillars, each 21 meters high and 3.57 meters in diameter. The top of the column can accommodate 100 people, and the top of the column is a flowering papyrus.

All the temples we see are built in the east of the Nile River. There is only one exception, which is the temple of the female pharaoh Hasekinsut built west of the Nile River. Her temple is unconventional and built along the mountain, with three floors above and below, and a symmetrical structure on both sides, which is very stretched and symmetrical. Later generations gave high praise to this temple, believing that only the Parthenon in ancient Greece could rival it, but the latter was a thousand years later than it.

The Abu Simbo Temple is located on the banks of the Nile River, about 200 kilometers south of Aswan. It was built in the 13th century BC. The four giant statues at the entrance overlook the plains of southern Egypt and are a terrifying symbol of Egyptian power. The murals inside the hall vividly depict the scene of Ramses II's heroic killing of enemies. As someone who is on equal footing with God, Pharaoh is truly a brave Pharaoh of Egypt.

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Eighth, the Splendid Civilization of Ancient Egypt - Sculpture, Painting, and Relief Art

The sculpture, painting, and relief art of ancient Egypt has an indescribable charm for future generations. The art of ancient Egypt was constrained by power and religion, while also pursuing the eternity of humanity. After death, the soul will never die. The special attribute of ancient Egyptian painting art is that "calligraphy and painting share the same origin". From all the ancient Egyptian landmarks, we can see the close relationship between text and images. Pictography itself is a small picture, and when combined, it can form a large picture.

Ancient Egyptian Painting with the Same Origin of Calligraphy and Painting

A fundamental principle of ancient Egyptian art is the principle of divergence, which selectively depicts one's creative ideas based on the importance of the object. The main image is displayed in large proportions, and other objects are processed arbitrarily.

The basic rule for portrait design is that the head and lower body face in the same direction and are displayed sideways. Eyes and eyebrows are fully displayed in front to demonstrate an omnipotent visual experience. The shoulders are facing forward, which helps to demonstrate hand movements and the object being held. The chest is also wide in front, so the whole body is tall and full.

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The basic rules of portrait modeling

Ancient Egyptian artists boldly depicted the curves of women's bodies. Egyptian scholars explain that the image of the female protagonist depicted on the tomb wall should be consistent with her relaxed and casual image at home in this world, so that a husband who is familiar with this image will feel happy in the afterlife.

The mural "Goose and Duck of Medum" discovered in the tomb of Medum is one of the representative works of early Egyptian murals. On the screen, six geese and ducks are strolling among the flowers and plants near the water, foraging for food. Their shapes are so beautiful and accurate, indicating that the realistic development direction and skilled expression skills of Egyptian painting at that time have been highly unified.

Snefru was the founder of the Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. This painting of Medum's goose is a plaster decoration on the wall of his eldest son's tomb, and is a fragment of a complete mural. This painting, dating back nearly 4600 years, demonstrates the high level of painting skills of the ancient Egyptians.

The ancient Egyptians believed that life was immortal and they could be resurrected after death, so artistic creation played an important role in maintaining the lives of the deceased in graves. Due to their philosophical views on the afterlife, the tomb "life" envisioned by the Egyptians is still full of vitality.

The preset tomb "life" is still full of vitality.

For example, on the tomb wall of the nobleman Mena of Thebes, there are works depicting his entertainment activities during his lifetime. The nobles in the painting are sailing in the depths of the reeds. This was a popular fishing and hunting activity in the upper class society at that time, with birds flying back and forth and fish swimming back and forth. The picture is very lively and lively.

A woodcut statue named "Village Chief" unearthed in Sakara holds a unique position in the history of ancient Egyptian art. People can see personalized faces on this statue, reflecting the vivid realistic style of artists at that time.

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The wooden statue of the village chief is currently housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. In fact, he was a highly respected priest and scribe in ancient Egypt. The statue showcases his chubby figure and round face, with a kind smile on the corner of his mouth. His eyes are made of time and crystal.

The art of Pharaoh Akhenaten in the New Kingdom era was one of the peaks in the history of ancient Egyptian art. In Egypt, the relationship between politics and religion is tense and irreconcilable. In order to enhance royal power and weaken the influence of the priests of Amun Monastery, Akhenaten carried out religious reforms. He closed the temple of Amun in Thebes, confiscated all its property, and founded a new sun god, Adon, replacing the original polytheism with monotheism, demonstrating to the world that he was the only representative of the god Adon in the world. The relief sculpture "The Adoration of Adon by the Akhenaten Family" describes the worship of Adon.

