...Ancient Egypt was one of the great “river civilizations”. China and the Yangste, India and the Indus, Mesopotamia and the Tigris-Euphrates River, and Egypt and the Nile were labeled the four “river civilizations” because of the immense impact the Nile had on the Egyptian people. Egypt, at that time, was a powerful civilization. Their empire lasted thousands of years, beginning in 2920 BCE with the first pharaoh. But to become the prosperous civilization they became, the ancient Egyptians greatly relied on the Nile river. (Document BGE) So, how did the Nile forge the ancient civilization of Egypt into our modern-day history textbooks? Well, the importance of the Nile was reflected through the Egyptians’ everyday lives with settlement, economy, and spiritual life. One of the ways the Nile shaped Egypt...
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...Compare and contrast essay: Ancient Egypt and Greece The ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek civilizations are two of the oldest known civilizations in our history. The Egyptian civilization, based in the eastern part of North Africa, is believed to have started around 3150 BC and continued till the end of the Pharaoh rule in 31 BC. The ancient Greek civilization is believed to have been in effect from 1100 BC till about 146 BC. Many similarities and differences existed between these two civilizations, as even though they co-existed during a certain timeframe (1150 BC to 146 BC), they were located in different geographical areas. Because of these differences in geography, both these civilizations were subjected to different kinds of exposure, which included contact with other civilization and cultural inheritance. In the political sphere, we find that the Egyptian civilization had stronger emphasis on central authority, while the Greeks had a more decentralized structure, where powers were distributed over the cities and the states as well. As far as art is concerned, we find that the Egyptians were more involved in creating great monumental and gaudy structures, while the Greeks were more involved in creating smaller, more literary pieces of art. One of the biggest reasons why these two civilizations had these differences is due to their geography. The Egyptians had easy access to large stones that they could bring in to their country and use them to erect such monumental...
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...The Nile River’s Impact on Ancient Egypt Egypt is known as one of the oldest and most successful civilizations. Although, Egypt would not have been nearly as successful as it is today without the help of the Nile River. The Nile River is the longest river in the World, and luckily for the Egyptians, seven hundred miles of it runs right through this country. This river had an extremely powerful influence on the people of Egypt, by providing them with occupations, food and water, transportation, irrigation for crops, and an economic advancement. The Nile River was truly a blessing to the people of Egypt, and they would not have thrived without it. In earlier days, agriculture was a huge part of civilizations. The people of Egypt depended on the Nile for its water to provide water for their crops. Irrigation channels flowed from the Nile to farmer’s small gardens, where they grew vegetables such as onions, cucumbers, and beans. (Background Essay) The main crops grown by farmers were barley and emmer wheat for making bread and beer. (Background Essay) Since Egypt does not receive a lot of rain, roughly only 4 inches per year, farmers depended a lot on the “Peret” season which was known as the growing season. (Document B) This was when water gradually diminished, but the Nile was high enough to fill irrigation canals. (Document B)...
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...Cannis Western Civilization Essay question #1 October 13th, 2012 The main key to the civilization of Egypt was the Nile River. The Nile over flowed once a year leaving deposits of minerals and fertile black soil, which made it the richest agricultural region in the Mediterranean world(17). The whole civilization ran up and down the Nile, no more than fourteen miles away in either direction. Egyptian history was divided into three periods called kingdoms(Old, Middle, New and two intermediate periods). Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, lower in the north and upper in the south, since the Nile flows from south to north. Two of the major cities were actually developed in Lower Egypt, Nekhen and Abydos(18). The two communities were pretty developed for their time. Pharaohs(which means “great household”) were appointed to rule over Egypt(19).They formed their own political organization, religion, industry, and new ideas. We know the least about the history of the Old Kingdom. Historians relied on texts from the deceased. They came to discover that the Egyptians were very keen on the aspect of death. We do however find out a lot about the Pharaohs. They were considered the link between the land, people, and their gods(21). Taxes, trade, and labor were all administered by the Pharaoh as well. Even though the Pharaoh was in so much power, they needed help. So they appointed “governors” called nomarchs, which usually was from their family. Since Egypt was so huge, communication...
