History
Ancient Egypt was one of the greatest and most powerful civilizations in the history of the world. It lasted for over 3000 years from 3150 BC to 30 BC. The civilization was located along the Nile River in northeast Africa. From the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom to the military conquests of the New Kingdom, Egypt’s majesty has long entranced archaeologists and historians and created a vibrant field of study all its own: Egyptology
The most famous tombs are the famous pyramids, which were incredibly ambitious projects and the largest structures ever built. Their construction was overseen by highly skilled architects and engineers. They thought that their contributions would improve their own prospects at the final judgement in the afterworld. The gigantic pyramids were conspicuous targets for tomb robbers, whose plundering jeopardized the hope for eternal life. Subsequent generations of kings hid their tombs in the Valley of the Kings in an attempt to elude the robbers. The word hieroglyph literally means "sacred carvings". The Egyptians first used hieroglyphs exclusively for inscriptions carved or painted on temple walls. This form of pictorial writing was also used on tombs, sheets of papyrus, wooden boards covered with a stucco wash, potsherds and fragments of limestone. Hieroglyphs are written in columns or in horizontal lines. They are generally read from right to left and from top to bottom.
They developed ways to measure time and distances , and applied their knowledge to monumental architecture. Papyrus sheets are the earliest paper-like material – all other civilizations used stone, clay tablets, animal hide, wood materials or wax as a writing surface. The Egyptians mixed vegetable gum, soot and bee wax to make black ink. They replaced soot with other materials such as ochre to make various colours. Using the power of oxen to pull the plough revolutionized agriculture and modified versions of this Egyptian invention are still used by farmers in developing countries around the world. The Egyptians devised the solar calendar by recording the yearly reappearance of Sirius (the Dog Star) in the eastern sky. In order to tell the time Egyptians invented two types of clock.
Obelisks were used as sun clocks by noting how its shadow moved around its surface throughout the day. From the use of obelisks they identified the longest and shortest days of the year. Another was a water clock made from a stone vessel with a tiny hole at the bottom which allowed water to dripped at a constant rate. The passage of hours could be measured from marks spaced at different levels.
The Edwin Smith Papyrus shows the Egyptians invented medical surgery. The Egyptians invented eye makeup as far back as 4000 B.C. They combined soot with a lead mineral called galena to create a black ointment known as kohl. They also made green eye makeup by combining malachite with galena to tint the ointment. Egyptian workers organized the first labor strike recorded in history. The earliest recorded peace treaty was made in Egypt. Egyptian workers had the first recorded health care plan. Egyptian men and women both wore makeup made from minerals and perfume.
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