Interesting facts about Ancient Egypt. Features of Ancient Egypt

Egypt - one of the most interesting and mysterious countries of the ancient world. Much that we know about him, causes genuine surprise, but even more we do not know. This country still keeps many mysteries and secrets. Interesting facts about Ancient Egypt allow you to learn a little more about the life of this state.

Natural conditions and climate

Surprising is the nature of Ancient Egypt, which in many ways determined the occupation and way of life of the population. He was on the banks of the great Nile River, the second longest in the world.

The geographical position of the country is peculiar. In ancient times, Egypt was located in the Nile valley, which was in the lower reaches of the river and was a long and narrow oasis, from 1 to 20 kilometers in width. It was located between two mountain chains, and this explains the relative isolation of the state.

The climate at that time in North Africa was not as droughty as it is now. Sometimes heavy rain fell and damp winds blew. All this contributed to the birth of civilization in the Nile Valley.

The heaviest for the inhabitants of the country were April and May, when strong winds blew from the desert, bringing with them clouds of sand.

The nature of Ancient Egypt was distinguished by the richness and diversity of the animal and plant world. Thick thickets of papyrus swarmed with birds. In the desert lived wild bulls, goats, cheetahs, lions, ostriches and jackals. In the Nile, there were a lot of fish, and there were herds of hippos, on which the pharaohs hunted.

The Great Nile

Interesting facts about Ancient Egypt can not be imagined without the main wealth of the country - the Nile. This is one of the most peculiar and mysterious river systems in the world. For millennia, the best minds, since ancient times, have tried to solve the riddle of the source of the great river. In Egypt, the Nile flows like one river, but above it is two river systems: Blue and White Nile. This also confused the researchers who were trying to find its source.

Features of Ancient Egypt - is not only its great and mysterious structures. In the lower reaches of the Nile, the river flooded every year, flooding the valley. The tributaries of the river carried fertile silt, which plays a huge role in the country's agriculture. Its layer reached a thickness of 4.5 to 16 meters. For the ancient Egyptians, Nile was truly the gift of the gods, as Herodotus called it. It is the only river flowing through the Sahara and carrying life in an arid desert.

The Egyptians lived in obedience to the order that the Nile set for their spills. Therefore, instead of the four seasons we used to have, they had three: a period of flooding (ahet), sowing, growth and harvesting (re-tak) and a time of drought (shemu).

Scientific knowledge of the Egyptians

Interesting facts about Ancient Egypt must necessarily include a story about the sciences of the great state. When the Stone Age was still going on in Europe, the country of the pharaohs was already a highly developed state. Of course, it makes no sense to try to put the knowledge of ancient Egyptians and modern science on one level. But compared with other states that existed at that time, the scientific knowledge of Egyptian scientists can not but strike. At a high level were mathematical knowledge. Mathematics was used to calculate the area of crops and the volume of granaries. The Egyptians could produce complex geometric constructions, calculated the "golden ratio" and actively used it in sculpture and architecture. They knew about the fractions and could extract square roots.

Astronomical knowledge was well developed. In Egypt, a solar calendar was compiled, which consisted of 365 days, a water clock was created, and a constellation of stars was made.

School in Ancient Egypt - the system of education

The state on the banks of the Nile was distinguished by a good family education, in which equal attention was paid to the education of both boys and girls. For this country was characterized by the following ideal of man: laconic, able to endure hardships and blows of fate. In this vein, and training was underway.

The school in Ancient Egypt was accessible only to boys from rich families, the rest could be trained at home. First of all, the disciple should learn to listen to the teacher and obey him. The ancient Egyptians considered the most effective teaching methods to be physical. Students were beaten for any wrongdoings, moreover, parents themselves asked to grow their descendants.

Training was conducted in order to give the child a profession that was owned by men in the family. Thus, it was inherited. School classes were held from early morning to evening in a rather harsh environment. Nothing should be distracting the student from the task. It is interesting that the first "inscriptions" of small pupils were pottery clay pottery.

The status of women

This question is very interesting. How did women live in Ancient Egypt and what place did they occupy in society? There is very little information about this. Scientists Egyptologists do not have enough information even about such well-known rulers in history as Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra. It is known that the Egyptians had the right to enter into transactions on an equal footing with men and to own property. They could not occupy important state posts, but many were educated.

Hygiene

The ancient Egyptians were very clean people. They bathed in water several times a day, and the morning toilet of the pharaoh and high officials was an important ceremony. A prerequisite for the nobility was a daily visit to the hairdresser or barber. A wide variety of cosmetics were used.

Women of Ancient Egypt carefully followed the hairdo. Both the wife of Pharaoh, and the modest peasant woman spent a lot of time on correct and even hair styling. This ceremony was so serious that the men left the house for a while, so as not to interfere with the women's order.

clothing

The hot dry climate of Egypt dictated its conditions in clothing. Residents of the country preferred to wear linen tunics, reminiscent of long shirts, hem hemmed fringe. On top of them they wore light woolen cloaks of white color. This description was left by the historian Herodotus about the clothing of the Egyptians.

Funeral rite

Considering the interesting facts about Ancient Egypt, it is impossible not to mention the attitude towards the death of the Egyptians and their peculiar funeral ceremony. They had a very complex system of substances of the human soul, which, in their opinion, consisted of six parts or states. The preservation of the human body after death helped in his future afterlife. With this faith there is a rite of mummification of the deceased, conducted by the priests. It was necessary to follow the rituals precisely to enable the soul to safely reach the afterlife.

The funeral cult played a huge role in the life of the ancient Egyptians. Everything - from pharaohs to simple peasants, from birth began to take care of their future afterlife. Rulers and wealthy residents built for this tomb and tomb.

Veneration of the scarab

In addition to cats, the Egyptians revered another living creature - a scarab beetle. This is another interesting feature of Ancient Egypt. They considered the Scarabs sacred insects of the Sun, and the way from east to west, along which the beetle rolls its dung bead - is a symbol of the birth and movement of the luminary across the sky. God Heprey, the creator of the world and man, as well as the morning rising sun, the Egyptians began to depict with the head of a scarab.

Conclusion

Ancient Egypt is a country of riddles and miracles, unlike other states of the past. Interesting facts about her so much that only enumeration of them will take more than one page.