The era of the ancient Egyptians
The era of the ancient Egyptians era in the history of Egypt extends to about three thousand years from 3200 BC until Alexander the Great entered Egypt in 323 BC.
Egypt witnessed during the Pharaonic era many stages of renaissance and progress that left a tremendous legacy of the manifestations and effects of civilization, urbanization, science and the arts.
Historians divide the Pharaonic era in the history of Egypt into three successive sections:
- The old state.
Middle country.
The modern state.
Historians also divide this era into thirty ruling families divided over these three stages of Egypt's history.
The Archaic Era (Al- Asratan 1 and 2):
King Mina is credited with achieving the political unity of Egypt around the year 3200 BC. M., and was able to establish the first ruling family in the history of Pharaonic Egypt, and Mina wanted to secure the unity of the country, so he established a city near the head of the delta later called "Memphis", and this unity was an important factor in the renaissance of Egypt in various aspects of life.
King Mina is credited with achieving the political unity of Egypt around the year 3200 BC. M., and was able to establish the first ruling family in the history of Pharaonic Egypt, and Mina wanted to secure the unity of the country, so he established a city near the head of the delta later called "Memphis", and this unity was an important factor in the renaissance of Egypt in various aspects of life.
The Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3 to 6):
The era of this state is considered the period of Egypt's youth and it was characterized by stability, security and peace, which facilitated its progress economically, culturally and technically. The owner of the oldest known pyramid, which is the pyramid inscribed at Saqqara, and Egypt's civilization flourished during the days of this country, and this is not evidenced by the huge pyramids of Giza by the kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.
Intermediate Age I (Dynasties 7 to 10):
This era began around the year 2200 BC. M. When the reins of power was released from the hand of the Pharaoh, Mentuhotep II was able to unify the country again.
Middle Kingdom (families 11, 12):
After Mentuhotep II, Prince of Thebes, managed around 2065 BC. M. M. The rule of a great man, Amenemhat the First, who had the greatest credit for building the renaissance that appeared during the Middle Kingdom.
The kings and queens of the Twelfth Dynasty have gained international fame in the fields of politics, war, culture, civilization and religion, such as “Ahmose,” the hero of liberation, “Amenhotep the First,” the just one who issued a law prohibiting forced labor and setting fair standards for wages and incentives, and “Thutmose I,” the warrior who expanded Egyptian borders. From the north and south, spreading education and expanding the opening of mines and the mining industry, “Tuthmosis the Second” and “Tuthmosis the Third”, the emperor of the outstanding military genius and the first great conqueror in the history of the world, and the diplomat “Thutmose IV” who was the first interested in codifying and registering international treaties, and Amenhotep the Third, the richest king in the ancient world who opened schools, “houses of life” to spread education and fine and applied arts, and “Akhenaten”, the first monotheist and the first king in human history, called for the oneness of God, the Creator of everything, and “Tutankhamun”Who won fame in the contemporary world, and among the most famous queens of this family, for example, Queen Aahhotep, wife of King Seknen Ra, Queen Ahmose Nefertari, wife of Ahmose I, Queen T, daughter of the people, wife of Amenhotep III, and Akhenaten Nefertiti "wife of" Akhenaten "and the great queen" Hatshepsut "who ruled Egypt for nearly twenty years and reached Egypt during her reign at the highest peak in civilization, architecture and international trade, where she sent a commercial and scientific marine mission to the country of" Punt ", as well as built one of the greatest architectural monuments, the most magnificent and the most luxurious. It is the "Deir al-Bahari" temple on the western shore of the Nile facing Luxor. It is a unique temple in its design and has no parallel among all the temples of the ancient world. This era also witnessed the "Akhenaten religious revolution."Where he called for the worship of one god, symbolized by the sun disk, and established a new capital for the country and called it "Akhetaton".
During the Twelfth Dynasty, about the year 1725 BC. The pastoral tribes that inhabited Palestine and were called "Hyksos" raided Egypt and invaded its lands. When the power of the Hyksos began to weaken, the good princes rose to struggle in order to regain the freedom of their stolen country. God wrote them success and Ahmose was able to seize their capital in Delta and expel them from the country.
The modern state (dynasties 18-20):
After Ahmose expelled the Hyksos, he returned to his country in 1571 BC. M, where he spent the Nubian revolutions in the south and turned to internal reform in the country and took care of establishing an organized working army and armed it with all the weapons known at that time, and supplied it with war wheels. Unity and his rivalry with the King of the Hittites ended with the signing of a non-aggression treaty between the two parties after the Battle of Kadesh, and this treaty was the first peace treaty in history and Egypt became a major power, thus becoming a great and sprawling empire.
