The Culture of Ancient Egypt

The Egyptian culture has long been considered quite optimistic. It should be argued that of all ancient civilisations and cultures, the ancient Egyptian culture, is by far the most optimistic; in terms of everyday outlook on life, religion and death. The ancient Egyptian culture when compared to its nearby neighbours in the Levant and Mesopotamia is indeed optimistic. An examination of the environment of ancient Egypt affected daily life as this would in turn influence the culture, and whether or not this played a role in making ancient Egyptian life and culture more optimistic. It is also essential that the ancient Egyptian myths and religion be explored to determine whether or not it contained the same optimistic outlook as the culture

The government of Egypt consisted of (from highest to lowest) a Pharaoh(like a king), government officials, priests, musicians, pheasants, and slaves. The more important you are, the better life was for you. The highest position, the Pharaoh had enormous power over Egypt because he was supposed to be a god and since all Egyptians were very religious everyone obeyed the Pharaoh. Next to the Pharaoh there are the government officials. Of the most important of these are the vizier chief secretary and the general of the army. The vizier advises the Pharaoh and carries out his orders. The chief secretary managed the money and collected taxes from the people. Another important government official is the general of the army, the general of the army: controls the army, advises the Pharaoh about war and peace treaties. After the government officials came the priests. The reason why the priests were so high up in the social structure is because all Egyptians were highly religious therefore priests had a great influence among the people. After this, in the social structure comes the artists this

Ancient Egyptian civilisation was a progressive society with a multi-layered bureaucracy. Ancient Egypt was ruled by a King called a Pharaoh. Beneath him, was a vast administrative apparatus run by an elite minority class who enforced state mandates on the lower class majority. Although the state system of Ancient Egypt was premised on institutional inequalities, it was justified

Instead, their seasons were consisted on the basis of when was the optimum time to plant their crops and cultivate the land. One expert points out that, “Between June and September in a season the Egyptians called akhet” (Seawright). This was not an optimum time for harvesting because the lands were all flooded from the Nile waters and people tended to stay indoors due to the high tide of the waters. The remaining seasons consisted of, according to a researcher, “peret (growing), and shemu (harvesting)” (Seawright). During the growing season, the Egyptians used different forms of irrigation in order to grow the crops more efficiently. Followed by the growing season, came the harvest season. The Egyptians would cultivate the land from what they had grown in order to feed their families as well as to make offerings. They made offerings to the pharaoh in hopes of future success in farming and with the flood waters, as well as to the multiple gods that they worshiped such as Hapi. They gave offerings to him in hopes that he would once again allow the Nile to flood again to allow the farmers to have another successful attempt at harvesting and providing for the many inhabitants that lived in the Nile River Basin. Climate was only the first aspect that ruled.

Edom an ancient nation from 1100 to 200BC, located in what is now the southern part of modern southern Jordan. The Edomites, also referenced with the Shasu and Shutu as well as with other nomadic raiders mentioned in Egyptian historical records and biblical scriptures

Possibly the most influential change within the great empires of Egypt, was the changes within literature. In the old kingdom there was a lack of writing as it was only used in “sacred purpose” (Sayre 89). The middle kingdom expanded upon this and began writing an extensive amount, from Biography’s to writings of science. It became a large imprint upon Egyptian culture as they became very imaginative, even to write supernatural tales, etc. The literature of this era reflected the added maturity and more Egyptians were able to write and read with the introduction of a school system during the 12th dynasty. Also as there is more writing surrounding everyday individuals, the human brain allows itself to do what it does best and learns. Allowing even lower standard of individuals to become literate, as writing was on everything from walls, to coffins. “Works such as the “Lay of the Harper question whether there

Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian agricultural lives were very different due to their geographical situations, differences in technology, and developments. Only a small area of Egyptian land (the Delta and Nile Valley) was fertile during the annual inundation of the river Nile. Harsh natural circumstances created a famine risk for the entire population. When there were insufficient water resources for the agriculture, or floods threatening crops, it

