Egypt is one of the most interesting and mysterious countries of the ancient world. Much of what we know about him causes genuine amazement, but we do not know even more. This country still has 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
Amazing is the nature of Ancient Egypt, which largely determined the occupation and lifestyle of the population. It was located 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 located in the lower reaches of the river and was a long and narrow oasis, from 1 to 20 kilometers wide. It was located between two mountain ranges, and this explained the relative isolation of the state.
The climate at that time in North Africa was not as arid as it is now. Sometimes heavy rains fell and moist winds blew. All this contributed to the emergence of civilization in the Nile Valley.
The most difficult 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. Dense thickets of papyrus were teeming with birds. Wild bulls, goats, cheetahs, lions, ostriches and jackals inhabited the desert. There were many fish in the Nile, and herds of hippos inhabited by the pharaohs.
Great nile
It is impossible to imagine interesting facts about Ancient Egypt without the country's main wealth - the Nile. This is one of the most peculiar and mysterious river systems in the world. For millennia, the best minds, since ancient times, tried to solve the mystery about the source of the great river. In Egypt, the Nile flows as one river, but above it represents two river systems: the Blue and White Nile. This confused researchers who were trying to find its source.
The features of Ancient Egypt are not only its great and mysterious buildings. In the lower reaches, the Nile spilled 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, the Nile was truly a gift from the gods, as Herodotus called it. This is the only river flowing through the Sahara and carrying life in a waterless desert.
The Egyptians lived in obedience to the routine that the Nile set with its floods. Therefore, instead of the four seasons that were familiar to us, they had three: a period of flooding (akhet), sowing, growth and harvesting (mowing), and a drought time (neck).
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 continuing in Europe, the country of the pharaohs was already a highly developed state. Of course, it makes no sense to try to put on one level the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians and modern science. But compared with other states that existed at that time, the scientific knowledge of the scientists of Egypt cannot fail to amaze. At a high level were mathematical knowledge. Mathematics was used to calculate the area under 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 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 stars were grouped into constellations.
School in Ancient Egypt - Education System
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, the following ideal of man was characteristic: laconic, able to endure hardships and blows of fate. In this vein, training was underway.
The school in Ancient Egypt was accessible only to boys from wealthy families, the rest could study at home. First of all, the student had to learn to listen to the teacher and obey him. The ancient Egyptians considered physical the most effective teaching methods. Pupils were beaten for any wrongdoing, moreover, the parents themselves asked to educate their offsprings more strictly.
The training was conducted in order to give the child a profession that men in the family owned. Thus, it was inherited. School classes were held from early morning until evening in fairly harsh conditions. Nothing should distract the student from the task. Interestingly, the first “prescriptions” of the young students were pottery shards.
Position of women
This question is very interesting. How did women live in Ancient Egypt and what place did they occupy in society? Very little information has been preserved about this. Egyptologists do not even have enough information about such famous rulers in history as Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra. It is known that the Egyptians had the right to enter into transactions on an equal basis with men and own property. They could not hold important government posts, but many were educated.
Hygiene
The ancient Egyptians were very clean people. They performed bathing several times a day, and the morning toilet of the pharaoh and senior officials was an important ceremony. A prerequisite for the nobility was a daily visit to a hairdresser or barber. Widespread use had a variety of cosmetics.
Women of Ancient Egypt carefully watched the hairstyle. Both the wife of the pharaoh and the modest peasant woman spent a lot of time on the correct and even hair styling. This rite was so serious that men temporarily left the house, so as not to interfere with the women to put themselves in order.
clothing
The hot dry climate of Egypt dictated its conditions in clothes. Residents of the country preferred to wear linen tunics, reminiscent of long shirts, the hem of which was trimmed with fringe. On top they wore light white woolen coats. Such a description was left by the historian Herodotus about the clothes of the Egyptians.
Funeral rite
Considering interesting facts about Ancient Egypt, one cannot but touch upon the attitude to the death of the Egyptians and their peculiar funeral ceremony. They had a very complex system of substances of the human soul, which, according to their ideas, consisted of six parts or states. Preservation after the death of a person’s body helped in his future afterlife. The rite of mummification of the deceased, which was conducted by the priests, is associated with this faith. It was necessary to precisely follow the rituals to enable the soul to safely reach the afterlife.
The funeral cult played a huge role in the life of the ancient Egyptians. Everyone - from the pharaohs to ordinary peasants, from birth began to take care of their future afterlife. Rulers and wealthy residents built tombs and tombs for this.
Veneration of scarab
In addition to cats, the Egyptians worshiped another living creature - the scarab beetle. This is another interesting feature of ancient Egypt. They considered a scarab a sacred insect of the Sun, and the path from east to west, along which the beetle rolls its dung ball, is a symbol of the birth and movement of the star in the sky. The Egyptians began to depict God Khepri, the creator of the world and man, as well as the morning rising sun, with the head of a scarab.
Conclusion
Ancient Egypt is a country of mysteries and miracles, unlike other states of the past. There are so many interesting facts about her that only listing them will take more than one page.