Culture of Ancient Egypt

The culture of Ancient Egypt has always been and remains a subject of curiosity for people all over the world. They write about it, shoot artistic and documentary films, but it still remains intriguing and mysterious, as it was thousands of years ago, which, of course, guarantees a constantly increasing influx of tourists into the country.

The history of ancient Egyptian civilization is a narrative about the greatest cultural epoch in the history of all mankind, helping to understand many secrets of the universe. Having begun its existence in centuries covered with fog, Ancient Egypt has passed many tests in the glorious evolution of cult, intellectual, political organizations. Having achieved a unique social, economic and cultural order, peacefully flourished for more than three thousand years in the rich Nile valley.

All the civilizations of the ancient world had a greater or lesser influence on the modern world. Of course, Ancient Egypt is no exception. The material culture of Ancient Egypt became a discovery for the whole world after the Egyptian expedition of the French army, headed by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The French "lit" an incredible interest in Egypt, bringing to Europe amazing treasures and monuments, which then did not suspect. From them, the full-scale looting of the unique heritage began. Archaeologists, historians, scientists, treasure hunters, adventurers of all stripes literally flooded the ancient land.

The culture of Ancient Egypt is amazing in every aspect, including art, grandiose architecture, magic, complex religion, literature, scientific achievements. One of her most remarkable achievements is the invention of writing, a hieroglyphic system consisting of more than 700 characters, in which pictures and symbols represented words and sounds.

Isolation of the Nile valley - in the north the Mediterranean Sea, from the west and east - vast deserts, dense jungle in the south - allowed the Egyptian civilization to develop peacefully, without fear of external threats.

Indeed, it is interesting to note the fact that before the reign of the last pharaoh, the country did not experience any foreign influences, only after the conquest of other foreign powers by the Roman empire, and the culture of Ancient Egypt fell under the influence of the outside world.

Modern Egypt is an amalgamation of many introduced interesting traditions, but its exceptional primordiality will never cease to exist.

The ancient Egyptians excelled in various forms of material art - in pottery, sculpture, painting and so on. It is noteworthy that the ancient Egyptian artists created artistic forms not for the sake of art and aesthetic emotions, but to achieve a specific goal, following the strictly established canons for thousands of years. Artists occupied a privileged position in the Egyptian society, their services were in great demand. After all, the illustrated description, above all, was an important aspect of religious rituals.

Art culture of ancient Egypt is reflected in images on steles, walls of temples, pyramids, papyrus scrolls - on any flat surfaces you can read myths, scenes from the life of pharaohs and ordinary people. Sculpture was highly professional. One of the most famous masterpieces among the ancient Egyptian sculptures is the bust of Nefertiti, the wife of the pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Akhenaten, the work of the sculptor Thutmose.

The ancient Egyptians were productive builders. They built a huge number of not only temples, pyramids, but also secular buildings. Remnants of some palaces, discovered by archaeologists, perfectly illustrate the luxurious lifestyle of members of royal families.

Religion was the guiding principle in the life of the country. The whole multifaceted culture of ancient Egypt developed around religion: art, architecture, science, music, literature, social order and so on. Ancient Egyptians practiced a multi-theistic religion, worshiping many gods, goddesses.

Death and a happy afterlife was the central idea of ancient Egyptian society. Most of the wealth and human capabilities were dedicated to creating a comfortable afterlife. The construction of pyramids and mastabas, donations, rituals, mummification was a means for a prosperous existence in the Duat (the afterlife).