Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian Civilization

GEOGRAPHY 

The Nile River , the longest river in the world (6,650 kilometers), flows north from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. Its flood plain was a magnet for life -- human, plant and animal. Humans were drawn there because they could grow crops and settle into permanent villages.

 Bounded on the south, east and west by an desert, and on the north by the sea,  Ancient Egypt was protected from outside influences, which allowed it to evolve in its own unique way.

 Dualities, such as desert and river valley, Upper and Lower Egypt, life and death, were an important organizing principle of the Egyptian’s world view.

ARQUITECTURE

The ancient Egyptians built their pyramids, tombs, temples and palaces out of stone, the most durable of all building materials.

Apart from the pyramids, Egyptian Buildings were decorated with paintings, carved stone images, hieroglyphs, and three-dimensional statues. The art tells the story of the pharaohs, the gods, the common people and the natural world of plants, birds and animals.

One of the oldest mysteries surrounding ancient Egypt concerns the building of the pyramids. How did humans move such massive blocks of stone using only Stone Age tools? The Egyptians left thousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdom. Curiously enough, none of them show how pyramids were built.  Several Theories attempt to explain how pyramids were constructed, but for now, the mystery has yet to be solved.
Pyramids did not stand alone; they were part of a funerary complex. the complex includes a processional causeway that links a funerary temple to the pyramid, solar barques buried on the four sides of the pyramid, and mastabas and smaller pyramids where the family of the king and nobles were buried


WRITING


The EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE was one of the earliest languages to be written down, perhaps only the Sumerian language is older.  First appearing on stone and pottery dating from 3100 B.C. to 3000 B.C., it remained in use for almost 3,000 years. The last inscription was written in A.D. 394.


This form of PICTORIAL WRITING was also used on:


* Tombs
* Sheets of papyrus
* Wooden boards covered with a stucco wash
* Potsherds
 * Fragments of limestone


RELIGION


is the glue that binds local communities together and transforms them into nations. It creates common understandings and shared values that are essential to the growth of a civilization.


Materials used in mummification:
1. Linen
2. Sawdust
3. Lichen
4. Besswax
5. Resin
6. Natron
7. Onion
8. Nile mud
9. Linen pads
10. Frankincense