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...Dean Barr Prof. Grosse Humanities 104-11 February 21, 2012 Essay One Throughout time there have been many changes in civilization. Two of the most prominent civilizations to arise were the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks. These two civilizations paved the way and influenced many other cultures. When comparing their art, there are very noticeable differences within the cultures, and you are able to see what they valued and cherished or hated and feared in their different pieces of works. Egypt has a wide variety of art forms, such as painting, sculpturing and architecture. Much of the art found from Ancient Egypt is clearly symbolic in nature and how they viewed life and death. The Egyptians belief in an afterlife is a major contributing factor to much of their art, and is found in tombs where the kings were buried. Sculptures were also a prominent art form in Ancient Egypt with the Egyptians making large sculptures of the people they worshipped. Art from Ancient Greece set the standard for many artists, even by today’s standards. Sculptures made of marble, stones, and metals, such as bronze, played a significant role in the Greek art forms. The Greeks also invented the art of panel painting, in which the artists drew various scenes over different panels to tell stories. These panel paintings were painted on pillars and walls and often told epic tales of heroes and gods. Comparing sculptures from the two civilizations is a good way to see how they differ from each other...
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...sense of love 3 3. Girl, boy and society 4 4. 3 Themes of love prevalent in Love Songs 5 5. Conclusion 6 6. Work cited 7 1. Introduction During the time of ancient Egypt's New Kingdom, love songs were recorded and later discovered by excavators. The importances of these songs are that they contradicted the perception which Egyptologists had of the ancient Egyptians. No longer were the ancient Egyptians viewed as being a dull society, focused on death and the afterlife, but rather a society with a love for living through loving love itself (Fowler 1994:xiv). Thus, in this essay, through analyzing the Ramesside love songs, I shall explore this different view of the ancient Egyptians and attempt to understand what the concept of love truly meant to them. In going about this, I shall firstly look at how sense was made of the concept love and then look at love from the perspective of girls, boys and society. Furthermore, I shall address three themes regarding the concept of love, prevalent in the love songs and finally, conclude through drawing on my findings throughout my essay. 2. How they made sense of love When looking at ancient Egyptian religion, art and practices, two themes is consistent, this is the use of metaphors and similes. These were the methods used by the ancient Egyptians to not only explain their experiences, but also to validate them (Kaplan 2004:9). Similarly, metaphors and similes are regularly used in love songs to explain lover’s...
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...EGYPT BEYOND THE PYRAMIDS PAGE 1 THE HISTORY CHANNEL CLASSROOM PRESENTS EGYPT TEACHER’S GUIDE Egypt Beyond The Pyramids The mystifying world of ancient Egypt comes to life in this four-part miniseries, Egypt Beyond the Pyramids. Within the walls of recently excavated temples and tombs lie secrets that will challenge current ideas about ancient Egypt. Discoveries—from the enormous burial tomb called KV5 to the sacred temples of Karnak—show how ancient Egyptians lived, worked, worshipped, and honored their dead. To provide a deeper understanding of Egypt’s past, head archaeologist Dr. Kent Weeks, along with other Egyptologists, leads viewers into ancient temples and tombs—including the resting place of Pharaoh Ramesses II’s lost children—some recorded on film for the first time. Epic in scope, Egypt Beyond the Pyramids demonstrates that as archaeologists uncover more about the past, their discoveries yield more questions than answers. Curriculum Links Egypt Beyond the Pyramids is appropriate for middle and high school classes in world history, ancient history, and art history. National History Standards Egypt Beyond the Pyramids fulfills the following National Standards for History: Historical Thinking 1 (Chronological Thinking), 2 (Historical Comprehension), 3 (Historical Analysis and Interpretation), 4 (Historical Research Capabilities), World History, Era 2. EGYPT BEYOND THE PYRAMIDS THE HISTORY CHANNEL CLASSROOM PRESENTS EGYPT HOUR 1: MANSIONS OF THE SPIRITS ...
