Egypt In the Present

Introduction

A lot has changed since the fall of Ancient Egypt around 3,000 years ago. Egypt is definitely not the same country that it was back then. For one thing you don't see pharaohs parading around the nation claiming to be at a higher ranking than everyone else. Hieroglyphics aren't used anymore when it comes to writing and the way modern Egyptians dress is pretty similar to well everyone else in the present. People don't rely heavily on agriculture for food anymore and journeying to different parts of Egypt doesn't require a long camel ride. The country is sadly not the most safest place to travel to right now but I am willing to take the risk. Egypt has changed in a few drastic ways as it embraces the modern era. However, the culture is still laced with reminders of its glorious ancient past. Here are a few facts about Egypt!

Facts about Egypt

1. Egypt's economy is one of the largest and diversified in the middle east.
2. Egypt has one of the longest histories in comparison to other modern countries
3. Egypt's climate hasn't changed since the Ancient Egyptian time. It's still super hot and dry. 

Alexandria, Egypt

4. Egypt is a Muslim country with Islam as their official religion.
5. The languages in Egypt vary however the main language is Arabic.
6. The largest cities in Egypt are Cairo (8,000,000) and Alexandria (4,000,000)

Cairo, Egypt

7. The city Alexandria was named after Alexander the Great. 
8. Egyptians love their vegetables! Most of their diets are strictly vegetarian based. 
9. Tourism comprises 10% of the workforce in Egypt.
10. In Egypt children are considered a blessing.
11. The longest river in the world named the Nile flows through Egypt.
12. Egyptians invented a lot of household items we use today such as the comb, makeup and toothbrushes. (yay I love makeup thank you Egyptians!)

Note to the readers:

Throughout this journey we all learned a lot about the Ancient Egyptians. I learned a few things I didn't know myself. I thought briefly describing modern Egypt would be really helpful in concluding the blog. Since we aren't able to travel back in time to witness the Egyptian civilization in it's prime its always good to reflect upon the modern country. Archaeologists and other specialists have helped greatly in the recreation of the history of Egypt. Without their extensive research and fieldwork we wouldn't know as much as we know today. I hope to one day travel to Egypt and explore the many sites I have only seen in textbooks and pictures. I want to embrace the culture and I want to relive the past. I hope to one day discover something amazing. I also hope to be a refined archaeologist. I end this note with the national anthem of Egypt called Bilady, Bilady, Bilddy (My Country, My Country, My Country). 

Thank you all so much for tuning into my blog posts and I hope for you guys to see me soon in a history textbook, news article or even on TV!


Peace out! 

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/egypt.html

Imagine Your Life: Egypt Edition II

Imagine Your Life As ....

The Butcher (2450 BCE)

A Man of Egypt

Unlike women, men were on the top of the "food chain." Men would typically inherit their father's job and make sure to provide for their family. If his wife bore boys then his duty was to teach them the way of his profession and many other manly duties. Depending on social status men may have varying duties such as the pharaohs would not have to deal with hard manual labor. Men are typically the ones portrayed in Egyptian art. Pharaoh's were usually men however there have been a few exceptions to this. If you'd like to learn more about one of the only woman pharaohs of Egypt check out one of my earlier posts entitled The Woman Pharaoh. Men would dress in a wrap around white linen skirt held up by a belt. It's funny how skirts are now considered a girl thing but the men of Egypt were rocking it for centuries. In ancient Egypt family was an important aspect of society. The man of the household had to teach his children everything he knew as well as nurture them. However women did most of that work. *cough cough* Just saying. So like my previous post I'm not just going to be throwing out facts because that gets boring. Let's read a journal entry from a boy coming of age in Egypt. (Disclaimer: This is all fictional)


April 20th, 2950

Dear Papyrus Scroll,

Yes I know I'm literate which is uncommon for someone like me. I've been kind of teaching myself and sneaking my way into the schools that teach scribes to write. I know I shouldn't do it but I enjoy writing a lot. I don't want to become a farmer like my father. I have passions and I just really do not want to spend countless hours outside. A scribe is exempt from manual labor! Those people are living the dream and I'm sitting her expecting to marry my sister when I'm only in love with one woman. That woman is the sleek stylus that creates perfect harmony with you papyrus scroll. You know what else I've noticed? That my father keeps talking about my children and how I have to raise my boys to be strong, hardworking men. Sadly I'm not even thinking about children because the idea of procreation sounds disgusting especially with a woman like my sister. I just wish Osiris could just take me away I don't want to live my life as a peasant. Eating all of this wheat is driving me nuts. I remember one time I stole fish from the market. Don't tell anyone but I ate it raw and it was amazing. I wish I could be the pharaoh sometimes he has best of both worlds. He is literate and gets all the fish in the world. I’m going to give offering to Isis tomorrow to grant me the ability to become a scribe or a pharaoh. Oh I better go I hear footsteps approaching I need to pretend I'm working on the crop.

