Egypt's Greatest Accomplishment

I believe that Ancient Egypt's is their whole method of building pyramids. When you really think about it it is amazing that 3,000 years ago they were able to stack 1,000s of blocks that individually weighed 2 tons each.It amazes me that they were able to make a block that weighed that much. Even their tools were an amazing accomplishment.  I think that what astounds me the most is that the pyramids were actually tombs.

They were underground which is amazing because they had to dig the underground part out by hand. Also, in to tomb part of it they buried their dead with things for the 'after life.' They put inside everything that would be needed. They put food and water. They put chamber pots. They put clothes, makeup, jewelery, and amulets. They put anything that the person could ever possibly need or want.

The Egyptians had many amazing inventions and accomplishments, but I personally believe that the pyramids were the greatest and best of them all.

Impact of Geography

We established our land along the banks of the Great Nile River because of the water, and because of how fertile the soil was. The region did many things for us. By yearly, predictable flooding we were able to create an irrigation system. We used the system to get drinking water and to water our crops. If we didn't have the Great River then we wouldn't have been able to grow our crops or have water to drink. Without the Nile our civilization would never have been able to flourish.

Egypt Latitude and Longitude

26.0000° N, 30.0000° E

 

Egypt on Political Map

Map made in Paint. Blank map coppied off of internet.

Egypt on Physical Map

Map made in paint. Blank map coppied off of internet.

Feature 5: Advanced Technology

We Ancient Egyptians were very advanced as far as technology went. We invented many things that your people still use today such as clocks, calendars, paper, and pens.

We used two kinds of clocks - the sundial and the water clock. The sundial was much like the analog clocks that some of your people use. It was a circle that had a single hand in the middle. Rather than having the hand move around the clock the sun cast shadows on the dial. Wherever the shadow lander was what time it was.

However, the water clock is unlike anything that your people use today. It was basically two buckets and a stand. One of the buckets sat on top of the stand with a hole poked in the side. Underneath of the top bucket there was the second bucket. Then the top bucket was filled with water and trickled into the bottom bucket. Different levels of water in the bottom bucket equaled a certain time.


Water Clock

 

Not only did we invent the clocks, but we also invented the calendar. It started when we noticed a pattern in the time that the Great Nile would flood. After we noticed that it was almost the same time between every flood we decided to make a calendar to help us predict when the next flood would come.

 

Our calendars are almost exactly the same as your people's today. It  consisted of 365 days, had a 10 day week, a 3 week month, 4 months a season, and 3 seasons a year. (Number info at http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/technology.htm)

 

Egyptian Calendar

 

One of our greatest inventions was paper. Without it, not nearly as much history would have been recorded, and because we are human we learn from our mistakes. Without history, those mistakes would never have been recorded - and neither would have great ideas.

 

In order to make paper (which we didn't make from trees - we made papyrus paper) we had to collect the Cyperus Papyrus plant. Then we had to peel the outside of the plant off much like one would shuck corn. Then we had to cut the peeled outside layers into strips. These strips had to soak for a few days so that they became more paper-like. Then the strips are laid out to dry and then cut into the shape of the paper. Then we would pound the papyrus paper individually with a rock to get all of the water that was still soaked in the strips out. Then we laid the strips right next to each other a beat them one more time so that it would seal. After the strips were completely dry we would polish them with a piece of ivory. Then the paper was ready to use.

 

Of course in order to use paper you also had to have a pen. We made our pens out of reed. They are called reed pens. Basically what we did was take a single piece of the reed plant and cut and shape it. Then we made the ink by mixing soot, gelatin, and bees wax. The reed pen would then be dipped into the ink and used to write on papyrus paper.

 

 

We Egyptians created many of the things that your people use every day. Without our intelligence your everyday life might not be the same.

 

-Anonymous Ancient Egyptian Inventor



 



 





 





Feature 4: Record Keeping

In our time only a few people were allowed to learn to read and right - not everyone. However the scribes were important to have. They did all of the record keeping. Obviously because nobody else knew how to write.

To become a scribe you had to go through 4-5 years of scribe school. There you would learn to read and write hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics were pictures used in our time rather than the alphabet that your people use.

Hieroglyphics

 

The children in scribe school practiced writing very often. In the end all of the practice was worth it. Not everybody was qualified for scribe school. It was most often the children of scribes with the occasional craftsman's child who got to go.

 

 

Our hieroglyphics were very complex. In 196 BC by a group of priests who wanted to honor the current pharaoh. During that time there were two methods of writing in Egypt - Hieroglyphics and demotic. At the time the rulers spoke Greek, so when the pharaoh had a decree written on a stone (Rosetta Stone) it included all three languages

 

Rosetta Stone

 

 

The stone was found in the town of Rosetta in 1799 by Pierre-François Bouchard (a french soldier from Napolian Bonappart's army) during the French Expedition to Egypt. The British ended up beating the French in Egypt and then the stone was in their possession.

 

Once the stone was in England, Jean-François Champollion of Paris started working on translating it in 1803. It took over twenty years to fully translate the stone. Once translated it took even longer before scholars could read all of our writing.

