Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the fertile land along its banks. The yearly flooding of the Nile enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land.
The people of ancient Egypt built mudbrick homes in villages and in the country. They grew some of their own food and traded in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce.
Most ancient Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of people were nobles. Together, these different groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt.
The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red land'.
The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the Nile flooded.
The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones.
The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses. Each one with their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land.
Some gods and goddesses took part in creation, some brought the flood every year, some offered protection, and some took care of people after they died. Others were either local gods who represented towns, or minor gods who represented plants or animals.
The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to recognise and worship these gods and goddesses so that life continued smoothly.
The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'.
Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to protect them from wild animals in the desert. However, they realised that bodies placed in coffins decayed when they were not exposed to the hot, dry sand of the desert.
Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrapping them in strips of linen. Today we call this process mummification.
The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.
As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.
Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognise the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.
2006-07-20 02:31:11
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answer #1
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answered by draconic_eirein 2
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The Legend of Osiris is one of the most ancient myths in Egypt, and it was central to the ancient Egyptian state religion. The myth establishes Osiris' position as god of the dead and lord of the underworld, and Horus' (and thus all the pharaohs) right to kingship. It also demonstrates the powers and duties of the other major gods as well as setting up the Great Adversary, Set.
2006-07-20 01:25:55
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answer #2
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answered by StreetX 2
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Yes: "Man, Know thyself" is one.
During celebrations on some occasions a miniature mummy was shown (in the hand of the speaker) who said to the guests: "Eat,Drink and be merry - for one day you two will look like this.
From some of the tombs of ancient Egypt is written the pre-cursor to the ten commands in the form" I have not killed anyone" I have not stolen from anyone" etc.From ancient Egyptian literature this is known and catalogued today as the "Negative Confessions".
Well enough now I dont want to bore you (smile)
2006-07-20 01:38:42
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answer #3
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answered by worriedaboutyou 4
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There is a standard joke that most cat owners know. In Egypt, cats were revered by the Egyptians to be godlike and were treated as such and they have not forgotten this. Yes it is true that cats were very treasured animals. They were treated very royally and when the Pharoah died these cats were killed and embalmed with the Pharoah.
2006-07-20 01:21:54
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answer #4
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answered by mom of girls 6
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The Nile was the most important thing to ancient egyptians b/c they needed the water.
They had their own set of gods...Set was the god of the chaos/evil and we get the name 'Satan' derived from that name.
They studied astronomy extensively, and the famous pyramids are arranged in a pattern to match stars of their day.
They developed heiroglyphics: the first writing, using pictures for language.
They developed papyrus, a type of paper.
2006-07-20 01:22:53
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answer #5
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answered by Iridium190 5
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well egyptians worshippd mainly 'Ra' the sun god......the ruler of the under world or the world of death was by 'Anubis' who is believed to have a dog's head and a human's body.....evrytime an eclipe happened in anceint egypt, the egyptians feared that 'Ra' was angry and did countless offerings to him to bring back the light to their lands...
2006-07-20 01:23:29
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answer #6
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answered by frekin_out _badly..... 2
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