Sincerely,

Amun

If you'd like to learn more about gender roles check out these sites!

http://ancientegypt916.weebly.com/roles-and-responsibilities.html

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/people/gender.htm

The Egyptian Gods!

The ancient Egyptians were a polytheistic bunch of people. They had gods for pretty much anything. I shall name some of the well-known gods and also give a brief background about them.

Osiris

Man who is mummified and wearing a white cone head headdress with feathers.

Osiris is god of the dead and ruler of the underworld. Osiris was married to Isis his sister. Not only is he the god of the dead but he is also the god of fertility. He was able to help in the resurrection of people.

Isis

Woman that had a headdress that was shaped like a throne.

Isis was married to her brother Osiris. Isis protected the many people of Egypt. She used her magic spells to help many people in need of assistance. Isis is associated with thrones because Horus sat in her lap and that was the first throne he ever sat on.

Horus

Man with a falcon for a Head.

He is one of most well-known gods. He was known to be the god of the sky. He would protect and guide the pharaoh of Egypt. The pharaoh was the living embodiment of Horus. Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. He lost is eye during a battle and got it restored. The eye then became the symbol of protection and power in Egypt.

Anubis

God whose head was of a Jackal.

He is the god of mummification. Since the Egyptians often saw jackals in the cemetery they associated it with Anubis always watching over the dead. Anubis was the god that helped in the embalming of Osiris when he got killed by seth. Priests often wore masks of Anubis during mummification. His image is often seen in tombs since is supposed to guard the dead.

Amun

God with a ram head.

He was one of the most powerful gods in Ancient Egypt. He was once even called the king of all the gods. He was also known as god of the wind.

Ra

Man with the hawk for a head and a sun disk as a headdress.

He was the god of the sun and one of the most important gods of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians believed that every night Ra was eaten by the sky goddess Nut and then was regurgitated every morning (reborn). He was believed to rule in all parts of the created world.

Hathor

Woman with ears of a cow.

She was the goddess of joy and love. She is the wife of Horus. She was sometimes referred to as the mother of the pharaoh. She was also the goddess of the desert. She was one of the most important and popular gods in Ancient Egyptian history. She had a cult following.

 If you’d like to learn more take a look at these sites!

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/listpics.html

http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egyptian-gods.html

Ancient Egypt's Food!

Introduction

So what is something I am a huge advocate of? It’s not exercise that’s for sure. It’s food! Food brings people together and helps keep us energy efficient. Without food we would die, literally. However food isn’t all black and white. If you travel to different parts of the world the major foods they eat will be vastly different from what we eat. So it’s always good to explore the varieties of foods the world has to offer. So let’s explore one of my favorite civilization’s diet and maybe learn an ancient recipe! Hold your applause till the end please.

Ancient Egyptian Diet

Many would suspect that due to their location Ancient Egyptians would have a lack of food. I mean a desert isn’t the best place to live. Personally I hate hot and dry weather. However, the Nile River’s fertile banks provides great agriculture for the Egyptians. So one obvious thing they had a lot of was fish. They lived next to a major river so fishing was a big thing for them. Since it was so difficult to raise livestock and cattle in the desert, fish was the only meat Egyptian’s really ate. The majority of the food they ate was bread and they always enjoyed a nice loaf with beer. The fertile soil of the river allowed Egyptians to have a lot of wheat and this wheat was made into a variety of foods such as cakes, bread and beer. It was a time staking task to use wheat since they had to grind it by hand and also cook it in an archaic oven. A lot of the breads and cakes they made were sweetened with honey. The Egyptians did it right and ate a lot of vegetables. Their mothers must be so proud. A few of the vegetables that were in their diet were peas, beans, onions, lettuce and cabbage. Figs and dates were extremely popular for Egyptians. So was grapes and wine.

Depending on what social status you were the food you ate would vary. Only the rich could afford certain luxury foods while the poor stuck to whatever they can get their hands on. It’s just how it a worked in a socially ranked society like Ancient Egyptians.

Here is a handy dandy recipe for pita bread!

