Annotated Bibliography: Ancient Egyptian Culture

Ancient Egyptian society reflected many things like the pyramids that it built. They placed the pharaoh at the top, but he relied on a group of officials, priests, and nobles to administer his kingdom. All of these people were assisted with scribes, which is a writing system that was used, perhaps adapted from Mesopotamia or created independently. The eldest known hieroglyphic writings date back to the 3rd millennium B.C. though the script must have been created way before that. Egyptian scribes created two different writing systems: they created what is known today as hieroglyphs to use as a way to communicate and record things through engraving important political and religious texts on stones or writing them on papyrus that was made from reeds growing along the Nile, and a more simple system called hieratic which allowed scribes to be written more quickly and was used for documentation of daily life. Students would learn how to write hieratic first, and those who had families with high aspirations or who were well-off took the time to continue and learn hieroglyphics. It underwent no major change until 390 A.D. when Egypt was dominated by Rome, although over the centuries the number of signs dramatically increased from approximately seven hundred to around five thousand.

For a long time in history, Egypt was the home to any form of trade which ensured the country had strong connections to the rest of the world, especially, when people came to acquire the resourceful materials from the Egyptian cities. As such, the visiting populace brought new food, ideas, religions, and goods that cumulatively resulted in the high level of civilization among the Egyptian people. It is with such cultural sophistication that historical records affirm how Egypt advanced to conquer neighboring regions in the quest of acquiring territorial lands. Furthermore, the diverse culture brought forth by the Romans, Nubians, Persians, and Greeks contributed to the Egyptian

When asked to describe Ancient Egypt, many will speak of towering pyramids, glittering sarcophaguses, and fist-sized scarab pendants. However, the image of Ancient Egypt that most have learned has one glaring flaw: it inordinately focuses on the lives of the social elite. The descriptions given seldom mention the stories of merchants, artisans, or slaves; they are solely focused on exploring the lives of the Egyptian royalty and the pantheon of gods that they worshipped. The social disparity in the study of Ancient Egypt is not the fault of professors, textbooks, or the field of education in general; rather, it is indicative of the deep social divides which were omnipresent in Egyptian society from its initiation. In Western Civilizations: Volume One, the authors confirm the rigid socioeconomic class system of this era: “The social pyramid of Old Kingdom Egypt was extremely steep. At its apex stood the Pharaoh and his extended family, whose prestige and power set them entirely apart from all other Egyptians.” This strict social structure pursued the Egyptian consciousness, even in death. The Book of the Dead, a collection of spells and incantations to aid a deceased person through the afterlife, contains ample evidence that social class followed Egyptian citizens past their mortal existence. In my brief study of Ancient Egypt, I have found evidence in The Book of the Dead to support the claims made by Dr. Symes that Ancient Egyptian society followed a strict social caste

  M.Lichtheim , Ancient Egyptian Literature, University of California Press,1973,1976. Vol.1.pp.23‐27    J.H.Brested, Ancient Records of Egypt, New York,1962,vol,II,pp.8、9  3   J.H.Brested, Ancient Records of Egypt, New York,1962, vol,II,pp.17、18

The people of Ancient Egypt believed in the afterlife, and therefore it is no surprise that most of the art that survived from that time is connected to the dead—especially the popular figures such as the pharaohs. The early Egyptian paintings were very basic and were painted in rocks that portrayed everyday life objects. The pharaohs were like the gods of the earth which is why the Egyptians often represented the gods and the pharaohs with very similar features in some of the artwork. Even though most of the Egyptian art was found in tombs and, as mentioned before, had a solid connection with the afterlife, some of the artwork from Ancient Egypt also illustrated how family life was structured.

The ancient Egyptian civilization, roughly five thousand years ago, was intelligent, powerful, and full of innovation-especially compared to other societies around at that time. The Egyptians worked on a grand scale, meaning they unified their two portions of Egypt, upper and lower, into one ruling system. This got rid of the normal city-state, (different countries/areas had individual freedom, government, and independence. Not unified), form of government that the world was used to.

For the final paper assignment I chose to write about the Egyptian culture. The reason why I chose the Egyptian culture is because I have always been fascinated by it. My mother was a huge fan of this particular culture, so I grew up going to all the different museums. I am amazed by their pyramids, their history and how they were able to mummify their pharaohs.

The Ancient Egyptians are a well-known civilization. The country of Egypt is located along the Nile River Valley in the Northern part of Africa (Civilization: Ancient Egypt). From 3100 B.C. to 332 B.C., this ancient civilization was dominant in the Mediterranean world (History.com, 2009). Whether a person learned about the Egyptians in their Bible or read about them in their history class, there is no doubt that these people were the great nation of their time. “The people of ancient Egypt valued family life highly” (Okasha, 2012, p.162). Okasha (2012) also stated that the Egyptian family was the foundational and basic social unit that created the stability, well-being and sustainability of the Egyptian society (p.162). This is one of the major reasons for Ancient Egypt’s success. Without a good foundation, their society would not have been able to last almost 3000 years.

“Kids History: Ancient Egyptian Government." Ducksters: Fun Kid Site with Safe Search, Sports, Games, Hobbies, Homework Help,.. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2017.http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egyptian_government.php

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations. It was rich in culture including government, religion, arts, and writing. For millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly unique, complex and stable culture that influenced later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Ancient Egyptian culture continues to capture the imagination of millions of historians today. Whether talking about the beautiful geography or of the wonders that just litter Egypt, one cannot deny how advanced Ancient Egyptian society truly was. This is due to the great skill presented in areas of agriculture, architecture, and organization. All of these areas contribute to the everlasting legacy that this past civilization as marked on the path to the world

Have you ever wanted to be a part of the sand? Wonder what goes on in the pyramids? What amongst the most advanced civilizations of all time, the information that is usually well-known is about farming practices or architectural innovations but what is absent most of the time is religion. The Ancient Egyptians believed in over 2000 different deities but shouldn’t something be said about the source of these divine beings? “It depends on that the eye that you see it with”. Through a variety of different sources, information has been gathered to give you a peek into Ancient Egyptian culture.

The Egyptian Civilization is a compelling culture that has numerous theories on how it all began. Trigger, Hassan, and Kemp are archeologists that studied the Egyptian society, and what made Upper and Lower Egypt transform. Robert J Wenke does a compelling job of teaching us about the geography, and different events that had an effect on the Egyptian settlement. Environmental changes and the climate from 10,000B.C. with out a doubt played a strong role in the society.

The history and traditions of a people can be reflected in its compositions because the writing often preserves the values, concerns, and characteristics of the era. While the canonical literature of a civilization often reflects the most highly prized attributes of the society, more typical pieces of writing tend to offer a unique and realistic perspective on the civilization’s lifestyle. A collection of ancient Egyptian love poems written by average citizens was uncovered in Deir el-Medina and, like all other works of literature, within the writing, there are details indicative of their values. Because of their special nature, the poems offer an alternative viewpoint to the experiences of commoners. The love reflected in the poetry of ordinary ancient Egyptians was affected by their society’s customs, family, and religion.

This text contains an abundance of information regarding, roughly every aspect of village life during the New Kingdom (1570-1070 B.C) in ancient Egypt. The book is arranged into six chapters including an introduction and an Epilogue. The chapters are: family and friends; daily life; religion; education, learning, and literature; law and work on the royal tomb. Each Chapter is introduced with a brief description of its contents and how the aged texts were implemented. Within each chapter are sub-headers that describe itself along with its relation to the chapter. Within each sub-header are the translated Egyptian texts. Each translated piece