The pharaoh family stood in front of an outdoor altar decorated with lotus flowers, holding a sacred pot to worship the god of Adon; The last round of the sun shone directly on the pharaoh's family, symbolizing that the sun god had given life to the entire family of Akhenaten.

Art historians have found that the works of the first period of Okhenaten give people an unprecedented sense of shock. Its characteristic is a strong atmosphere of life and a profound artistic conception. It describes the daily life of the pharaoh in art, portraying him as a person rather than a god.

This statue is one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian sculpture, with the protagonist being Queen Nefertiti, the wife of Akhenaten. Contrary to the traditional format, it seems like breaking free from the constraints of geometric shapes and creating a dignified, elegant, and charming classical portrait of an Eastern woman.

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Statue of Queen Nefertiti

Akhenaten's son-in-law Tutankhamun (known for his pharaoh's spells and golden mask) ended Akhenaten's religious reform and died mysteriously after nine years in power. At the end of 1922, after more than 20 years of arduous excavation, British archaeologists finally opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in a place where people had found nothing. Although it is one of the smaller tombs in Egypt, it is well preserved and the world is amazed by the richness and delicacy of its burial objects. They vividly and powerfully represent a period of Egyptian art. More than 3500 cultural relics have been discovered in the tomb, all of which are treasures of Egyptian art.

9. The Splendid Civilization of Ancient Egypt - Science and Technology

Thousands of years ago, when most parts of the world were still in their primitive state, ancient Egyptians were already building magnificent pyramids, temples, making lifelike mummies, depicting various vivid artworks, and leaving behind many breathtaking immortal works. The reason why ancient Egyptians achieved a series of shocking achievements in later generations is closely related to the development of technology.

In the process of mummification and healing diseases, medicine and its branches of anatomy, surgery, internal medicine, and physiology have all developed. Ancient Egypt has the oldest medical literature. The Lahong Papyrus Scrolls, dating back over 4000 years, is the oldest medical literature discovered in the world today. The history of the Elbers Papyrus Scrolls can be traced back over 3600 years, describing medicine and witchcraft from beginning to end. In the ancient world, Egyptian medicine had always enjoyed a high reputation.

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Astronomy Marx said, "The need to calculate the fluctuation cycle of the Nile River gave birth to Egyptian astronomy." 200 years ago, Napoleon's expedition to Egypt surprised Europeans with the accurate orientation of various large buildings in ancient Egypt, especially the Great Pyramid of Khufu. In ancient times, there were no large-scale observation instruments, and such accuracy could only be achieved through astronomical observations. In ancient Egypt, the priests in temples were sky observers, and the temples were observatories. The Kanak Temple can accurately calculate the time of summer solstice by shining a ray of sunlight on the dark walls of the inner hall. When the bright Sirius crosses the main axis of the temple, it signifies the beginning of the Nile flood season. The constellations carved on the ceiling, tombs, and coffins of the temple indicate that the ancient Egyptians had already mastered some knowledge of the operation of major stars and constellations.

Della slate, currently housed in the Louvre in France. The ancient Egyptians carved a sky map on a huge sandstone slab and placed it as a ceiling in the temple of Dandra on the west bank of the Nile River. The star chart contains many hieroglyphs, as well as patterns of people and animals, including symbols representing constellations.

The Egyptian civilization established an accurate calendar through astronomical observations. The reason why they are interested in astronomy is that accurately knowing when the Nile River floods every year is crucial for agriculture. The original calendar in ancient Egypt was the lunar calendar, which divided the year into three seasons and each season included four months. However, with the development of ancient Egypt, there was an urgent need for a more precise calendar to replace it. So a new calendar based on observing the position of Sirius was born, which was perfect at the time and is now widely regarded as the origin of the Gregorian calendar.

In order to build huge pyramids, magnificent temples, and sculptures, ancient Egyptians couldn't do without mathematics. The mathematical literature of the Rhineland Papyrus Scrolls, discovered in Thebes and existing in the British Museum, was written by Amos and measures 550 centimeters in length and 33 centimeters in width. The title of the book is "A Guide to Clarifying All Dark Secrets in Objects.". The entire exam is divided into three chapters: arithmetic, geometry, and miscellaneous questions, including 85 mathematical problems and answers. This volume of mathematical literature belongs to the works of the 18th century BC kingdom, and its discovery opened the door for future generations to understand ancient Egyptian mathematics.

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The existing Rhineland papyrus scroll in the British Museum

By reading the Rhineland Papyrus Scrolls, it was discovered that the ancient Egyptians had a complete set of numerical symbols, using the decimal system. In addition to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, algebraic problems of univariate linear equations and univariate quadratic equations were also involved by the ancient Egyptians. The planar and three-dimensional thinking of ancient Egyptians was developed for the purpose of measuring land and architectural design, resulting in the emergence of planar geometry and three-dimensional geometry.