 

Since we came up the Rosetta Stone all of your people were able to learn much about our country and our ways. Without scribes like myself the world today would not know nearly as much as it does about Egyptian history.

 

 

Hesy-Ra

Scribe of Pharaoh Djoser



Feature 3: Complex Institutions

Our government was in a very specific order. It was a theocracy, so everybody obeyed the gods, but after them was the pharaoh.

We pharaohs were considered pharaoh-gods in the eyes of the people. The gods appointed us to rule their subjects and do their will.  We pharaohs had almost unlimited power. Whatever we wanted the people would provide for us - no matter what the cost. After all we were gods how could they deny us?

After us came the vizier. The vizier was appointed by the current pharaoh and was much like a prime minister of Egypt. They supervised the running of the country and made sure that the pharaoh's laws were carried out. The vizier was also in charge of the security and safety of the pharaoh and the palace. In other words it was a very intimidating, stressful, and nerve racking position to be in.

Below them were the nobles and the priests. The nobles didn't do much. All they had to do was be born. However, the priests were highly important. Being a theocracy priests were very important to the government. They spoke to the gods and made sacrifices. Without them the government would not have even existed.

The next level was the scribes and the soldiers. The scribes were in charge of the record keeping. You all can thank them, because without them you would not know nearly as much about us as you do now. The soldiers fought off armies and secured the protection of the country. Without them our power would not have lasted as long as it did. Actually, as soon as it started getting powerful it probably would have fallen without our soldiers to protect it.

After the scribes and the soldiers came the craftsmen. They didn't have much money, but they were still very important to our society. Without them everybody would have to make their own things. Our people would not have as much time to perfect the country if we didn't have the craftsmen to come up with and make the things that we needed.

Much like the craftsmen the last level although also poor was also very important. Farmers and slaves made up most of the population. They did not have much money at all and they spent their whole lives working, but without them the country would not have been the same. We would not have had the pyramids. We would not have enough food. We would not have enough time and money if we didn't have them.

You see, our government needed all of its people to make it work. If one level went missing the whole country would have fallen apart.


Pharaoh Hammurabi
Author of Hammurabi's Code

Government Pyramid

 

Feature 2: Specialized Workers

We ancient Egyptians had specialized workers for almost everything. We had farmers, craftsmen, marketers, bakers, priests, ect., but probably our most well known was our pyramid builders.


In order to have a pyramid made it took about 30,000 of our men 20 years to make. We weren't cruel. It was their choice to come work for their pharaoh-god. They used chisels to make the limestone blocks used for building. Each one of the stones weighed about two tons, so you can imagine they were very difficult to place.






Pyramid Stone

 

 

In order to place the stones the men had to use manual labor and oxen to drag each one to the building sight on a pathway that was slick with oil. Then to get them up the pyramid they had to drag them up the side on a ramp.

 

Building a Pyramid

 

Then to secure the blocks in place they used mud and packed it into the cracks of they pyramid.

 

It was a lot of work making pyramids. Not only for the people making them, but for the architects like I, Imhotep who had to direct the people and come up with a way to make the tomb that the Pharoah wanted. Obviously you are aware that I was the best one at that. No offence Hemiunu. The Great Pyramid really was great. In fact it is my favorite place to go for mummy parties, but still you didn't become a Roman god.

 

Sincerely,

Imhotep

Architect of Pharoah Djoser



 

 







Feature 1: Advanced Cities

We ancient Egyptians are very proud of our advanced cities. Why shouldn't we be? For Ra's sake I, Pharaoh Menes founded Memphis in 3,000 BC!

Memphis:

• Latitude and Longitude: 29°50′40.8″N 31°15′3.3″E / 29.844667°N 31.250917 E (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_latitude_and_longitude_of_the_Egyptian_city_of_Memphis)
• Memphis on Map (Made with Paint. Blank map coppied from web) 
• Main port Peru-nefer had many workshops,  factories, and warehouses.
• Regional center: commerce, trade, religion
• Capital of ancient Egypt

You see, I am very proud of the great city that I founded. Another one of our advanced cities is the city of Giza.

Giza:

• Latitude: 30°00′30″ N Longitude: 31°12′43″ E
• Giza on map (Made with paint. Blank map coppied from internet.) 

 

 

•  Great Sphinx
• Great Pyramid (Made by my good friend Pharaoh Khufu)
• Other advanced pyramids

One of the reasons our cities were so advanced  was because we built them along the Nile River. Once a year the great river floods and we used that to our advantage. We came up with an amazing irigation system, we had great farming, and we were able to create a calendar to predict when the next flood would come.

We also used the river as transportation. It was like a um...what do you call it? A highway? We used it to get from one city to another and for trading our crops.

Yes indeed our cities were very advanced. Shame they couldn't last forever....Oh my! Would you look at the time! I am going to be late for Khufu's dinner party. Well I must go change my cloth so that I may look as fine as a mummy can.

Maa al salama (Goodbye)
-Pharaoh Menes