One of the key regions, whose culture has left its mark on the entire civilization - Ancient Egypt. The symbols of this culture are still being studied, they play a huge role in understanding this huge civilization. It was located approximately within the borders of the modern state of the same name in northeast Africa.
History of Egyptian Symbols
Mythology is the main cultural component that Ancient Egypt is famous for. Symbols of gods, animals and natural phenomena are of particular interest to researchers. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to trace the very path of creating mythology.
Written sources that could be trusted came later. What is obvious is the enormous influence of the natural forces on the Egyptians. The same is observed in the formation of any ancient state. The people who lived before our era tried to explain to themselves why the sun rises every day, the Neil leaves the coast every year, and thunder and lightning from time to time fall on their heads. As a result, natural phenomena endowed with a divine principle. So the symbols of life, culture, power appeared.
Moreover, people noted that the gods were not always favorable to them. The Nile could spill very low, leading to a lean year and subsequent famine. In this case, the ancient Egyptians believed that they somehow angered the gods and tried to please them in every way so that a similar situation would not happen again next year. All this played a big role for a country like Ancient Egypt. Symbols and signs helped to understand the surrounding reality.
Symbols of power
The rulers of ancient Egypt called themselves pharaohs. The Pharaoh was considered a god-like monarch, he was worshiped during his lifetime, and after death he was buried in huge tombs, many of which have survived to this day.
Symbols of power in ancient Egypt - a golden tied beard, staff and crown. At the time of the emergence of the Egyptian state, when the lands of the Upper and Lower Nile were not yet united, the ruler of each of them had his own crown and special signs of power. At the same time, the crown of the supreme ruler of Upper Egypt was white, and also had the shape of a skittle. In Lower Egypt, the pharaoh wore a red crown similar to a cylinder. The kingdom of Egypt was made Pharaoh Men. After that, the crowns were essentially combined by inserting one into the other, while preserving their colors.
Double crowns were called millet - these are symbols of power in Ancient Egypt, which have been preserved for many years. At the same time, each crown of the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt had its own name. White was called atef, red was called a hedge.
At the same time, Egyptian rulers surrounded themselves with unprecedented luxury. After all, they were considered the sons of the supreme sun god Ra. Therefore, the symbols of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt are simply amazing. In addition to the above, it is also a hoop on which a ureus snake is depicted. He was famous for the fact that his bite inevitably led to instant death. The image of the snake was located around the head of the pharaoh, the head exactly in the center.
In general, snakes are the most popular symbols of the power of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt. They were depicted not only on a headband, but also on a crown, a military helmet and even a belt. Along the way, they were accompanied by jewelry made of gold, precious stones and colored enamel.
Symbols of the gods
The gods played a key role for a state like Ancient Egypt. The symbols associated with them were associated with the perception of the future and the surrounding reality. Moreover, the list of divine beings was huge. In addition to the gods, it included goddesses, monsters and even deified concepts.
One of the main Egyptian deities is Amon. In the united Egyptian kingdom he was the supreme head of the pantheon. It was believed that in it all people are united, the rest of the gods and everything that exists. His symbol was a crown with two high feathers or depicted with a solar disk, because he was considered the god of the sun and all nature. In ancient Egyptian tombs there are drawings of Amun, in which he appears in the guise of a ram or a person with the head of a ram.
The kingdom of the dead in this mythology was led by Anubis. He was also considered the guard of the necropolises - underground cemeteries and crypts and the inventor of embalming - a unique method that prevented rotting of corpses, was used in the process of burial of all the pharaohs.
The symbols of the gods of ancient Egypt were often often very intimidating. Anubis was traditionally depicted with the head of a dog or jackal with a red collar in the form of a necklace. Its invariable attributes were the ankh - a cross crowned with a ring, symbolizing eternal life, was - a rod in which the healing powers of the underground demon were stored.
But there were more pleasant and kind deities. For example, Bast or Bastet. This is the goddess of fun, female beauty and love, which was depicted as a cat or lioness in a sitting position. She was also responsible for the fertile and productive years and could help establish family life. The symbols of the gods of Ancient Egypt associated with Bast is a temple rattle called systra, and aegis is a magic cape.
Symbols of healing
In ancient Egypt, great attention was paid to the cult of healing. The goddess Isis was responsible for fate and life, and she was also considered the patroness of healers and doctors. Gifts were brought to her to protect the newborns.