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...The very thing that is now called the Christian religion was already in existence in Ancient Egypt, long before the adoption of the New Testament. The British Egyptologist, Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, wrote in his book, The Gods of the Egyptians [1969], The new religion (Christianity) which was preached there by St. Mark and his immediate followers, in all essentials so closely resembled that which was the outcome of the worship of Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The similarities, noted by Budge and everyone who has compared the Egyptian Ausar/Auset/Heru (Osiris/Isis/Horus) allegory to the Gospel story, are striking. Both accounts are practically the same, e.g. the supernatural conception, the divine birth, the struggles against the enemy in the wilderness, and the resurrection from the dead to eternal life. The main difference between the “two versions”, is that the Gospel tale is considered historical and the Ausar/Auset/Heru (Osiris/Isis/Horus) cycle is an allegory. Allegories are intentionally chosen as a means for communicating knowledge. Allegories dramatize cosmic laws, principles, processes, relationships and functions, and express them in a way easy to understand. Once the inner meanings of the allegories have been revealed, they become marvels of simultaneous scientific and philosophical completeness and conciseness. The more they are studied, the richer they become. The ‘inner dimension’ of the teachings embedded into each story make them capable of revealing several layers...
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...4 Assignment 1 Essay James E. Buckley World Humanities I April 29, 2012 Strayer University Professor Steven Klein The Great Pyramids at Giza, one of 110 pyramids built in Egypt; it is the only famous "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" (Krystek, 2011) that still stands. There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated. It is no mystery who built the Great Pyramids, the pharaoh Khufu, but how he accomplished this has been debated over and over. There are several theories to how they were constructed. They range from cranes, ramps, to today’s theory of space aliens, held by some. However, of the many theories offered, the most logical of them are the use of cranes or ramps. One earliest recorded theory put forward by Herodotus, the Greek historian, mentioned the use of "machines" used to raise the blocks, which has been taken to mean cranes. Supporters of this theory believe that cranes were used in the construction. “Egyptians farmers have long used wooden crane-like devices called a shadoufs to raise water from the Nile for irrigation” (Brier, 2007). It is believed that hundreds of these cranes at different levels on the pyramid were used to lift the blocks. The problem with this theory is that Egypt did not have forests...
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...A Review of Judgment of Hunefer Before Osiris By K. Becerra The Egyptian Book of the Dead ignited the imagination of Hollywood moviemakers in the early 1990’s, leading to movies with the book being a critical and fearful aspect of the movies. In some representations, the book raised zombies for the pharaoh’s of Egypt and instilled fear in their subjects. Hollywood misinterpreted the purpose, form and function of this historical scroll of ancient Egypt. In this essay, we will examine the true purpose and artistic design elements of this ancient document. The afterlife weighed heavily on the minds of the ancient Egyptians. Their obsession with death and immortality led to the creation of stunning architecture and artwork, although esthetically pleasing these historical artifacts were created to assist the dead in their afterlife. In an effort to prepare for the afterlife scrolls, later called the book of the dead, were placed next to the bodies of the Egyptian mummies. These scrolls contained spells that would assist the deceased in navigating the perils of the afterlife. Today archeologists have uncovered more than 25,000 copies of the book of the dead, the oldest text dating from 15000 B.C.E. and the most recent dating in the fourth century A.D. The Judgment of Hunefer Before Osiris, A famous example of a Book of the Dead created in the Nineteenth Dynasty, c. 1285 BCE. The scroll was painted on papyrus and standing at a height of 39.8cm. According to Stokstad...
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...here is a sense of mystery and excitement that swirls around in your mind when you think of the ancient pyramids, pharaohs, and the possibility of finding mountains of buried gold. That same excitement is coupled with the gloomy thought of be hexed with the “mummy’s curse” when you think of the day King Tutankhamen, “King Tut”, and his ancient tomb where uncovered November 26, 1922. In Ancient Egypt, pyramids were built from the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom to house the bodies of their mummified queens and pharaohs; along with gold, food, and treasures. These tombs at times where plugged with large pieces of granite to block entry, disguised to throw off grave robbers, masked with secret passageways, and supposedly cursed to bring death to those who entered. King Tut’s tomb was believed to be cursed when its financer, Lord Carnarvon, died two months after the opening of the tomb, along with his dog howling to the moon and falling immediately dead right after.One claim on museum.org (1997-2012) says chief archeologist, Howard Carter, hid a tablet with the curse inscribed on it, while it also is recorded that the fatal curse "death will come on swift pinions to those who disturb the rest of the Pharaoh" (Dowdey, 2014) to be on the outside of tomb door – so it seems it is really up to the believer to formulate your own opinion on the curse, and where it began. All of the mystery and skepticism leads curious minds to attempt to find the truth, and “in 1999 a...