Anyone who weaves Egyptian mummies will question their long shroud - linen. As early as the pre dynastic period, Egypt had linen production. Archaeologists discovered fine linen in ancient tombs over 5000 years ago. Now, the earliest known record of textiles is a tomb mural from the 12th Dynasty. Before the New Kingdom, the weaving machines used by the Egyptians were horizontal, operated by two spindles, spinning a long yarn. During the New Kingdom period, vertical weaving machines appeared on murals, which could weave long and wide fabrics. They were introduced to Europe during the Middle Ages. The production of linen in ancient Egypt not only met the local needs for clothing and funerals, but also exported in large quantities to foreign countries.

The woodworking techniques of ancient Egypt were very outstanding in shipbuilding. Because the most convenient passage in ancient Egypt was the Nile River, the Egyptians were able to build ships for daily needs during the pre dynastic period. They placed a model ship in the tomb, with murals depicting scenes of shipbuilding and river scenery. During the reign of Pharaoh Sniveru of the Fourth Dynasty, a ship measuring 100 cubits (the unit of length in ancient Egypt, 172 feet) was built. By the time of the New Kingdom, the Egyptians were already able to build ships with a load capacity of over 650 tons.

The Egyptian sun ship 400 years ago. The sun boat was used by the pharaoh to follow the mythological sun god when crossing the Milky Way. It was discovered in the pyramid of Pharaoh Khuf in 1954.

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The Loss and Eternity of Ancient Egyptian Civilization

After more than 3000 years of ups and downs, ancient Egyptian civilization finally encountered an unprecedented catastrophe in 332 BC. With Alexander the Great's conquest of Egyptian territory, the political life of pharaoh Egypt came to an end, and the glorious civilization of the pharaoh era sharply declined.

Under the massive invasion of Greek civilization, the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians surrendered to the Greek alphabet and disappeared in the 4th century AD. In the following 1500 years, they became a form of writing that no one could interpret.

In 642 AD, the Arab Empire began to rule ancient Egypt. Under the impact of Christianity and Islam, Egypt's polytheism lost its vitality, leaving only indestructible temples.

Ancient Egyptian culture is rooted in hieroglyphs and polytheism, including literary creation, painting, sculpture, and more., Also on the brink of death.

Egypt is no longer the center of world civilization development. Just as the ancient city of Memphis was replaced by the Middle Kingdom's Thebes, the former center of East West communication Alexander was also replaced by Constantinople. Under the successive impacts of Greek, Roman, and Islamic civilizations, ancient Egyptian civilization was completely lost, leaving behind pyramids, temple ruins, and ancient cultural relics buried in the desert on the banks of the Nile River that could not be destroyed by brute force.

However, the influence of ancient Egyptian civilization on the world is eternal. Although its hieroglyphs have lost their vitality, its 24 monosyllabic symbols, similar to letters, have had an irreplaceable influence on the creation of letters by the Phoenicians in West Asia, who were the source of various letters in the East and West.

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Classical writers such as Thales from ancient Greece came to Egypt with a strong interest in understanding advanced Eastern culture. Through their introduction, the ancient Egyptian civilization spread extensively to Greece and West Asia, where it further developed.

Many myths, legends, and divine images created by the ancient Egyptians crossed national borders during the Greek and Roman rule, entering the Mediterranean coast and the European continent, especially in ancient Greek mythology and legends. The famous image of the Christian Virgin Mary embracing Jesus comes from the depiction of the goddess Isis embracing Horace; The concept of heaven and hell in Western culture, as well as the custom of dying prayer and repentance, have also been influenced by ancient Egyptian religion.

The medical heritage of ancient Egypt has had a profound impact on future generations. The popular medicine in Europe and West Asia originated in Egypt and has long preserved the medical form of ancient Egypt. The writing methods of ancient Egyptian prescriptions, including the formulaic language in medical papyrus literature and the inscriptions at the end of the book, were all introduced by the Greeks. The medical influence of ancient Egypt is evident in medical books in Latin, Arab, Syrian, and Persian cultures, as well as in Western European medical books, until the Middle Ages.

So, in terms of the impact of ancient Egyptian civilization on the development of world civilization, it is eternal and not lost in "loss". Because of this, research on ancient Egyptian civilization has occasionally sparked a frenzy around the world, with books on ancient Egyptian civilization emerging one after another, becoming the most diverse variety of books on ancient Egyptian civilization in the world.