Before discussing the major key features and innovations of Ancient Egypt, first of all, what is a key feature? A key feature is an identifying quality of a person, place, or thing. This can either be a structure, a legend, a story, or a certain belief. In the civilization of Ancient Egypt, there were sundry, miscellaneous of these. Ancient Egypt's key features are well known by the property of structure. The Great Sphinx and the three pyramids, each of different size, remain in Giza. What is most laudable and outstanding about all four of these structures is that they have stood tall for over 3,000 years. The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed roughly around 2560 B.C.E. It is also the only one of the 7 wonders of the world to stay standing*
What advancements did Ancient Egyptians make in medical technology?
Up until the 1900's BC, the world had no knowledge of disease. Whenever a human or animal got sick, the Ancient Egyptians thought the Gods of Ancient Egypt had served this as a punishment. It was only until 2700 BCE that some humans tried to study sickness and what exactly this meant. Some of the earliest doctors and physicians include:
- Merit-Ptah (c. 2700 BCE)
- Imhotep (c. 2667-2600 BCE)
- Hesyre (also known as Hesy-Ra, c. 2600 BCE),
- Pesehet (c. 2500 BCE)
- Qar (c. 2350 BCE)
- Mereruka (c. 2345 BCE)
- Ir-en-akhty ( 2181-2040)
Up until the 1900's BC, the world had no knowledge of disease. Whenever a human or animal got sick, the Ancient Egyptians thought the Gods of Ancient Egypt had served this as a punishment. It was only until 2700 BCE that some humans tried to study sickness and what exactly this meant. Some of the earliest doctors and physicians include:
- Merit-Ptah (c. 2700 BCE)
- Imhotep (c. 2667-2600 BCE)
- Hesyre (also known as Hesy-Ra, c. 2600 BCE),
- Pesehet (c. 2500 BCE)
- Qar (c. 2350 BCE)
- Mereruka (c. 2345 BCE)
- Ir-en-akhty ( 2181-2040)
How was the Egyptian society organized?
The Egyptian society was organized through a social pyramid.
As seen in the image to the right, the pharaoh is the most worshipped of all in job specialization. Then there were (in order from most to least praised) the priests, scribes, nobles, government officials, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and finally, farmers and slaves at the bottom.
If you could choose anyone in Ancient Egypt, except the Pharaoh, who would you choose to be?
Other than the pharaoh, at the top of the social pyramid, the scribes, priests, and artisans are the most known and worshipped. They were also very wealthy and had a part in big decisions, especially priests. However, it does depend on what type of response or way that Ancient Egyptians would treat you that you are going for. If you want the maximum amount of worship, a priest or scribe is the way to go. On the other hand, if you want a job that isn't as important, a farmer, merchant, or craftsman is the right position for you.
The Egyptian society was organized through a social pyramid.
As seen in the image to the right, the pharaoh is the most worshipped of all in job specialization. Then there were (in order from most to least praised) the priests, scribes, nobles, government officials, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, and finally, farmers and slaves at the bottom.
If you could choose anyone in Ancient Egypt, except the Pharaoh, who would you choose to be?
Other than the pharaoh, at the top of the social pyramid, the scribes, priests, and artisans are the most known and worshipped. They were also very wealthy and had a part in big decisions, especially priests. However, it does depend on what type of response or way that Ancient Egyptians would treat you that you are going for. If you want the maximum amount of worship, a priest or scribe is the way to go. On the other hand, if you want a job that isn't as important, a farmer, merchant, or craftsman is the right position for you.
Here is a translation of the English alphabet in hieroglyphics, the writing strategy that Ancient Egyptians used. You may notice it looks similar to cuneiform (Used by Ancient Mesopotamians in Sumer, now known as Iraq.)
*The 7 wonders of the world referred to are the original list, which consist of The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus in Olympia, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus of Rhodes, Temple of Artemis, and Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. All of which, except the Great Pyramid were destroyed.