Egypt’s social hierarchy created a stable, well-ordered society, as seen through a clearly visible status of people that ensured survival and success of the society, massive social inequality, that stimulated the development of a more complex society and the state, and beneficial social norms, regarding the everyday life, customs and beliefs, which were a great foundation for people’s morals and duties and helped the society to run smoothly. Social status was clearly displayed and was a requirement for survival and success of society. For example, since the Egyptians believed that the Pharaohs were gods, they entrusted them with many responsibilities, such as political, religious, social, economic, military and legal commitments. The Kings

The Ancient Egyptian culture is based on belief structure of Egyptian mythology. Without exception every form of life in ancient Egypt was enlightened by the stories which connects the establishment of the world and the aid of that nature by the gods. Like many, the Egyptians believed the beginning of time started with the formation of the earth, and the universe was established from darkness, along a whirl of disarray. At first there was an endless amount of black water without reason. This water is also understood as Nun meaning dark water of discord. In the void of black contained the god of magic known as Heka, Who was anticipating for the occasion of creation. One day out of the water emerged a prehistoric hill, this hill was named Ben-Ben.

Let’s take an imaginary trip some 6828 miles to Egypt. “The Ancient Egyptian civilization is exceptionally famous because it continued without massive cultural change for almost 3,000 years. All its cities were built beside the Nile, a very manageable river; making farming easy and productive” (Minds, 2015).

These workers have spent countless days on crafting me, They use these tools to craft edges to give me shape. For I do not know what exactly I am yet, I know I must be important. One man, who must be the ruler or leader of these people, checks on me everyday to see how close I am to being done. I do not understand these people, but I believe that I am their creation using two different cultures. As I take shape, I can see that my body is the shape of a creature. They call it an “animal,” from what i can hear them talk about this animal, they call it a lion. This lion, is huge in the egyptian culture. The fur and the lion’s muscles are beautifully done to the point where im am impressed. This process takes an incredibly long time to finish and takes an incredible amount of concentration. I am not made of the same material as the crafters, they look soft and warm but i feel like I am quite solid and cold. I over hear the workers talking about how I am made from granite, a sculpting material only used for the greatest of works.

The Egyptian government was a huge turning point for mankind and explained how Egypt was a civilization of great strength. The laws were made by the Pharaoh. However, the Pharaoh did have leaders under him that could make decisions about the law. Some punishments for stealing something would have been paying the owner of the belongings twice the amount of what it cost. If someone stole from a more important person the punishment would have been more harsh. Some of

Egyptians hieroglyphics were one of the world’s first writing systems. Early Egyptian writing were carved into stone or other hard materials. Later, the Egyptians learned how to make papyrus which was a long lasting paper. Scribes wrote on papyrus using brushes and ink. The Hieroglyphic writing system included more than 600 symbols and the symbols were used to represent sounds. Hieroglyphics could be written side to side (left to right or right to left) or vertically (up to down or down to up). The only way to tell which way the text was written was to look at the symbols individually.

Egyptian culture has its roots in several factors within its borders that define the tradition as well as a way of life in the country. The influences of culture in a country as well as throughout the human civilization underpin the understanding of culture. Egypt is not an exception to this characteristic of culture definition. There exist multiple influencers of culture within the Egyptian border that form the basis in form and principle of their way of life. The population that a form a country has a tradition that emanates from the civilization process that the people have lived. Therein, belief systems, traditions, customs, behavior, and ideas within the country from an influential basis of culture. Nevertheless, culture is not

Every complex society needs a well organized government. The Egyptians had many important people in their government. No one could question the supreme leader, the Pharaoh. Pharaohs were believed to control weather and wars. They also controlled the laws, the military, and their people. Religion was a very significant part of the Ancient Egyptians’ lifestyle, and Pharaohs had full control over it. Below the mighty Pharaoh were the Viziers. Some of their duties were to organize records, collect taxes, and most importantly, advise the Pharaoh. Because they had to make so many huge decisions that would impact so many people, the Pharaohs could use all the help they could get. The Viziers would recommend options and help Pharaohs make informed decisions. Almost all of the laws the Pharaohs created were based on one concept, the Ma’at. It represented some of the most important values for the Egyptians, order, balance, truth, and justice. The Ma’at told them that everyone, excluding slaves, should be treated as an equal in terms of the law. This meant that no matter your social class