Ancient Egyptian Culture

The Ancient Egyptian culture, often referred to simply as Egypt’s culture, flourished with richness in various aspects, such as the culture of government, religion, arts, and writing. Government and religion were linked together, The pharaoh was the leader of the government,, and He was also the religious leader and was considered “God.” Writing was also important in the functioning of the government. Only scribes could read and write and were considered important and powerful people.

 

Egypt is the history of human civilization, as the Egyptian man created and presented an ancient civilization that preceded the civilizations of the world’s peoples. The Egyptian civilization was pioneering in its innovations, buildings, and arts; it astonished the world and scholars with its thought and science. It is a connected civilization with which the Egyptian person interacted and left its mark on his mind and conscience. Egypt was the first country in the ancient world to know the principles of writing and invented hieroglyphic letters and signs.

 

The ancient Egyptians were keen to write down and record their history and all the events they created and lived through. With this great civilizational step, Egypt moved from prehistoric times and became the first country in the world with a written history.

The Culture of the ancient Egyptian Art

Ancient Egyptian art is five thousand years old and emerged and took shape in ancient Egypt, the Nile Valley civilization, expressed in paintings and sculptures, which were extremely symbolic and magnificent – this art form is about the past and was intended to keep history alive.

 

As we know, in every advanced era, we see advanced art, and the ancient Egyptians, who were the origins of civilization and who possessed art and a high, sophisticated taste, did not amaze us with one or two pieces of art. However, they had many great arts that are still being practiced today.

“Ancient Egyptian art forms are amazingly characterized by regularity and the detailing depictions of humans and nature, and were intended to provide companionship to the deceased in the afterlife.”

 

The Egyptian style of visual art, like many cultures, is characterized by generic human figures that all look essentially the same, a stylized ideal of the human figure developed early among the Egyptians, with parts of the body according to standard proportions and the symbols so rigid that the views of Egyptian art do not have little kinetic feeling. In Egyptian architecture and sculpture, a similar impression of timeless stability is achieved by heavy, rough materials (mostly stone) and massive masses.

The ancient Egyptian culture and its language

The ancient Egyptian language was written in four scripts: hieroglyphics, hieratic, demotic, and Coptic. These lines did not appear all simultaneously but came within a chronological sequence that expresses the long period the ancient Egyptian language experienced. At the same time, it expresses the intellectual maturity of the ancient Egyptian man, who realized that his needs might require, from time to time, some harmony between him and the tool that expresses language, which is writing. Because the hieroglyphic script – the script of complete signs – is the oldest, longest-lasting, clearest and most beautiful Egyptian script, the Egyptians resorted at some points in time to simplify it, which was represented by the hieratic script and then resorted to another simplification at a later stage, which was represented by the Demotic script, which means There is a clear linear relationship between the three lines.

 

As for the fourth script of the ancient Egyptian language, the Coptic script, the Egyptian language is written in Greek letters, in addition to seven signs of ancient Egyptian writing in its demotic form, the pronunciation of which is not available in Greek letters. Correcting a common error regarding the name of the ancient Egyptian language is appropriate. It is common to refer to it as the hieroglyphic language, as hieroglyphs are a script and not a language. This can be compared to the Arabic language, which is one language written in several scripts (Naskh, Ruq’a, Thuluth, Diwani, Persian, Kufi). …). Because it is impossible to say the copy language or the patch language, we cannot say the hieroglyphic language, as it is a single Egyptian language written in four scripts.

Stages of the ancient Egyptian language:

• The ancient Egyptian language (Archaic), before 2500 BC, parallels the ancient dynastic period.
• The ancient Egyptian language (Old) parallels the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC).
• Middle Egyptian language parallels the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC).
• Late Egyptian language parallels the beginning of the Amarna period and beyond (1069-700 BC).
• Demotic language, from the seventeenth century BC to the fifth century AD.
• The Coptic language, from the beginning of the first century AD to the seventeenth century AD.

 

The ancient Egyptian culture – Customs and traditions 

Throughout history and over time, the ancient Egyptians became famous for their customs and rituals, which baffled scholars. Despite the mystery of the Great Pyramid and its construction method, scientists did not agree on a unified decision. However, some of the customs and habits that we are going mention today will confuse most readers:

1. Women in ancient Egypt enjoyed full rights and equal rights with men. They had the right to own property and the freedom to manage it and transfer land ownership, provided that it was only from the mother’s side. Excessive freedom did not only include property; she could wear what she wanted, choose her husband, file for divorce, and even marry again!

 

2. The ancient Egyptians followed a diet based mostly on fruits and vegetables. As for meat, it appeared only on holidays and special occasions because it spoiled in hot weather. Coconut received special attention as it was a delicacy that was imported to Egypt from other countries.

 

3. Celebrating birthdays in ancient Egyptian culture was limited only to the nobles. Still, of course, it was done differently than what we are accustomed to today, as celebrations were held on their coronation day. Some historians believe the custom of wearing crowns at Christmas appeared in those ancient days.

 

4. For the ancient Egyptians, a person’s name was hidden from them throughout their life because, according to legend, they would be magically cursed if they knew their name. This is why the Egyptians used titles, or so-called “good” names, and this is why many Pharaohs took the names of their great ancestors when they ascended the throne because they believed that these names were a guarantee of their safety, especially in the afterlife and the life of immortality in which they believed.

 

5. Recently, drawings were discovered on the walls of the Great Pyramid in a shape very similar to a computer keyboard (keyboard), which proves that they might have been using similar computers.

The social systems of ancient Egyptian culture

Ancient Egyptian Culture of the Egyptian society in the past had a large degree of class hierarchy. Its elite was represented by the elite, the educated, and those affiliated with the ruling king. Then came the professional and crafts class, the middle class in society, which carried out its work in an urban environment in most cases and under an administrative system.

 

Ancient Egyptian law within the Ancient Egyptian culture

The Pharaoh kings were responsible for all legal matters in Egypt. They issued decrees of a judicial nature. The minister worked directly under the Pharaoh’s command as his right hand. The Pharaoh placed the minister at the head of the powerful administration in Pharaonic Egypt, and he was responsible for the state’s judicial system. The Pharaoh and the minister delegated their judicial and administrative responsibilities to local officials.

Since the Old Kingdom, Egypt has been run by a group of educated employees, scribes, who had passed the arduous task of learning to read and write. The writing class played an essential role in Egypt’s prosperity and development. Egyptian law developed very slowly. The laws remained in effect for very long periods.

From this broad description of the administrative structure of Pharaonic Egypt, we still need to conclude how the law was practiced in reality. Despite the enormous amount of source material available, no example of codified ancient Egyptian law before 700 BC has yet been found.

Discover the essence of ancient Egyptian culture, a timeless tapestry woven with history, tradition, and beauty. Let its wonders inspire you as you embark on your own exploration of this captivating land.