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...The statue is a figure of a person or an animal in stone, metal, etc. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, 2010). Sculptures help us to know how our ancestors lived and practiced their life and tell the history of ancient periods. This essay will compare between two statues of ancient times. The first one is The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu from the Egyptian culture while the other is the Statue of Gudea from the Neo Sumerian culture. Firstly, I will discuss the Egyptian statue of Memi and Sabu. It was discovered at the western cemetery in Memphite, Giza in Egypt. It dates back to the period of the Old Kingdom, the fourth dynasty, between 2575 and 2465 BC. (The Met Fifth Avenue, n.d.). The statue depicts an Egyptian husband and wife...
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...period in history. In this essay I will be discussing the dramatic impact that architecture has had on the major civilizations throughout time by being able to display them in their works, which not only was a clear representation of the time but as well helped mold and solidify the society’s thoughts through expression. By taking examples from ancient to modern times I will examine how the architecture of these eras clearly displays the thoughts and ideas of the culture in which it was built upon and as well the society in which it is placed. As well I will be examining how several major key architects played a dynamic role in these critical showcases that represented their time. I will be taking architectural examples from; the ancient Egyptian time period, the gothic and medieval time period, the renaissance & pre-modern period and the now contemporary period. Each one of these unique periods of time in architectural design were clear representation of the dynamic time period in our history. Here, looking back at these time periods we can see the most incredible works in architectural design that still to this day help us understand the culture at the time. As well I will be using several renowned architects throughout these time periods who were able to portray the culture, and society in their designs. These architects include, Michelangelo, Filippo Brunelleschi, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Louis Henri Sullivan, and of course Frank Gehry. Ancient Period Architecture: ...
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...Women in the Ancient World From the very beginning of time, women have played a very significant role in development and advancement of life, serving as the companion for men as well as procreating with them to ensure the world would be inhabited and settled. In present-day society, we view women as essential to everyday life. Society sees and treats women as intelligent individuals who are equally efficient for most of the same work and intellectual skills as men. In most cases, we believe that women and men are equal, as women are able to legally run for and hold government offices, perform physical labor, work in medical professions, and basically anything they desire so long as, like anyone else, they attain the required certifications, education, etc. However, this outlook on women’s roles and abilities was not always shared among the social order. Throughout history, women’s roles in society, economy, government and culture have evolved and shifted dramatically. Throughout each culture and society in the ancient world, we find differences in the way women were treated, the responsibilities expected of them, and their learned place in the social order. Women featured in Homer’s The Iliad were some of some earliest examples of women being viewed with poor outlooks in the eyes of men in Greek culture. David Harvey claims that Aristotle had no doubt that women were inferior in this particular society (Harvey, 46). They were mainly viewed as prizes throughout Homer’s...
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...Comparative Essay Classical Chinese and Ancient Egyptian cultures reveal the complexities of love through their works of literature, which involves the feminine chastity in a romantic plot. Throughout history, women set the role model for the appropriate engagement in premarital sexual behavior with men. In the Classical Chinese poem, “Zhongzi, Please,” we uncover a conservative female character who is afraid of society's criticisms if she is seen with a male figure. On the other hand, in the Ancient Egyptian poem, "The Beginning of the Song that Diverts the Heart," we encounter a rebellious female character who embarks on a mission to persuade her lover to indulge in a sexual relationship. Both poems in Ancient Egypt and Classical China share similarities because the character’s response to love reflects their cultural beliefs. Confucius’ teachings about respect and obedience are reinforced several times in the Classical Chinese poem, “Zhongzi, Please,” through a female character’s reaction to her lover. The respectful manner to say “please” is used several times by the female to kindly ask her lover to pull back on his amorous advances. Also, we can infer the female’s usage of the word “please” as a strategy to attract her lover. The word “please” (1, 9, 17) conflicts with Confucius’ ideals of a women to restrain from romantic exposure, but his teachings are again reinforced with the repetition of line breaks of sentence for example, “Zhongzi, please / don’t cross my...
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