Background:
Egypt
is a country located in the northeastern part of the African continent. From
5000 to 3200 BC, a prosperous settlement emerged in the Nile basin. From this
time on, Egypt began to make various important contributions to ancient
civilization. For example, the reign of the first dynasty started from
3200 AD. From this time to the historical era of Egypt is the beginning. At the
same time, Normar or Menes became the first Egyptian monarch and priest. He
also became the first Pharaoh. Since then, under the Pharaohs, Egypt has been
able to make one significant contribution after another to the progress of the
ancient world civilization.
Geographical
Location:
The
geographical location of Egypt, which is surrounded by three continents, is
very important. The country is located on the coast of the Mediterranean,
surrounded by the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. It is bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, the Sahara Desert to
the west, Sudan to the south, and other African countries. Its total area is
about four lakh square miles.
Duration:
Egyptian
civilization lasted for more than 2500 years. The uninterrupted and long
history of ancient Egypt began in 5000 BC. Especially in the Neolithic era.
However, the foundations of Egyptian civilization were laid under the
leadership of Menes, who shone in glory for nearly three thousand years. In the
tenth century BC, a barbaric nation of Libya seized the throne of the pharaohs. 670-662 BC. The Assyrians
dominated Egypt. When Persia conquered Egypt in 525 BC, ancient Egypt. The sun
of civilization is setting.
State
and society:
In
the pre-dynastic era, Egypt was divided into several small city-states. These
were called ‘nom’. The first Egyptian king or pharaoh (Menes or Normar) united
the whole of Egypt in 3200 BC and formed a kingdom, with Memphis in southern
Egypt as its capital. Since then, a United Kingdom and dynasty has emerged in
Egypt. The word pharaoh originated from the Egyptian word ‘per-o’. The pharaohs were
extremely powerful. They considered themselves descendants of the sun
god.
The term pharaoh was hereditary. That is, Pharaoh's son was Pharaoh by
inheritance.
Egyptians
can be divided into several classes based on occupation. Such as- royal family,
priests, aristocracy, scribes, traders, artists and peasants and the slave
class.
Egypt's
economy was largely dependent on agriculture. Notable among the crops produced
were wheat, barley, cotton, onion, peach etc. Egypt was also a pioneer in trade
and commerce. Wheat and linen produced in Egypt were exported to Crete,
Phenicia, Palestine and Syria. The Egyptians imported gold, silver, ivory,
wood, etc. from different countries.
Nile
River:
The
Nile River in Egypt originates from Lake Victoria in Africa. From there, the
river flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Herodotus, the father of
history, rightly said, "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." Without the
Nile, Egypt would have become a desert. In ancient times, the Nile River
flooded every year. If the water receded after the flood, the soil would fall
on both banks and the land would become fertile. Various types of crops are grown
in the frozen soil.
Egyptian
Contribution to Civilization: There is no denying the contribution of Egyptians
to ancient civilization. Religious. Thoughts, art, sculpture, writing methods,
paper inventions, knowledge science — everything is rich in their contribution.
One of the characteristics of the Egyptians was that their lives were
influenced by religious thoughts and beliefs.
Egyptian
religion:
Probably
no other nation, according to the ancient Egyptians, was so influenced by
religious rules and regulations in all areas of life. That is why many ideas,
customs, rituals and ceremonies of human civilization were born in ancient
Egypt. They worshiped inanimate objects, idols, and even animals. Their beliefs
have changed at different times. The Egyptians had the idea that the sun god ‘Ray’ or
‘Aman Ray’ and the god of natural energy, grain and blue river ‘Osiris’
combined ruled the whole world. However, the importance of the sun god 'Ray' in
their lives was much higher.
Art:
Egyptian
painting is diverse and historically important. Like other countries, painting
developed from religious beliefs. They started painting while decorating tombs
and temple walls. Their favorite colors were black and white. Tombs, pyramids,
temples, palaces, amusement parks, and ordinary houses have been painted by
Egyptian painters. The stories tell the story of the political, religious,
social and family life of contemporary Egypt.
Ancient
Egyptian artists also excelled in craftsmanship. Furniture, pottery, gold,
silver, precious stone inlaid utensils, ornaments, mummy masks, daily
necessities, ivory and metal ware bear witness to the craftsmanship of the
Egyptian craftsmanship.
Sculpture:
No
one else in the sculpture industry has been able to impress like the Egyptians.
Influenced by the vastness, diversity and religious ideology, the huge stone
statues bear witness to their excellence in the sculptural art. Each sculpture
was influenced by religious ideas, rituals, ideologies. Every art was in fact a
religious art. The greatest sculpture is the incomparable Sphinx of Giza. The Sphinx is an idol
whose body is like that of a lion, but whose face is like that of a human. The
largest pyramid in Egypt is the Pharaoh Khufur Pyramid. The temples reflect the
magnificent Egyptian sculptural architecture.
Writing
and Paper Discovery: One of the main features of Egyptian civilization was the script
discovery. With the development of urban civilization came the emergence of the
Egyptian writing system. Five thousand years ago, they first discovered the
alphabet of 24 consonants. At first, they used to express their thoughts
through pictures. The name of this writing system was hieroglyphics.
These
hieroglyphics are called 'hieroglyphic' or sacred letters. The Egyptians
learned to make paper from the stems of reeds. They wrote on that paper. The
Greeks named this paper 'Papyrus'. Origin of the word English paper from this
word. It is worth mentioning here that during the conquest of Egypt by Napoleon
Bonaparte, a stone known as Rosetta Stone was discovered. So much was written
in Greek and hieroglyphic languages, from which much of the information about
ancient Egypt is known.
Science:
Egyptian
civilization was dependent on agriculture. That is why the size of the land was
more important to them than the flooding of the Nile, the navigability, the
size of the water flow, the tide, etc. Astrology and mathematics had a deep
connection with all this. As a result, they mastered these two sciences out of
necessity. They also introduced two branches of mathematics, geometry and
arithmetic. The people of Egyptian civilization knew the use of addition,
subtraction and division. 4200 BC they discover the first solar calendar. They are also the
inventors of this calculation in 365 days a year. The inhabitants of ancient
Egypt invented sundials, shadow clocks, and water clocks to determine time.
The
Egyptians were interested in science because of their religion. They believed
in the afterlife and that the pharaohs would be kings in the next life. So,
they invented a way to keep the pharaohs' bodies fresh. This is why mummy
making started. Egyptian scientists were able to protect the body from decay
through chemical processes.
The
ancient Egyptians also made great strides in medicine. They knew how to
diagnose diseases of eyes, teeth, stomach. They also knew how to treat through
surgery. They could detect bone marrow transplantation, heart rate, and pulse
rate.
The
Egyptians practiced philosophy and literature. There was no expression of
sadness in their writings. They were asbestos. Happiness has always been seen
in their writings.
AUTHOR-M. ZAMAN(RASEL)
History of Egyptian civilization){kind=link}
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