Ancient Egypt: symbols and their meaning

One of the key regions, whose culture left a mark on the entire civilization - Ancient Egypt. The symbols of this culture are still studied, they play a huge role in understanding this huge civilization. It was located approximately in the borders of the modern state of the same name in the north-east of Africa.

History of Egyptian symbols

Mythology - the main cultural component, which is famous for Ancient Egypt. Symbols of gods, animals and natural phenomena are of particular interest to researchers. It is extremely difficult to trace the very path of creating mythology.

Written sources, which could be trusted, appeared later. What is obvious is the enormous influence of natural forces on the Egyptians. This is also observed in the formation of any ancient state. People who lived before our time tried to explain to themselves why the sun rises every day, the Nile leaves the coast every year, and thunder and lightning fall on their heads from time to time. As a result, natural phenomena were endowed with a divine beginning. Thus appeared the symbols of life, culture, power.

And people noted that the gods were not always supportive of them. The Nile could spill very low, which led to a lean year and a subsequent famine. In this case, the ancient Egyptians believed that something was provoked by the gods and tried every way to please them, so that this situation did not happen again next year. All this played a big role for a country like Ancient Egypt. Symbols and signs helped to understand the surrounding reality.

Symbols of power

The rulers of ancient Egypt called themselves pharaohs. Pharaoh was considered a god-like monarch, he was worshiped during his lifetime, and after death buried in huge tombs, many of which have survived to this day.

The symbols of power in Ancient Egypt are a golden tied beard, a staff and a crown. At the time of the birth of the Egyptian state, when the lands of the Upper and Lower Nile were not yet united, the ruler of each of them had his own crown and special signs of power. In this case, the crown of the supreme ruler of Upper Egypt was white, and also had the shape of bowls. In Lower Egypt, Pharaoh wore a red crown, similar to a cylinder. A single Egyptian kingdom was made by Pharaoh Myung. After that, the crowns, in fact, combined, inserting one into the other, while retaining their colors.

Double Crowns called pshent - these are symbols of power in ancient Egypt, which have survived for many years. At the same time, each crown of the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt had its name. White was called atef, red - hedge.

At the same time, the Egyptian rulers surrounded themselves with an unprecedented luxury. After all, they were considered the sons of the supreme sun god Ra. Therefore, the symbols of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt simply amaze the imagination. In addition to these, it is also a hoop, which depicts a snake ureus. He was famous for the fact that his bite inevitably led to instant death. The image of the snake was located around the head of the pharaoh, the head is exactly in the center.

In general, snakes are the most popular symbols of the power of the pharaoh in Ancient Egypt. They were depicted not only on the head bandage, but also on the crown, military helmet and even the belt. Along the way, they were accompanied by jewelry made of gold, precious stones and colored enamel.

Symbols of the Gods

The gods played a key role for such a state as Ancient Egypt. The symbols associated with them were associated with the perception of the future and the surrounding reality. And the list of divine beings was huge. In addition to the gods included goddesses, monsters and even deified concepts.

One of the main Egyptian deities is Amon. He was the supreme head of the pantheon in the united Egyptian kingdom. It was believed that it united all people, the rest of the gods and everything else. His symbol was a crown with two high feathers or was depicted with a solar disk, because he was considered the god of the sun and all nature. In the ancient Egyptian grabnits there are drawings of Amun, on which he appears in the guise of a ram or a man with a ram's head.

The kingdom of the dead in this mythology was headed by Anubis. He was also considered a guard of necropolises - underground cemeteries and crypts and inventor of embalming - a unique method that prevented the rotting of corpses, was used in the process of burial of all pharaohs.

The symbols of the gods of Ancient Egypt were often often very frightening. Anubis was traditionally portrayed with the head of a dog or a jackal with a red collar in the form of a necklace. His unchanging attributes were an ankh-cross, crowned with a ring, symbolizing eternal life, and a wand in which the healing powers of the underground demon were stored.

But there were also more pleasant and kind deities. For example, Bast or Bastet. This is the goddess of fun, feminine beauty and love, which was depicted as a cat or lioness in a sitting position. She also was responsible for fertile and productive years and could help to improve family life. The symbols of the gods of Ancient Egypt associated with Bast are a temple rattle, which was called a systra, and aegis is a magical cape.

Healing symbols

With great attention in ancient Egypt were treated to the cult of healing. For the fate and life was answered by the goddess Isis, she also was considered the patroness of healers and healers. She received gifts to protect the newborns.

