Hollar - Ancient Egypt

ANCIENT EGYPT

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Edited by Sherman Hollar

Published in 2012 by Britannica Educational Publishing

(a trademark of Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc.)

in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC

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First Edition

Britannica Educational Publishing

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Introduction by Alexandra Hanson-Harding

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ancient Egypt / edited by Sherman Hollar.1st ed.

p. cm.(Ancient civilizations)

In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational Services.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-61530-572-8 (eBook)

1. EgyptCivilizationTo 332 B.C.Juvenile literature. 2. EgyptHistoryTo 332 B.C.Juvenile

literature. I. Hollar, Sherman. II. Series: Ancient civilizations (Britannica Educational Publishing)
DT61.A593 2012
932.01dc22

2011004714

On the cover, page : Pyramids in Egypts Giza valley under sunset light. Shutterstock.com

Pages www.istockphoto.com/Vasko Miokovic Photography; remaining interior background image www.istockphoto.com/sculpies; back cover Shutterstock.com

T he sands of the Sahara Desert might not seem a likely home for one of the worlds greatest empires. But the Nile River made the Egyptian empire possible. The Nile is a lifeline winding north from Ethiopias highland through Egypt to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. The Egyptians could grow plentiful crops because each year the river flooded, bringing dark, silty soil. Learning how to manage the flooding and then to reclaim and irrigate the land helped the Egyptians develop into a coherent society. As the ancient Greek historian Herodotus said, Egypt is the gift of the Nile.

The Nileand its locationhelped Egyptian civilization to last, in a relatively unchanged form, for more than 3,000 years. During that same time, mighty empires had risen and fallen in Mesopotamia and other less protected places. But hemmed in by the forbidding desert, Egypt was, aside from the trade it carried on, mostly a world apart.

In this volume you will learn how, in prehistoric times, the Egyptians changed from being hunters and gatherers to farmers and craftsmen. As the climate gradually became drier, cooperation helped the early Egyptians to form villages, then cities. In approximately 3000 BCwhen written records started being keptthe legendary King Menes brought Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt together to form a single nation. Egypts three most powerful periods of the historical era are called the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. It was during the Old Kingdom that the great pyramids were built.

This massive statue shows Ramses II, one of Egypts most famous pharaohs. Shutterstock.com

Over time, Egypt gradually weakened and became vulnerable to foreign invaders, such as the Assyrians, the Kushites, and the Greeks. Finally, despite the efforts of Egypts last ruler, the wily Cleopatra, the powerful Roman Empire took over in 31 BC.

Upper class Egyptians had elegant lives. They wore simple linen sheaths, but for special occasions, both men and women wore jewelry, used perfume and makeup, and wore elaborate wigs. They had relatively little furniture, but what they did have was sophisticated and made of fine materials. Farmers had a harder time. They were not only taxed heavily, but they could also be called upon to work on giant public work projects. Some of these were grand stone temples to honor their gods. Other extravagant structures were gigantic tombs for the pharaohs.

The Egyptians loved life and were hopeful that their souls would be reunited with their bodies after death. This hopefulness, combined with the fact that bodies could stay well-preserved in the dry atmosphere, led to the practice of mummification. Not only were humans given this elaborate preservation treatment, but so were certain animals, including cats, which were considered sacred by the Egyptians.

From studying their tombs and other ancient buildings, we have learned much about Egypts culture. Their art represented ideas of Egyptian societyfor example, a servant might appear smaller than a lord. Images, often painted on tomb walls as fresco, showed all kinds of scenes of Egyptian lifefrom queens communing with goddesses to farmers cutting grain or waterbirds flying over marshes. We have also learned about their three different types of writing, including hieroglyphics, the beautiful, stylized picture language. They wrote on paper made from the papyrus plant.

Ancient Egypt is long gone, but the civilization remains a source of fascination. Its long, stable history, refined art, and vast engineering accomplishments hint at a way of life that is both familiar and very different from our own and continues to inspire creativity today.

N o other countrynot even China or Indiahas such a long unbroken history as Egypt. Nearly 3,000 years before the birth of Jesus, the Egyptians had reached a high stage of civilization. They lived under an orderly government; they carried on commerce in ships; they built great stone structures; and, most important of all, they had acquired the art of writing. In the Nile River Valley, where the Egyptian people lived, the early development of the arts and crafts that formed the foundation of Western civilization can be traced.