Introduction - Ancient Egyptian Culture
The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for thousands of years and was the world's first great civilization. Ancient Egyptian culture was complex and varied throughout the centuries and locations of this amazing civilization. On this page you will find a list of random facts about the ancient Egyptian culture. On the pages of this category we will explore the culture of ancient Egypt as defined by such things as their beliefs, art, customs, rituals, music, social habits, and food. You will find detailed pages of interesting information and facts on many aspects of their culture written for both kids and adults. This information includes how they lived, what their beliefs were, and why they mummify bodies.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian Culture Interesting Facts
- The amazing Egyptian Culture was able to emerge and reach levels previously never seen in the world largely due to the Nile River. The fertile Nile River flood plain gave the ancient people of the area the ability to move away from a hunter gather society and developed an agricultural society. This afforded them time to develop the amazing civilization of ancient Egypt.
- Egyptian culture reached its peak during the New Kingdom from the 16th century BC through the 11th century BC. After this period the Egyptian civilization experienced a period of slow decline.
- The ancient Egyptians reached great heights in art and architecture producing many works that have lasted thousands of years. Especially famous are the numerous pyramids and grand statues they produced.
- The pyramid shape is of course a very important shape for the ancient Egyptian culture. They went through incredible effort to build numerous tombs for their pharaohs and other royalty in this shape. However there is a question as to why the pyramid shape is so significant in this culture. It is widely believed to symbolize the rays of the sun.
- One common question regarding Egyptian culture is why did the ancient Egyptians mummify bodies. They believed that when a person died the soul continued. They mummified bodies so that the soul could return to it.
- Although they did not invent paper, as is often thought, the ancient Egyptians did invent Papyrus. Papyrus is an early paper-like material used to write on. In fact the word "paper" is derived from the word "papyrus". The invention of paper is credited to ancient China.
- The ancient Egyptians enjoyed playing board games. There were numerous games they played perhaps the most popular being a game called "Senet". There are ancient paintings of Queen Nefertari playing Senet. Games have been found buried in the tombs of numerous pharaohs.
- The women of ancient Egypt, although not considered the equals of men, had a lot of rights and freedom compared to civilizations that would follow. For example they were able to buy and sell property, enter into legal contracts, had the right to divorce, and usually received the same pay as men.
- The ancient Egyptians liked pets. Many animals were kept as pets including dogs, baboons, and ibises; however the most popular pets were cats. So close were the Egyptians to their pets that there have been numerous mummified pets found in tombs alongside their owner.
- An interesting fact about the ancient Egyptian culture is that both men and women wore plentiful amounts of makeup. Most Egyptians, regardless of status, wore cosmetics of some kind. Perhaps they are best known for their decorative eye makeup.