The symbol of healing in Ancient Egypt - cow horns, which held the disk of the sun. This is how the goddess Isida was portrayed most often (sometimes in the form of a winged woman with a cow's head).

Also her unchanging attributes were the systra and the cross ankh.

Symbol of life

Ankh or Coptic cross is a symbol of life in ancient Egypt. It is also called the Egyptian hieroglyph, for them this is one of the most significant and key attributes.

It is also called the key of life or the Egyptian cross. Ankh is an attribute of many Egyptian deities, with which they are depicted on the walls of pyramids and papyri. He was obligatorily placed in a tomb with the pharaohs, which meant that the ruler could continue the life of his soul in the next world.

Although many researchers link the symbolism of the Ankh to life, there is still no consensus on this issue. Some researchers argue that its leading meanings were immortality or wisdom, and also that it was some sort of protective attribute.

Ankh enjoyed unprecedented popularity in such a state as Ancient Egypt. Symbols that chose him, were applied to the walls of churches, amulets, all sorts of objects of culture and life. Often in the drawings it is held in the hands of Egyptian gods.

Today, ankhkh is widely used in youth subcultures, in particular, in the ready. And also in all sorts of magical and parascientific cults and even in esoteric literature.

The symbol of the sun

The symbol of the sun in ancient Egypt is the lotus. Initially, he associated with the image of birth and creation, and later became one of the incarnations of the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon Amon-Ra. In addition, the lotus also symbolizes the return of youth and beauty.

It is worth noting that in general the worship of the daylight was one of the most important and significant among the Egyptians. And all the deities, somehow connected with the sun, were revered more than others.

The sun god Ra, according to Egyptian mythology, created all other gods and goddesses. Very widespread was the myth of how Ra sails on a boat along a celestial river, incidentally lighting the whole earth with sun rays. As soon as evening comes, he changes into another rook and inspects the property all night in the afterlife.

The next morning he again floats out on the horizon and so begins a new day. So the ancient Egyptians explained the change of day and night throughout the day, for them the solar disk was the embodiment of the revival and continuity of life for everything on earth.

Pharaohs at the same time were considered sons or governors of God on earth. Therefore, it did not occur to anyone to challenge their right to rule, so everything was arranged in the State of Ancient Egypt. The symbols and signs that accompanied the chief god Ra are a sun disc, a scarab beetle or a Phoenix bird that is reborn from the fire. Great attention was also paid to the eyes of the deity. The Egyptians believed that they could cure and protect a person from misfortunes and misfortunes.

A special attitude among the Egyptians was to the center of the universe - the Sun star. They correctly linked its impact on heat, good harvests, and a happy life for all the inhabitants of the country.

Another interesting fact. The star of the sun the ancient Egyptians called familiar to each of us apricot. And in Egypt itself this fruit did not grow, climatic conditions did not fit. He was brought from Asian countries. At the same time, the "overseas visitor" was so fond of the Egyptians that they decided to call this fruit poetically, correctly noticing how its shape and color look like the sun.

Sacred Symbols for the Egyptians

About what the symbols of Ancient Egypt mean and their significance, many scientists argue until now. This is especially true of sacred symbols.

One of the main of them is naos. This is a special chest made of wood. In it, the priests established a statue of a deity or a sacred symbol dedicated to him. It was also called the sacred place of worship of a certain deity. Most often, the Naos were placed in the sanctuaries or tombs of the pharaohs.

As a rule, there were several naosovs. One wooden was small, it was placed in a larger one, hewn out of a single piece of stone. The greatest distribution in Ancient Egypt they received already in the late period. At that time, they were richly and diversely decorated. Also often Naos was called the temple itself or the sanctuary of some deity.

Also the sacred symbols of Ancient Egypt are the Systrum. These are percussion instruments that were used by the priests during the sacraments to the glory of the goddess Hathor. In the Egyptians, it was the goddess of love and beauty, which personified femininity, as well as fertility and merriment. Modern researchers believe that it was analogous to the Romans Venus, and the Greeks - Aphrodite.

The musical instrument of the systrum was clothed in a wooden or metal frame. Metal strings and disks were stretched between them. All this made ringing sounds, which, as the priests thought, attracted the gods. In the rites, two varieties of systrum were used. One was called iba. It was in the form of an elementary ring with metal cylinders in the center. With the help of a long handle, it was placed above the head of the goddess Hathor.

A more ceremonial version of the systrum was called seshet. It had the form of Naos and was richly decorated with various rings and ornaments. The thundering pieces of metal that made sounds were located inside a small box. Sesset was allowed to be worn only by priests and rich women from the upper classes.