Late Period (Dynasties 21 to 30):
This era was the final chapter in the Pharaonic history, where Egypt from the rule of the 21st family until the 28th family was occupied by each of the Assyrians in 670 BC, then the Persians until the rule of the Pharaohs ended with the 30th family and Alexander the Great entered Egypt.
Architecture : The Egyptians excelled in the art of architecture and their eternal monuments, the best witness to that. In the old country, terraces and pyramids were constructed, which represent the funerary buildings, and the first pyramid was built is the "pyramid of Djoser", then the "pyramid of Meidum", but the most famous of all are the three pyramids of Giza and the statue of the Sphinx and were built In the era of the Fourth Dynasty, the number of pyramids that were built to be the resting place of the Pharaohs reached 97 pyramids.
Then the spread of funerary temples began in the Middle Kingdom, and the kings of the 12th Dynasty took care of irrigation work in it, and the most famous temples established by the kings of this family were the “Labrant” or “Wandering Palace” as the Greeks called it, which was built by King Amenemhat the Third in Hawara near Faiyum. He built castles, forts and ramparts on Egypt's eastern borders.
The era of the modern state is considered the greatest period known to the styles of architecture, wall pictures, crafts and fine arts that appear on the walls of some huge temples of various designs, such as Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel.
The era of the modern state is considered the greatest period known to the styles of architecture, wall pictures, crafts and fine arts that appear on the walls of some huge temples of various designs, such as Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel.
The reign of "Tuthmosis the First" is considered a turning point in building the pyramid to be a cemetery, and the carving of hidden tombs in the bottom of the mountain on the western mainland in Luxor are rich and beautiful in their funerary furniture, and this is clearly evident in the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
The artists of this country - to preserve the wall inscriptions - used bas-relief and simple protruding pits so that they would not be lost or deformed, and the last discovery of the tombs of the Valley of the Kings is the cemetery of the sons of Ramses II, which is one of the largest in area and contains 15 mummies.
As for the Pharaonic obelisks, they were built in pairs in front of the entrances of the temples, which are carved from granite. Among the most beautiful examples of the ancient Egyptian empire buildings are the temples of "Amun", "Khufu", "Karnak", "Luxor", "Ramesum" and "Hatshepsut" on the eastern mainland The stone-carved temples, such as “Abu Simbel the Great” and “Abu Simbel the Small”.
New trends appeared in the arts of architecture, plastic and applied arts, clearly illustrated in the art of carving huge and small statues, the decoration of temple columns and wall inscriptions.
Literature : The effects of the Egyptians confirm their mastery in writing and literature, and this is evident in what the Egyptians left from the monuments, and history will not forget the Egyptian’s preference over humanity in the invention of writing that the Greeks called "hieroglyphic script." The hieroglyphic alphabet consists of 24 letters .. The ancient Egyptians used black or red ink in Writing on papyrus papers.
The Egyptians excelled in religious literature that dealt with religious beliefs and their theories on the afterlife, the mysteries of the universe, and the various myths of gods, prayers and hymns. Among the oldest examples of religious literature are the texts of the pyramids and the "Book of the Dead."
The ancient Egyptian writer also excelled in writing stories and was keen to ensure that the word was a means of communicating wisdom and etiquette, and Egyptians remained keen to tell their heritage of wisdom and proverbs and to repeat them with their holidays, celebrations and traditions.
Thus, the Egyptians were among the peoples of the world keen to record and record their history and the events that they were exposed to in their lives, and with this civilized step, many Egyptian writers, sages and intellectuals appeared who left us with works that indicate the extent of the advancement of thought and culture in Egypt.
Musician : The Egyptian loved music and singing, and the Egyptians accepted music and used it in raising young people and in public and private celebrations, especially in the army. They also used it in prayers and burial of the dead. In the Old Kingdom, Egyptians knew wind instruments and strings such as “The Harp” (her pharaonic name is Tibote), They invented patterns and shapes of instruments that perform different rhythms and tones and developed them throughout their ancient history.
Clothes and decorations :
The Egyptians knew adornment with ornaments, and their crafts were distinguished by the high technical precision and beauty of the composition, and the decorative elements were derived from nature such as papyrus, palm trees, lotus flower and precious stones, and they used amulets that they believed protect them from the forces of evil, and women in particular were keen to pay attention to their adornment and used eyeliner, bracelets, necklaces, rings and necklaces And henna, as the clothes differed in Pharaonic Egypt from one class to another, and the clothes were made of fine linen or silk fabrics imported from ancient Syria, and the clothes varied according to different occasions.
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