The symbol of healing in Ancient Egypt is cow horns, on which the sun disk was held. That is how the goddess Isis was portrayed most often (sometimes in the form of a winged woman with a cow's head).
Also syster and ankh cross were considered its invariable attributes.
Symbol of life
Ankh or
Coptic cross - a symbol of life in Ancient Egypt. It is also called the
Egyptian hieroglyph, for them it is one of the most significant and key attributes.
It is also called the key of life or the Egyptian cross. Ankh is an attribute of many Egyptian deities with which they are depicted on the walls of the pyramids and papyrus. Without fail, he was put in a tomb with the pharaohs, which meant that the ruler could continue the life of his soul in the afterlife.
Although many scholars associate the symbolism of ankh with life, there is still no consensus on this issue. Some scholars argue that its leading meanings were immortality or wisdom, and that it was some kind of protective attribute.
Ankh enjoyed unprecedented popularity in such a state as Ancient Egypt. The symbols that portrayed him were applied to the walls of temples, amulets, all kinds of objects of culture and everyday life. Often in the drawings he is held in the hands of the Egyptian gods.
Nowadays, ankh is widely used in youth subcultures, in particular among the Goths. And also in all kinds of magical and parascientific cults and even in esoteric literature.
Sun symbol
The symbol of the sun in ancient Egypt is the lotus. Initially, he was associated with the image of birth and creation, and later became one of the incarnations of the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon Amon-Ra. In addition, the lotus also symbolizes the return of youth and beauty.
It is worth noting that, in general, the worship of the daylight was among the Egyptians one of the most important and significant. And all the deities, one way or another connected with the sun, were revered more than others.
The sun god Ra, according to Egyptian mythology, created all the other gods and goddesses. The myth about how Ra floats in a boat on a celestial river, simultaneously illuminating the whole earth with sunbeams was very widespread. As soon as evening comes, he transfers to another boat and examines the possessions in the afterlife all night.
The next morning, he again emerges on the horizon and so begins a new day. So the ancient Egyptians explained the change of day and night during the day, for them the solar disk was the embodiment of the revival and continuity of life for everything on earth.
In this case, the Pharaohs were considered sons or governors of God on earth. Therefore, it never occurred to anyone to challenge their right to rule, as everything was arranged in the state of Ancient Egypt. The symbols and signs that accompanied the main god Ra are the sun disk, the scarab beetle, or the Phoenix bird, which is reborn from the fire. Much attention was also paid to the eyes of the deity. The Egyptians believed that they could cure and protect a person from troubles and misfortunes.
The Egyptians had a special attitude to the center of the universe - the star of the Sun. They rightly directly linked its effect on heat, good yields, a prosperous life for all residents of the country.
Another interesting fact. The ancient Egyptians called the apricot familiar to each of us a star of the sun. And in Egypt this fruit did not grow, climatic conditions did not fit. He was brought from Asian countries. Moreover, the "overseas guest" was so fond of the Egyptians that they decided to call this fruit so poetically, having correctly noticed how its shape and color resemble the sun.
Sacred Symbols for the Egyptians
Many scholars still argue about what
the symbols of Ancient Egypt
mean and their meaning. This is especially true of sacred symbols.
One of the main ones is Naos. This is a special chest made of wood. In it, the priests erected a statue of a deity or a sacred symbol dedicated to him. It was also called the sacred place of worship of a particular deity. Most often, the naos were placed in the shrines or tombs of the pharaohs.
As a rule, there were several nasos. One wooden one was small in size; it was placed in a larger one carved from a single piece of stone. The greatest distribution in ancient Egypt they received in the late period. At that time they were richly and variably decorated. Also, the temple itself or the sanctuary of some deity was often called a naos.
Also the sacred symbols of Ancient Egypt are the sistrum. These are percussion musical instruments used by priests during the sacraments in honor of the goddess Hathor. Among the Egyptians, this was the goddess of love and beauty, who personified femininity, as well as fertility and fun. Modern scholars believe that Venus was the Romans, and Aphrodite was the Greeks.
The systrum musical instrument was clad in a wooden or metal frame. Metal strings and discs were pulled between him. All this made ringing sounds that the priests believed attracted the gods. In the rites used two varieties of systrum. One was called iba. It was in the form of an elementary ring with metal cylinders in the center. With the help of a long hilt he was placed above the head of the goddess Hathor.
A more formal version of the systrum was called sesheset. It was in the form of a naos and was richly decorated with various rings and ornaments. Thundering pieces of metal that made sounds were located inside a small box. Sesheshet was allowed to be worn only by priests and wealthy women from the upper classes.