Symbol of Culture

The symbol of the culture of Ancient Egypt is, of course, a pyramid. This is the most famous, surviving to our days, a monument of ancient Egyptian art and architecture. One of the most ancient and famous - the pyramid of Pharaoh Joser, who ruled over the 18th century BC. It is located in the south of Memphis and is 60 meters high. She was slaughtered by slaves from limestone blocks.

The pyramids, built in Egypt, are the most amazing miracles of the architecture of this ancient people. By right one of them - the pyramid of Cheops - is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. And one more - the pyramids of Giza - one of the candidates to become the so-called "new miracle of the world."

Outwardly, these are stone constructions in which the Egyptian rulers - the pharaohs were buried. From the Greek language the word "pyramid" is translated as a polyhedron. Until now, scientists do not have a single time about why the ancient Egyptians chose this form for the burial vaults. Meanwhile, to date, 118 pyramids have been discovered in various parts of Egypt.

The largest number of these structures are in the Giza region, near the capital of this African state - Cairo. They are also called the Great Pyramids.

The predecessors of the pyramids were mastabas. So in ancient Egypt called "houses after life," which consisted of a funerary room and a special stone structure, which was located above the surface of the earth. It was such funerary houses for themselves that the first Egyptian pharaohs built. For the material, unbaked bricks, obtained from clay mixed with river mud, were used. Mass they were built in Upper Egypt, even before the unification of the state, and in Memphis, which was considered the main necropolis of the country. Above the ground in these buildings were rooms for prayers and rooms, in which the funeral inventory was kept. Under the ground is the burial of the pharaoh.

The most famous pyramids

The symbol of Ancient Egypt is the pyramid. The most famous Great Pyramids are in Giza. These are the tombs of the pharaohs Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre. From the very first pyramid of Djoser that reached us, these pyramids are distinguished by the fact that they have a non-stepped, but a strict geometric form. Their walls rise strictly at angles of 51-53 degrees in relation to the horizon. Their faces indicate the sides of the world. The famous pyramid of Cheops is generally erected on a rock created by nature, and placed exactly at the center of the base of the pyramid.

The pyramid of Cheops is also famous for being the highest. Initially, it was more than 146 meters, but now due to the loss of the cladding has decreased by almost 8 meters. The length of each side is 230 meters, it was built in 26 centuries BC. According to various estimates, it was built about 20 years.

More than two million blocks of stones were used for its construction. At the same time, no ancient binders, such as cement, were used by the ancient Egyptians. Each block weighed about two and a half thousand kilograms, individual weight reached 80 thousand kilograms. Ultimately, this is a monolithic structure, separated only by chambers and corridors.

Two more known pyramids - Khafren and Mikerna - were built by the descendants of Cheops and smaller in size.

The pyramid of Khafre is considered the second largest in Egypt. Next to her is a statue of the famous Sphinx. Its height initially was almost 144 meters, and the length of the sides - 215 meters.

The Pyramid of Micherine is the smallest of the greats in Giza. Its height is only 66 meters, and the length of the base is slightly more than 100 meters. Initially, its size was too modest, so it was suggested that it was not intended for the ruler of Ancient Egypt. However, in reality, it was not possible to establish this.

How did they build the pyramids?

It is worth noting that there was no unified technology. It changed from one building to another. Scientists put forward various hypotheses, devoted to how they created these structures, but there is still no consensus.

Researchers have definite data on quarries, from which stones and blocks were taken, tools used in processing the stone, and how they were moved to the site of construction.

Most Egyptologists believe that the stones were cut in special quarries with the help of copper tools, in particular, chisels, chisels and picks.

One of the biggest mysteries is how the Egyptians at that time moved these huge stone blocks. On the basis of one fresco, scientists have established that many blocks were simply pulled. So, on the well-known image 172 people are dragged on a sleigh by a statue of a pharaoh. At the same time, the sleds are constantly watered with water, which performs the function of lubrication. According to experts, the weight of such a statue was about 60 thousand kilograms. Thus, a stone block weighing 2 and a half tons could move only 8 workers. The movement of cargo in this way, according to general opinion, was most common in ancient Egypt.

The method of rolling blocks is also known. A special mechanism for this in the form of a cradle was found during excavations of ancient Egyptian sanctuaries. In the course of the experiment, it was found that 18 workers were needed to move the stone block in the same manner in 2.5 tons. At the same time, their speed was 18 meters per minute.

Also, some researchers believe that the Egyptians used the technology of a square wheel.