Egyptian Pita Bread

(Makes 8 pieces of bread)
3 cups of warm water
25 g of fresh yeast
500 g of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
Preheat the oven to 450. In a big bowl mix the yeast with the warm water. Bled in the 400 g of flour that is mixed with salt. Knead it until the dough is nice and smooth. Add flour until it doesn't stick to the bowl. Cover in cloth and put in warm place. When the dough has doubled in size which will take around 40 minutes, knead it firmly on a floured surface for a couple of minutes. Cut it into 8 pieces and flatten them. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8-10 minutes. A bubble of air will rise in the middle of the bread. Then wait till its cool and enjoy!

If you like to learn more click on these links

http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egyptian-food.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5460494_food-recipes-ancient-egypt.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/food/egyptfood.htm

Ancient Egyptians in the Modern Media!

Ever since the tomb of King Tutankhamen was discovered Egypt has been a booming sensation for the modern era. Egypt has been all around the modern spectrum from Elizabeth Taylor’s adaptation of Cleopatra to the multitude of movies, TV shows and books all based on mummies. It seems many share the same fascination I have for the mysterious civilization that is thousands upon thousands of years old. I’m happy for all these modern adaptations because it opened my eyes up to the Egyptian culture and made me realize how desperately I wanted to learn more.

I remember my first experience with the Egyptians it was when I was smaller. I remember watching this show called “Tutenstein” on Discovery Kids. This show taught me a lot in a dimmed down version for elementary school children. Obviously some things weren't accurate like the fact that king tut is portrayed as a 10 year old mummy brought back to life. He was 18 when he died! *cough cough* It’s also not technically possible to bring someone back to life with just a lightning bolt, this isn't some Frankenstein shit. Regardless throughout the show they had a lot of facts about Egypt so you learned quite a lot. Throughout the show tut schemes to get himself a pyramid. Since in actuality there isn't a formal pyramid for him due to the fact that he died rather young so there wasn't much time for them to create a pyramid in his honor.

So another way I learned about Egypt was through this show called “Truth or Scare” also on the discovery kids channel (this channel was my life I learned a lot). I am a big advocate of scary things so Egypt’s mummy’s curse kind of tantalized my mind with all these spooky possibilities. Sadly I couldn't find the exact episode for The Curse of Tutankhamen but there are also other shows that you could watch on YouTube just search for Truth or Scare.   

Howard Carter (Egyptologist)

So the Mummy’s curse came about after Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. The tale goes as follows apparently James Breasted, a famous Egyptologist, worked with Howard shortly after he had discovered the tomb of King Tut. He stated that Carter had sent a messenger to his house and the messenger saw a cobra with Carter’s bird in its mouth. The cobra is a symbol of Egyptian monarchy. So the local people took this as a sign of a Mummy’s curse. Like in a sense that the Egyptians will kill Howard (bird got killed by snake). The insanity doesn’t stop there the story progresses. Well the first person to die was Lord Carnarvon, he had been bitten by a mosquito upon entering the tomb he then later accidently cut the wound while shaving which caused an infection. This infection turned into blood poisoning and he died soon after. Some reporter quoted an obscure thing from a book that indicated dire consequences to anyone that entered the tomb. This sparked the fuel for the Mummy’s curse. All of these coincidences were taken too seriously in the 20s. This is a bunch of Hogwash. Howard Carter the man who discovered the tomb didn’t die from any weird causes he never even had anything weird happen to him. Except this one instance where he saw jackals that looked like Anubis, god of mummification, but other than that he was skeptical about the curses.

I know the Mummy’s curse is still an interesting topic even though I don’t believe it. There are a lot of modern portrayals of it such as The Mummy movies or even TV shows like Truth or Scare. So if you want to know more about Egypt or the shows mentioned click on the links below!

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/curse-of-the-mummy/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_pharaohs

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/4277-tutenstein-cartoon-show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwzwe-TRwzM&list=PLCED576E6A6DFD268

Cleopatra Please!

Let’s continue this trend I've established and talk more about the famous women of Egypt!