Symbol of culture
The symbol of the culture of Ancient Egypt is, of course, a pyramid. This is the most famous, extant monument of ancient Egyptian art and architecture. One of the oldest and most famous is the pyramid of the pharaoh Djoser, who ruled over 18 centuries BC. It is located in the south of Memphis and is 60 meters high. It was made up of slaves of limestone blocks.
The pyramids built in Egypt are the most amazing architectural wonders of this ancient nation. By right, one of them - the pyramid of Cheops - is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. And one more - the Giza pyramids - one of the candidates to become the so-called "new wonder of the world."
Outwardly, these are stone structures in which the Egyptian rulers, the pharaohs, were buried. From the Greek language the word "pyramid" is translated as a polyhedron. There is still no single time among scientists about why the ancient Egyptians chose this form for the tombs. Meanwhile, 118 pyramids have already been discovered in different parts of Egypt.
The largest number of these structures are in the Giza region, near the capital of this African state - Cairo. They are also called the Great Pyramids.
The predecessors of the pyramids were mastaba. So in ancient Egypt they called "houses after life", which consisted of a burial room and a special stone structure, which was located above the surface of the earth. It was such funerary houses that the first Egyptian pharaohs built for themselves. Unbaked bricks obtained from clay mixed with river sludge were used for the material. Massively they were built in Upper Egypt, before the unification of the state, and in Memphis, which was considered the main necropolis of the country. Above the ground in these buildings were rooms for prayers and rooms in which funerary equipment was stored. Underground - directly burial of the pharaoh.
The most famous pyramids
The symbol of Ancient Egypt is a pyramid. The most famous Great Pyramids are in Giza. These are the tombs of the
pharaohs of Cheops, Mykerin and Chephren. From the very first Joser's pyramids that have come down to us, these pyramids differ in that they have not a stepped, but a strict geometric shape. Their walls rise strictly at angles of 51-53 degrees with respect to the horizon. Their faces indicate the cardinal points. The famous Pyramid of Cheops was generally erected on a rock created by nature, and placed exactly in the center of the base of the pyramid.
The Cheops Pyramid is also famous for being the tallest. Initially, it was more than 146 meters, but now, due to the loss of cladding, it has decreased by almost 8 meters. The length of each side is 230 meters; it was built over 26 centuries BC. According to various estimates, it was built for about 20 years.
Its construction took more than two million blocks of stones. At the same time, the ancient Egyptians did not use any binders, such as cement. Each block weighed about two and a half thousand kilograms, individual ones reached a weight of 80 thousand kilograms. Ultimately, it is a monolithic structure, shared only by cameras and corridors.
Two more famous pyramids - Chefren and Mykern - were erected by the descendants of Cheops and smaller in size.
Chefren's pyramid is considered the second largest in Egypt. Next to her is a statue of the famous Sphinx. Its height was originally almost 144 meters, and the length of the sides - 215 meters.
Mycerin Pyramid is the smallest of the great in Giza. Its height is only 66 meters, and the length of the base is slightly more than 100 meters. Initially, its size was too modest, therefore versions were put forward that it was not intended for the ruler of Ancient Egypt. However, in reality it was not possible to establish this.
How were the pyramids built?
It is worth noting that a single technique did not exist. It changed from one building to another. Scientists put forward various hypotheses on how these structures were created, but there is still no consensus.
Researchers have certain data about the quarries, where the stones and blocks were taken from, about the tools used in stone processing, and about how they were moved to the construction site.
Most Egyptologists believe that stones were cut in special quarries using copper tools, in particular, chisels, chisels and picks.
One of the biggest mysteries is how the Egyptians moved these huge stone blocks at the time. Based on one fresco, scientists found that many blocks were simply dragged. So, in the famous image of 172 people pull a statue of the pharaoh on a sleigh. In this case, the sled runners are constantly watered with water, which serves as a lubricant. According to experts, the weight of such a statue was about 60 thousand kilograms. Thus, a stone block weighing 2 and a half tons could only transport 8 workers. The movement of goods in this way, by all accounts, was the most common in ancient Egypt.
Also known is the method of rolling blocks. A special mechanism for this in the form of a cradle was discovered during excavations of ancient Egyptian sanctuaries. During the experiment, it was found that 18 workers were needed to move a 2.5 ton stone block in this way. Their speed was 18 meters per minute.
Also, some researchers believe that the Egyptians used the square wheel technology.