What was egypt

The main sources of information about ancient Egypt are the many monuments, objects and artifacts that have been recovered from archaeological sites, covered with hieroglyphs that have only recently been deciphered. The picture that emerges is of a culture with few equals in the beauty of its art, the accomplishment of its architecture or the richness of its religious traditions. Few written records or artifacts have been found from the Predynastic Period, which encompassed at least 2, years of gradual development of the Egyptian civilization.

Neolithic late Stone Age communities in northeastern Africa exchanged hunting for agriculture and made early advances that paved the way for the later development of Egyptian arts and crafts, technology, politics and religion including a great reverence for the dead and possibly a belief in life after death. Around B. A southern king, Scorpion, made the first attempts to conquer the northern kingdom around B. A century later, King Menes would subdue the north and unify the country, becoming the first king of the first dynasty.

King Menes founded the capital of ancient Egypt at White Walls later known as Memphis , in the north, near the apex of the Nile River delta. The capital would grow into a great metropolis that dominated Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom period.

The Archaic Period saw the development of the foundations of Egyptian society, including the all-important ideology of kingship. To the ancient Egyptians, the king was a godlike being, closely identified with the all-powerful god Horus.

The earliest known hieroglyphic writing also dates to this period. In the Archaic Period, as in all other periods, most ancient Egyptians were farmers living in small villages, and agriculture largely wheat and barley formed the economic base of the Egyptian state.

The annual flooding of the great Nile River provided the necessary irrigation and fertilization each year; farmers sowed the wheat after the flooding receded and harvested it before the season of high temperatures and drought returned. The Old Kingdom began with the third dynasty of pharaohs. Egyptian pyramid -building reached its zenith with the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Built for Khufu or Cheops, in Greek , who ruled from to B.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus estimated that it took , men 20 years to build it. C and Menkaura B. During the third and fourth dynasties, Egypt enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. The pharaohs held absolute power and provided a stable central government; the kingdom faced no serious threats from abroad; and successful military campaigns in foreign countries like Nubia and Libya added to its considerable economic prosperity.

This chaotic situation was intensified by Bedouin invasions and accompanied by famine and disease. From this era of conflict emerged two different kingdoms: A line of 17 rulers dynasties nine and 10 based in Heracleopolis ruled Middle Egypt between Memphis and Thebes, while another family of rulers arose in Thebes to challenge Heracleopolitan power. After the last ruler of the 11th dynasty, Mentuhotep IV, was assassinated, the throne passed to his vizier, or chief minister, who became King Amenemhet I, founder of dynasty A new capital was established at It-towy, south of Memphis, while Thebes remained a great religious center.

The 12th dynasty kings ensured the smooth succession of their line by making each successor co-regent, a custom that began with Amenemhet I. Middle-Kingdom Egypt pursued an aggressive foreign policy, colonizing Nubia with its rich supply of gold, ebony, ivory and other resources and repelling the Bedouins who had infiltrated Egypt during the First Intermediate Period.

The kingdom also built diplomatic and trade relations with Syria , Palestine and other countries; undertook building projects including military fortresses and mining quarries; and returned to pyramid-building in the tradition of the Old Kingdom. The 13th dynasty marked the beginning of another unsettled period in Egyptian history, during which a rapid succession of kings failed to consolidate power. As a consequence, during the Second Intermediate Period Egypt was divided into several spheres of influence.

The official royal court and seat of government was relocated to Thebes, while a rival dynasty the 14th , centered on the city of Xois in the Nile delta, seems to have existed at the same time as the 13th. The Hyksos rulers of the 15th dynasty adopted and continued many of the existing Egyptian traditions in government as well as culture. The pharaohs were seen as gods, divine representatives on earth who, through rituals, ensured the continuation of life.

After death, they became immortal, joining the gods in the afterworld. T he Egyptians also believed that the body and soul were important to human existence, in life and in death. Their funerary practices, such as mummification and burial in tombs, were designed to assist the deceased find their way in the afterworld.

The tombs were filled with food, tools, domestic wares, treasures -- all the necessities of life -- to ensure the soul's return to the body so that the deceased would live happily ever after. T he most imposing tombs are the famous pyramids, shaped like the sacred mound where the gods first appeared in the creation story. These were incredibly ambitious projects, the largest structures ever built.

Their construction was overseen by highly skilled architects and engineers. Paid labourers moved the massive limestone blocks without the use of wheels, horses or iron tools. The conscripts may have been motivated by a deep faith in the divinity of their leaders and a belief in immortality. Perhaps they thought that their contributions would improve their own prospects at the final judgement in the afterworld. T he gigantic pyramids were conspicuous targets for tomb robbers, whose plundering jeopardized the hope for eternal life.

During this time central government again collapsed in Egypt, with part of the country being occupied by the "Hyksos" a group from the Levant an area that encompasses modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. One gruesome find from this time period is a series of severed hands , cut off from their human victims, which were found at a palace at the city of Avaris, the capital of Hyksos-controlled Egypt.

The cut-off hands may have been presented by soldiers to a ruler in exchange for gold. Scholars often refer to dynasties as encompassing the "New Kingdom," a period that lasted ca. This time period takes place after the Hyksos had been driven out of Egypt by a series of Egyptian rulers and the country was reunited.

Perhaps the most famous archaeological site from this time period is the Valley of the Kings , which holds the burial sites of many Egyptian rulers from this time period, including that of Tutankhamun reign ca. Dynasties a period from ca. The central government was sometimes weak during this time period and the country was not always united. During this time cities and civilizations across the Middle East had been destroyed by a wave of people from the Aegean , whom modern-day scholars sometimes call the "Sea Peoples.

Dynasties date ca. Egypt was sometimes under the control of foreign powers during this period. The rulers of the 25 th dynasty were from Nubia, an area now located in southern Egypt and northern Sudan.

The Persians and Assyrians also controlled Egypt at different times during the late period. In B. Alexander the Great drove the Persians out of Egypt and incorporated the country into the Macedonian Empire. C after the defeat of her forces by the Roman emperor Augustus at the Battle of Actium.

After her death, Egypt was incorporated into the Roman Empire. Although the Roman emperors were based in Rome, the Egyptians treated them as pharaohs. One recently excavated carving shows the emperor Claudius reign A. One of the most important was Osiris, god of the underworld.

Abydos was an important cult center for him and numerous temples and shrines were constructed at the site in his honor. Navigating the underworld was vital to the ancient Egyptians, who believed that the dead could reach a paradise of sorts, where they could live forever. Egyptian dead were sometimes mummified , preserving the body, and were sometimes buried with spells that aided them in navigating the underworld. In ancient Egyptian mythology, one of the first steps in navigating the underworld was to weigh a person's deeds against the feather of Maat.

If the person had committed a great deal of wrongdoing, the person's heart would be heavier than the feather and the person's soul would be obliterated. On the other hand, if their deeds were generally good, they passed forward and had the opportunity to successfully navigate the underworld. Figurines called shabti were often buried with the deceased — their purpose being to do the work of the deceased in the afterlife for them.