Introduction
The German Chancellor, Hitler, savaged the Jews during the mid 20th century. The Chancellor led to the emergence of the world war in Egypt. This led to the origin of the Egyptian Society. Egypt is surrounded to its north side by the Mediterranean Sea. The Libyan Desert is found on the west of Egypt. The Red Sea is located to the east of Egypt. There is a long mountain range along the Egyptian Coast running, from the north to south. The Egyptian Civilization can be explained by various elements. The basic element of the civilization process in Egypt is geography. The civilization was mainly concentrated along the Nile River. Initially, the country was known as the Ancient Egypt. Currently, it is known as Egypt .
The Egyptian Civilization occurred around 3150BC. This is according to the Conventional Egyptian Chronology. The civilization process took place in a series of stable kingdoms, which were separated by periods of relative instability. There were three kingdoms namely the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. It is during the New Kingdom that Egypt started to experience slow decline. There were foreign powers such as the Canaanites, Nubians and Macedonian Greece who started invading Egypt. Each of these kingdoms had a crucial role towards the civilization process in Egypt. Some of the famous recognizable symbols of Civilization in Egypt are the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza.
The conditions along the Nile River Valley had a significant impact on the success of the ancient Egyptian Civilization. The Nile River starts from lakes in Central Africa as the White Nile and Blue Nile from the Ethiopians’ Mountains. The White and Blue Nile meet at Khartoum. From there, they flow together to the Nile Delta. The river ends in the Mediterranean Sea. Constant and predictable flooding of Nile River and the controlled irrigation of the fertile valley led to the production of surplus crops. The surplus crops led to the emergence of social development and culture. There were enough resources, which were used by the administration in sponsoring mineral exploitation of the Nile River Valley. The Civilization in Egypt led to many achievements, which include quarrying and construction techniques, irrigation systems, Egyptian faience and glass technology, new literature forms, effective and efficient systems of medicine, art and architecture and a new system of Mathematics. The construction techniques facilitated the building of the famous pyramids and temples in Egypt. The majority of plants and animals domesticated in Egypt came from Southwest Asia.
Egypt is well thought-out to be one of the few countries with the most fertile land than any other country in Africa. Additionally, it is the most fertile country around the Mediterranean Sea than all other countries in the region. The fertile lands in Egypt attracted many people around 40000 years ago. Gradually, Egypt became crowded. This led to the need for a unified government. Pharaoh was the first unified leader in Egypt around 3000 BC (5000 years ago). The word Pharaoh meant great house or palace. The governship of Pharaoh included his family members and some appointed officials. He regulated the lives of the peasants and artisans. However, the income of the peasants and artisans was taxed heavily. Pharaoh was considered by the people as a living god. Hence, the majority of the Egyptians worked for him and depended on him. He was responsible for the formulation of all the laws in Egypt. The Nobles, Priests and Pharaohs wore different types of caps and wigs. In addition, they shaved their heads.
Egyptian gods were of different forms. The common forms included animals, humans and the natural forces. The Egyptian life was heavily dominated by the religion. Government was a part of the religion. Amon Re, the king of all the Egyptian gods, was the main Egyptian god. Ra Harakti was a god whose symbol was a human body and a falcon head. Maat was the daughter of Ra Harakti. She was the goddess of truth and justice. Crocodiles were very sacred in Egypt. They were even embalmed. The large embalmed crocodiles were mainly found in tombs and sacred places. The ibis was the sacred bird.
An Ancient Egyptian Art was initiated alongside the Nile Valley. This took place from 5000 BC to 300 BC. The art was mainly in the form of paintings, sculpture, crafts and architecture. The art was mainly seen in tombs and monuments. This provides evidence that the Egyptians believed in life after death. The Egyptians exercised a high degree of care when conducting burial services. After the burial, they would supply the grave with the basic things needed by the deceased for a pleasant life. The tombs of the Nobles, Priest and the Pharaoh were decorated with paintings. Their bodies were preserved through a process known as mummification. Pyramids and paintings were a major characteristic of the Egyptian culture. Currently, the pyramids contribute a lot to the tourism industry in Egypt. The paintings are often associated with symbolic drawings. The concept of painting is still alive with the Egyptians up to date. Stone was used in the Egyptian Sculptor.
A system of writing was urbanized by the Egyptians. The idea came from Mesopotamia. Initially, Egyptian writing was in the form of pictographic. Sound signs were later introduced. The writing was mainly done with pen and ink on fine paper commonly referred to as papyrus. Papyrus is believed to have been used in 4000BC. The Egyptian writings have been preserved on wall paintings and carvings. Napoleon introduced the Commission of Science and Arts in 1978 when he invaded Egypt in order to increase his Grand Empire. The introduced science and arts comprised of more than one hundred scientists, mathematicians and engineers. This led to the improvement of the writing concept in Egypt.
The Egyptian women were very famous due to their constant use of make ups. Khol (a black dye), ocher powder (for the cheeks), and a vegetal red liquid (for the hands) were the main type of make-up used by the Egyptian women. Noble women could wear luxury jewels such as pearl collars or glass beads. The main type of attire for the Egyptians was a short fabric skirt which often reached the ankles. A sense of order in Egypt was maintained through symbolism. There were different symbols of the Egyptian gods and goddesses. Animals were mainly used in the Egyptian art. Colors were more of expressive than natural. Yellow skin was used for women and the middle aged men who worked indoors. On the other hand, red skin symbolized vigorous tanned youth. Different materials such as copper, gold, Electrum, and silver were used in the Egyptian art.
Works Cited
Butzer, Karl W. "PREHISTORIC ACHIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY." EARLY HYDRAULIC CIVILIZATION IN EGYPT (2000): 1-113.
Kreis, Steven. Lectures on ancient and medival european history. October 2000. 11 October 2006 <http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture3b.html>.
Smith, G. Elliot. The Ancient Egyptians and the Origin of Civilization. Piscataway: Gorgias Press LLC, 2007.
Links to access the sources
http://www.slideshare.net/moizbarry/historyegyptian-civilization?utm_source=slideshow03&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=share_slideshow
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture3b.html
