Ancient Egypt "Land of Pharaohs" is famous for its huge pyramids and mummies which covered with bandages and golden treasures. But how much do you really know about ancient Egypt? Website "Trips in Egypt" shares ten facts that little of People is known about ancient Egypt.
1. It was Not The Slaves Who Built The Great Pyramid
The Greek historian Herodotus believed that 100,000 slaves built the Great Pyramid. His description of the men, women, and children who toiled in the harshest conditions was very popular among modern filmmakers. But this is not true.
Archaeological evidence suggests that those who built the Great Pyramid actually had a workforce of 5,000 permanent employees who were paid and up to 20,000 temporary workers.
These workers were free men who were called by the National Service Provisional Forced Labor System to work for three or four months on the construction site before returning to their homes.
They also lived in a makeshift camp near the pyramid, where they received wages in the form of food, drink, and medical care, as well as burying those who died while serving in the nearby cemetery.
2. Not All Pharaohs Built The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
Most of the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom (2626 to 2125 BC) and the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC) built pyramidal tombs in the deserts of northern Egypt. These striking monuments were associated with kings to the sun god Re when he created pyramids of humans that originated from the raging sea at the beginning of time.
But with the beginning of the New Kingdom (in the 16th century BC), the construction of the pyramid became an ancient practice. By then, the kings began to build two completely separate monuments.
They buried their mummies in rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile in the southern city of Thebes, while the royal burial rituals were concentrated in a visible memorial temple, located on the border between the cultivated land (the living quarters) and the arid desert (the dwelling of the dead).
Following the collapse of the modern state, kings were later buried in cemeteries in northern Egypt: some of these tombs were never found.
3. Ancient Egyptians Did Not Use Camels
The camel was not used much in ancient Egypt until the end of the dynasties era. But the Egyptians used donkeys to carry loads, while boats used a very convenient means of transport.
The Nile River was flowing through the center of their fertile land, creating paved and natural roads and even a sewage system!
The water stream helped those who needed to travel across the river from south to north, while the wind made it easier for those wishing to sail in the opposite direction. The ancient Egyptians connected the river with quarries and construction sites with canals.
They used giant wooden boats to transport grain and heavy stones; light papyrus boats were used to take people to their daily workplaces. They believed that the sun god Ra would sail with his solar boat every day in the sky high above the river.
4. In ancient Egypt, Not All Bodies Were Subject to Mummification
The mummy, a gutted body, dried and covered with bandages, became a distinctive Egyptian artifact. Mummification, however, was a costly and time-consuming process and was therefore limited to the wealthy. Most of the dead were Egyptians buried in simple craters in the desert.
But why did the elite feel the need to mummify their dead?
They believed that they could come back to life after their death, but only in one case: that the body remains in good shape.
5. The Living People Were Sharing The Dead with Their Food
The ancient Egyptians designed the cemetery to be an eternal dwelling of the mummified corpse and ka (the good soul of the deceased) accompanying it. Families, mourners, and priests were allowed to visit the deceased in the graves allowed to enter and offer the usual sacrifices required by Elka, while the mummy was kept in a hidden burial chamber to protect her from harm.
Inside the large cemetery, they regularly put food and drink. After you take this food and drink emotionally, the neighborhoods actually start eating it. During the Valley Day, an annual ceremony to honor and commemorate the dead, many family members spent that night in the tombs of their ancestors. The neighborhoods spent the night eating and drinking in the light of torches while celebrating the reunion with the dead.
6. Egyptian Women Enjoyed Equal Rights with Men
In ancient Egypt, men and women belonging to the same social class were considered equal by law. This meant that women had the right to own, acquire, sell and inherit property.
They could have lived without male guardianship, and if they became widowed or divorced, they could raise their children. Women could bring cases before the courts and punish them. She had the right to act on behalf of her absent husband in labor affairs.
It was also common for everyone to marry in ancient Egypt, with both husband and wife having complementary but different roles.
The wife, the "Lady of The House" was responsible for all domestic and domestic affairs. She raises children and runs the house, while her husband, a partner in the marital establishment, takes charge of working outside the home and earning money.
7. Scribes Were Rarely Recorded in Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphs, consisting of several hundred complex images, were pleasing to viewers, but writing took a long time. Their use was therefore limited to important texts, such as graffiti that adorn the walls of tombs, temples, and texts that record royal achievements.
Egyptian writers usually wrote hieratic in their everyday work - a simplified or reduced version of hieroglyphs. Towards the end of the dynastic era, they used demotic writing, a simplified version of hieratic. The three forms were used to record the ancient Egyptian language itself.
Few ancient Egyptians were able to read either in hieroglyphs or hieratic: an estimated 10% (or perhaps much less) of the population were literate.
8. A Woman Could Become A Queen
The ideal situation in ancient Egypt was that the son succeeds his father in the king of Egypt. However, this was not always possible, and the most excluded candidates could have become an impregnable king during the coronation ceremony.
The women took the throne at least three times and took power because of their skill and enjoyment of all the powers of the king. Queen Hatshepsut was the most successful, ruling Egypt for more than 20 years in which prosperity prevailed.
In English, in which the word 'king' is exclusively called male, we can classify Subic Nefro, Hatshepsut and Tausert as governing queens. But in ancient Egyptian, the word we usually translate to "Queen" literally meant "Wife of The King" which is totally inappropriate to describe these women.
Discover The Secret of Ancient Egypt on Reality!!!
Discover Egypt, this a great Pharaonic civilization which dominated the ancient world, and the ancient Pharaohs took care of their architectural heritage, because it is a powerful element of the state, along with religious reasons. Therefore, the Egyptian civilization is one of the most impressive civilizations that exist to this day. Through cheap holidays to Egypt, you will explore the best attractions of ancient Egypt in Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan with the best services & cheap prices escorted with professional tour guides who will explain you the entire information about each site you visit.
Don't hesitate a moment and travel to Egypt & discover the splendid treasures & monuments of Pharoahs.
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