Ah Egypt!!

Of all the civilizations,i had studied at school,i found the Egyptian civilization very interesting.In fact,till date,whenever i am at leisure,i try to catch up with all the happenings of the archaeological community in Egypt through various online articles.

Various civilizations have risen,flourished and ended in the sands of time.Each civilization is unique and important in its own sense both for study and understanding.But Egypt civilization has certain distinctive and prominent features which make it mystical and intellectual in its own sense.

The Nile valley forms a natural geographic and economic unit, bounded to the east and west by deserts, to the north by the sea and to the south by the Cataracts of Niel.The need to manage the waters by a single authority led to the creation of the first state in Egypt around 3000BC.With its peculiar geographical location,it was a difficult country to attack and hence it could survive foreign attacks for a long period of time.In fact,it is believed that Egypt has the longest continuous time line in the history.

Egyptian Mythology::

Ancient Egyptian religion notably included an imperial cult, with the Pharaoh considered a living deity, identified with Horus. In the old kingdom, the pharaoh was deified during his lifetime. From the 5th dynasty, deification took place only after the pharaoh’s death. It was only New Kingdom pharaohs like Amenophis III who attempted to regain divine status during their lifetimes. After death, the pharaoh was identified with Osiris (who was identified with Horus in the New Kingdom state religion).

Cosmogonies::

Acc to ancient Egyptian myths,the universe ,in the beginning was filled with waters of chaos,which was God Nun.Re-Atum,the god was believed to have appeared from the water as the land of Egypt appears from the flood waters of river Nile.Re-Atum  spat,out of which came the two deities-Shu(air) and Tefnut(moisture).The world was created when Shu and Tefnut gave birth to two children: Nut (Sky) and Geb(the Earth). Humans were created when Shu and Tefnut went wandering in the dark wastes and got lost. Re-Atum sent his eye to find them. On reuniting, his tears of joy turned into people.Geb and Nut copulated, and upon Shu’s learning of his children’s fornication, he separated the two, effectively becoming the air between the sky and ground. He also decreed that the pregnant Nut should not give birth any day of the year. Nut pleaded with Thoth, who on her behalf gambled with the moon-god Yah and won five more days to be added onto the then 360-day year. Nut had one child on each of these days: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus-the-Elder.

Death,Burial,Customs::

This is the part which we are all very familiar with Mummy,Mummy returns and Scorpion King movies potraying some significant details in a visually appealling manner.

Egyptians had a highly sophisticated view about life after death.They believed that the ka aspect of the soul needs to reunited with the ba,to support the akh,the part of each being which ascends to the heavens to take its place among the stars.Hence embalming and mummification were practiced-the governing principles,sectional texts,spells,etc as laid down by the Book of the Dead.

It was believed that after a person’s death,the soul is sent to hall of judgement in Duat,where its morality is weighed againsta single feather which represents Ma’at(truth & order).If it weighed less than the feather,it is considered as a pure heart and the deceased is taken to Osiris,the god of afterlife,in Aaru.But if proved otherwise,the demon Ammit (Eater of Hearts) – part crocodile, part lion, and part hippopotamus – destroys those hearts whom the verdict is against, leaving the owner to remain in Duat.

Pyramids::

Although there is lot of speculation and rumor about the engineering and architectural aspects of the pyramids,it would be less if i said they are simply breathtaking and marvelous.In fact,the research teams have noted a logical evolution in the design of these pyramids.

Historical Aspects,apart..the strong sense of engineering proficiency and constructional efficiency displayed by the Egyptians clearly highlights the high intellectual levels of this civilisation.The fact that these were constructed by the locals themselves as a tomb of burial to safeguard the pharaoh’s soul and that these constructions involve simple construction material is a testimony to their  craftmanship.the earliest pyramids belong to Egypt and that these have stood the test of time makes it a brilliant work all together.

It is one of the Seven Wonders of the world, and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. The Ancient Egyptians capped the peaks of their pyramids with gold and covered their faces with polished white limestone, though many of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or been removed for other structures.

Hieroglyphics::

It is the formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians and is a combination of alphabets and symbols.Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphics for religious literature on papyrus and wood.Various hieroglyphic scripts are more or less figurative.

Interest in Egyptian language continues.For example,it is being taught in many universities these days.Moreover certain words have also been included in the English dictionary..for egs:phoenix,phineas,ivory,etc etc.

Note:This is article is still under development and is not a final posting.