The Pharaohs

Why was the Nile so important to the people of Egypt?
Egypt is most certainly the land of the River. The Nile was the most vital aspect of the ancient Egyptian culture. It provided water to drink, plants to harvest and an irrigation system to water crops. It also succeeded in providing the most fertile soil the ancient world had ever encountered. The river was considered the life giver of the entire Egyptian society. There are several deities derived from the animals and plants that grew along it's banks. The world's first form of paper came from the papyrus plant that flourished along the Nile. Perhaps one of the most interesting facts about the Nile is its position and length. The Nile is the longest river in the world, and when looking at it on a map appears to flows upward. This makes Upper Egypt (Thebes, Valley of the Kings) appear to be Lower Egypt and Lower Egypt (Alexandria, Cairo) appear to be Upper Egypt. This all seems kind of confusing! But once you are familiar with this very important aspect, understanding the regions is easy! "Egypt was nurtured and defined by the Nile, which originated in the highlands of central Africa, rushed over rocky cataracts in Nubia, rolled through the fertile valley of Upper Egypt, and fanned out to form the lush delta of Lower Egypt. The ancient distinction between Upper and Lower Egypt was symbolized by the white and red crowns of the pharaoh, who also wore the double crown is his capacity as Lord of the Two Lands. Rulers of the Old Kingdom made their capital at Memphis, where Upper and Lower Egypt met. During the New Kingdom, Thebes became a great ceremonial center, site of royal residences, temples, and tombs. The Egyptian empire reached its height at this time, extending far south of the First Cataract--the traditional boundary with Nubia--and reaching up through western Asia as far as Syria.


What was life like in Egypt 3,000 years ago?
As in other ancient civilizations the eldest male headed the family. "Egyptian women were not only equal with men before the law, but were also entitled to attend court. Egyptian women were also allowed to engage in business, and they often traded surplus goods, such as cloth and vegetables, produced by their households. Children in Ancient Egypt were considered a blessing. However, the mortality rate was high, and parents often tied protection amulets on their children to ward off infection and disease. Once the child passed infancy he or she enjoyed playing games with fellow children. "Boys and girls living along the Nile played at leapfrog, wrestling, and a donkey game in which players balanced one another on their backs. They loved whirling games that made them dizzy, and they also liked to throw and juggle balls. For the Egyptians the staple foods were simple bread and beer. Wine was also produced and sweetened with ingredients like honey, dates and spices. "The predominately cereal diet was supplemented by fava beans, lentils and peas (good sources of protein); and other vegetables grown included lettuces, cucumbers, leeks, onions and radishes. Among the most popular fruits, grown in orchards, were melons, dates, sycamore figs and pomegranates. Grapes were also cultivated to make both red and white wines. "Needing protection from the sun, dust and wind, the Egyptians developed formulas for countless unguents and oils. Concocted from plant extracts--and using cat, hippo, or crocodile fat as a base--these ointments smoothed and softened the skin." Men and women alike went to great care in personal appearance both for environmental purposes but for religious and sacred as well. ". . .the wearing of kohl, or eye paint, was considered both attractive and pleasing to the gods and also offered protection from the sun's glare and disease bearing insects." For the more expensive taste in Egyptian society men and women both wore elaborately made wigs. "Wigs, typically woven from human hair and padded underneath with vegetable fibers, served several purposes. Care of one's own hair was complicated by the persistent problem of head lice, so many Egyptians cut their hair very short or shaved their heads with hooked bronze razors." In small houses, the furnishings consisted simply of mud brick benches, wall niches and the occasional rough stone stool or wooden table. In the elite villas, on the other hand, there were wooden beds, mattresses, stone grille windows, plastered stone washing rooms and even toilets (consisting of stone or wooden seats with a keyhole shaped aperture placed above a tray of sand)


What was the basis for all life for the Egyptians?
The Egyptians told many stories about the creation of the world. Most of them start by imagining a time when there was nothing but the Waters of Chaos. In some stories the first thing to emerge from the water is a blue lotus whose petals hide the infant sun god. Others start with the Primeval Mound, the first dry land, rising above the waters. To the mound comes a phoenix or hawk or goose called the Great Cackler who lays the world egg. Egyptian gods and goddesses (deities) were all forms of the Creator but they took on identities of their own. Some had special areas of interest: Thoth was a god of wisdom and writing, and Hathor a goddess of love and death. The deities were often shown in human form wearing distinctive headdresses and carrying sacred symbols. Some deities had several forms. The god Sobek could appear as a crocodile or, as a man with the head of a crocodile. The goddess Hathor might be shown as a beautiful woman, as the head of a woman with cow's ears, or as a cow or cow-headed woman. The sun god had numerous forms, some of them worshipped as separate gods. The rising sun was Khepri, shown as a scarab-beetle, the noonday sun was Horus, the hawk god, and the setting sun was Atum, shown as a ram-headed man. Late in Egyptian history the cult of sacred animals became very important. Creatures such as the ibises sacred to Thoth or the crocodiles sacred to Sobek lived in temples and were given elaborate burials when they died. A temple was the palace of the deity who lived in the cult statue. The statue was hidden inside a shrine or sanctuary, the holiest part of the temple. Every morning the chief priest entered the sanctuary and opened the shrine. Many rituals were performed, including clothing and perfuming the statue and presenting a meal. In return for these offerings the gods were asked to keep Egypt safe and prosperous. Ordinary people could not watch the daily ritual but they did join in festivals. At these festivles, divine statues were carried outside the temple so the gods might "speak" to the people. Some temples were centers of learning, artists and craftsmen made a wide range of goods in temple workshops. The major temples were state-controlled so the goods were distributed by the government. Kings gave estates, ships and slaves to support temples. In the 12th century BC the temple of Amon at Karnak had over 100,000 people working for it.

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