Ancient Egypt. The year of the formation of a single state in Egypt

Emerged almost 40 centuries ago in Africa, Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest and most mysterious on our planet. Already at that time, on the banks of the Nile, there was a state with its own religion, culture and organization. Further in the article you will learn the history and year of the formation of a single state in Egypt and the features of the state.

Protostates

The name Ancient Egypt is used to refer to the historical region within which the Egyptian civilization was located. The year of the formation of a unified state in Egypt is not known exactly. Ancient civilization arose 6 thousand years BC on the banks of the sacred river Nile. On either side of the river there were settlements or proto-states that gave impetus to the further development of Upper and Lower Egypt. This period is designated by scientists as pre-dynastic.

In the fifth century there were more than forty separate settlements formed in the delta of the river. Even before the formation of a single state in Egypt, the population of proto-states were active. Each settlement was independent. The population was engaged in the cultivation of land and the cultivation of cereals. A favorable location made it possible to engage in trade. At that time, a slave system arose. The slaves were captured, captured as a result of military raids.

The year of the formation of a single state in Egypt

The development of agriculture and the creation of irrigation systems made it possible to control the irrigation of the territories centrally and significantly simplified the life of the local population by speeding up the formation of the state. Ancient Egypt was then a noma - a separate independent settlement, which merged into larger entities. The southern region was Upper Egypt, and the northern one was Lower Egypt.

The period from which the beginning of the Egyptian state is counted, has the name dynastic, since it is he who reveals the centuries-old dynasty of the pharaohs. Among researchers it is considered that a single state in Egypt was formed about 3 thousand years before our era. Upper and Lower Egypt were merged, and the capital became the city of Cheni or Tinis (in ancient Greek). There is a suggestion that both parts of Egypt were united and again divided earlier. Different sources give different names to the ruler who created the Egyptian Kingdom, presumably it was Menes, sometimes called the name of Ming.

Hierarchy of society

In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh was an absolute monarch. His power was unlimited, he was considered the chief ruler and commander of the Egyptian lands. There was a special cult of Pharaoh, for he was identified with God. Only the pharaoh could appoint people to the posts, choose priests, award the death penalty. Each ruler possessed attributes: an artificial beard, bracelets on hands, a lion's skin.

The family of the pharaoh occupied the highest social level. The right hand of the pharaoh was chati. He managed money, property, and archives. Chats, officials and scribes stood on the second level - these were the creams of Egyptian society. After them, in the social hierarchy stood priests - advisers of the pharaohs and governors of temples and religious cults. All of them were the ruling class of society.

Further in the hierarchy were soldiers, followed by artisans. Artisans were under the control of the state and received a salary directly from the treasury. They were assigned certain jobs. Next followed by peasants, working mainly on irrigation canals. The lower step was represented by slaves.

Culture of Ancient Egypt

The cultural heritage of Ancient Egypt is quite large. In general, art developed as a religious cult. Most works were created for the deceased. Famous around the world, the pyramids were tombs, or posthumous houses of the pharaohs and their families.

Architectural heritage is a temple complexes and palaces, for example, Luxor Temple. Fine art was symbolic. Paintings on temples, tombs, inside palaces often included not only drawings, but also hieroglyphics. Even then, the Egyptians used paints, similar in principle to modern ones. These were natural dyes, such as soot, coal, copper and iron ores, mixed with a special substance that provided their viscosity. The mixture was dried and partitioned, and wetted with water before use.

There was a developed system of beliefs and rites that accompanied them. The Egyptians did not have one particular religion. Instead, there were many individual cults. For each god there was a temple, where they did not come every day, but visited the temple only on holidays. The priests conducted and controlled ceremonies and religious holidays.

Conclusion

Thanks to the good adaptation and development of the river valley of the Nile and the good organization of human resources, the ancient Egyptians were able to form a powerful state. Scientists still do not know exactly the year of the formation of a single state in Egypt. However, it can be said with certainty that the ancient Egyptian civilization left a significant mark in the history of mankind.