General Knowledge about Cleopatra:

Who doesn't know who Cleopatra is? I’m almost certain that everyone has at least heard that name once or twice in their lifetime. She is one of the most well-known Egyptian Queens like ever and you can see her many dapple gangers parading around the streets during Halloween. She was born during the Greek Hellenistic period specific date was 69 B.C. Her family had been ruling Egypt 100 years prior to her birth. Many perceive her of Greek heritage but some have speculated to believe she was from African descent. She is known for her narcissism and never ending need to look elegant. She may have been an Egyptian queen but her ties run deep with Greek society. Shakespeare even took the time to write a tragic play about her and Marc Antony. Julius Caesar and Marc Antony both had children with Cleopatra. Cleopatra did anything in her power to ensure her children would reign powerful in Egypt. Julius Caesar was her lover and she pursued him until he was assassinated in 44 B.C. I’m assuming after that she was like totally over him because she instantly sided with Marc Antony and had twins with him. I guess you can call that homie hopping ancient Egypt edition (boooo). She even resorted to murdering any competition that stood in her way, such ruthlessness was common and necessary in Egyptian dynastic politics. Her cunning deception and wit helped her survive during her reign and push to the top (something completely awesome and admirable of her personality). She was also very patriotic, even though during that time Alexandria based rulers took up the language and the customs of the Greeks, she took the time to learn Egyptian. She was a very popular queen of her time even being called Philopatris which means she who loves her country.

Some Wicked Facts:

-      After fleeing Egypt Cleopatra established an army to defeat her husband/brother Ptolemy XIII.

-      In a male dominated society Cleopatra held her ground and kept Egypt intact earning her the same rankings as her male counterparts.

-      Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Thus ending Egypt’s pharaoh based reign of power. (tear tear)

-      Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing a snake to bite her after she was informed that Marc Antony had killed himself.

-      Cleopatra married her brother who was only 10 years old at the time, she was 18. (Gross)

-      Cleopatra isn’t actually that beautiful she is portrayed with manly features such as thin lips a pointy nose and a defined chin in many ancient art depictions.

-      After Cleopatra and Marc Antony committed suicide their son, too young to defend himself, was killed by Octavian the future emperor of Rome.

-      Cleopatra seduced Marc Antony with her truckloads of perfume she owned. Most of her perfumes contained mercury which was deadly.

-      Cleopatra is a mastermind when it comes to the makeup world. She is known for her bold red lip color (my favorite color of lipstick).

Sources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-cleopatra-151356013/?no-ist

http://www.biography.com/people/cleopatra-vii-9250984#marc-antony

http://www.yurtopic.com/society/people/cleopatra-facts.html

The Woman Pharaoh

King Hatshepsut: My Role Model

A Tiny Rant'

Men always topple us “weak” women, this notion has been around since the ancient times. Our sensitive nature and gentle stature is only made for certain household duties. Pfft, history is told from the perspective of men and has been for a very long time. Only until recently have woman’s voices and stories been brought into the spotlight. Luckily, there have been some great examples of women empowerment throughout early human history. One that touches my heart dearly is King Hatshepsut (ahh she likes to be portrayed as a man too) a woman that did something so absurd that men tried to erase her from Egyptian history. She became the pharaoh of Egypt.

A Mini Biography

Hatshepsut was born in 1508 B.C. and her father was King Thutmose I. Hatshepsut was expected to be a queen (what a pleasant surprise to everyone when she turned out to be ruler material) and a principal wife, typical duties of a woman in the highest rankings of Egyptian society. When her father died she married her half-brother Thutmose II (yay incest) and continued being a queen for 15 years. Then the greatest thing happened, well not for Thutmose II, Hatshepsut’s husband died! Her son a mere infant was too young to rule Egypt so Hatshepsut did what any strong woman would do, she stepped up to the plate and took charge of Egypt. Instead of trying to change the way Pharaohs were portrayed, Hatshepsut, in respect to her people, took up the role of the Pharaoh. She was depicted bare chested, wearing the traditional kilt and fake beard combo. This look flaunted her power like no other, because during those times you either conformed to the societal norms or you die (just kidding but a lot of bad things would happen and death could be one of them). The reason she was able to rise up to power was because of one of her royal advisors who has also been thought of as to have been her lover. Under her reign Egypt flourished, instead of trying to conquer everything she could get her hands on she focused more on Egypt itself. Hatshepsut’s reign lasted 20 years and it only came to an end when she died February of 1458 B.C. After her death, her son tried to eradicate her memory by defacing and covering up her monuments and inscriptions. Maybe he hated her or maybe he wanted to make himself look more powerful in comparison? Who knows.

Why is she my role model?

This girl obviously doesn’t play around, she took control when Egypt needed her the most. Greatest thing about her was that she actually led a military expedition something that was and kind of still is a predominately male profession.

She must have done something right if her son had to deface and destroy traces of her just to make himself look better. Jealousy might have played a huge role in the family? Or maybe he was just scared of always living in the shadow of her Excellency?

She represents one of the earliest feats of feminism. She became a leader in a society dominated by men and did an amazing job!

Sources: http://www.biography.com/people/hatshepsut-9331094#reign

                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L01bDlX5pTA