Egypt is often seen by many tourists and experts as a land with many undiscovered treasures as the country became the home of one of the richest and oldest civilizations since the ancient times. Many would often fly to Egypt to see the remaining evidences of the once powerful civilization and even at the present day, experts find new information regarding the ancient civilization. However, while there are other ancient civilizations scattered around the globe, Ancient Egypt remains as a favorite for debate and study. This growing puzzle of understanding Ancient Egypt continues to deepen even further, driving the public to know as to why Egypt stands out from the rest. Ancient Egypt’s various legacies to the development of society as seen in its administration, way of living, culture and arts fueled the desire of many to learn the history behind the ancient civilization.
History has depicted Ancient Egypt as the civilization that had revolutionized many aspects of society as it had presented pioneer ideas to improve society in terms of its administration, way of life, arts and culture. In terms of its administration style and way of life, Ancient Egyptians introduced the necessity of having one person or the Pharaoh as the head of government with a group of officials handling other affairs such as in land surveying, treasury, law-making and archiving. The leadership had also introduced the idea of administrative regions such as nomes that are handled by viziers. Families are also divided into social divisions depending on their occupation, and introduced the use of slaves and punishments to restore order. Egyptians also introduced the use of irrigation to support crops and prevent the onset of famine in the region in hot seasons. As far as culture is concerned, Egyptians introduced the writing style known as the hieroglyphics, which were then used for archiving, literature and ceremonial documentation . Egyptians are also very clean in appearance and would offer music, dance and food for their gods and goddesses in special occasions. Religion had also played a key part in ancient Egypt as Ancient Egyptians worshiped their pharaohs and the myriad of deities for aid and protection. Temples were created for these supernatural deities and ceremonies are regularly held, especially in harvest and official celebrations. The Egyptians also introduced the concept of an afterlife and immortality. Ancient Egyptians utilized the technique known as mummification to protect the body as it is seen as the permanent home of the person’s ka .
Ancient Egypt had also pioneered in the aspect of art and architecture which is unlike its fellow civilizations due to its design and engineering. In terms of architecture, Ancient Egyptians created massive structures funded by the Pharaohs as part of their religious worship to their respective gods and goddesses or as a means to emphasize the power of the Pharaoh, especially his ‘god-like’ state. The Great Pyramids of Giza or the Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, for example, is regarded as one of the Ancient Wonders of the World for its unique geometric form and the mystery of its construction. The Pyramid of Khufu was built around 2550 B.C. for Pharaoh Khufu as his grave site with his family, and to highlight the advancement of Egyptian architecture and engineering in his period. The Pyramid was said to be built through slave labor for almost 23 years with slaves carrying 285 blocks per day to the site, built with numerous tunnels to support the heavy upper structure . The Abu Simbel temples is another example of Ancient Egyptian architecture created by Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century for his wife Nefertiti as a monument in celebration to the Battle of Kadesh. The temple was dedicated to the three gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, protected by 20 meter statues of the pharaoh and his family. The temple was relocated after its discovery in the 1960s upon the creation of Lake Nasser to support the Aswan dam to prevent the temple from floods and further deterioration . The same attention to detail and design is also seen in Ancient Egyptian art as artisans utilized stone, paints and gems to depict records of battles, decrees and even the image of their leaders for their tombs or monuments. The Mask of Tutankhamen, for example, highlighted the craftsmanship and detail of ancient Egyptian artisans to depict the young king prior to his death. The Mask was also used by the Ancient Egyptians to protect the mummy of the king and was relatively untouched since its discovery in 1923 .
It is undeniable that Ancient Egypt had provided several crucial developments in all aspects of society since its establishment that enabled the rapid development of future civilizations. Its government and society had been far ahead as compared to other civilizations, depicting an ancient version of today’s government and society. Ancient Egyptians had also introduced the importance of religion, culture and the arts to solidify Egypt’s legacy in the development of society. Religion, culture and the arts were combined by ancient Egyptians not only as their respect to their Pharaohs, but also to ensure that living evidences of their civilization remains for the future generations. Without Ancient Egypt’s legacy, it is likely that civilization would not be the same as it is seen today.
Works Cited
Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2002. Print.
Duiker, William and Jackson Spielvogel. The Essential World History. 3rd. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.
Goldschmidt, Arthur. A Brief History of Egypt. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print.
Tignor, Robert. Egypt: A Short History. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. Print.
Van De Mieroop, Marc. A History of Ancient Egypt. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. Print.
