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